Medianoche Reserve (2022)
WeldWerks Brewing Co.

 

500ml bottle from Tavour. Black pour, still, tiny ring of beige head. Rich chocolaty aroma, bourbon notes, vanilla, coconut. Taste brings cocoa, roasted malts, coffee, vanilla. Slippery and slick, on the thick side. Exquisite

 

Pours pitch black with absolutely no head formation. Liquid is visibly heavy, glubbing and bubbling into the glass with the viscosity of motor oil run hard through an engine for 10k miles. Heavy oil stains the glass in the same way a smoker's teeth turn yellow over the years. From first pour, this gives a heavy look.

Aroma is roasty and toasty malts. Marshmallow and coconut is hot on its heals, bringing with it some extra sweetness. Bourbon and barrel add some additional weight. Molasses and vanilla bean wrap things up, tilting to the scale towards 'sweet'.

Flavor profile is mashmallows melted over chocolate, vanilla bean, coconut, and bourbon. Imagine your drunk uncle burning marshmallows around a campfire to make smore's while he empties a bottle of Jack Daniel's. Roasty and toasty malts add a firm foundation. Fragments of molasses, toffee, fig, and resin create some extra depth.

Mouth feel is thick. It's got a heavy viscosity. Texture has a slight creaminess, but is otherwise a long velvety rug - smooth and indulgent.

Overall, pretty darn great for a Medianoche. Some border on too heavy of texture, or feature a nasty slug or two. This one delivers depth alongside some balance (if you consider balance an in-your-face heavy stout.)

Served in AM's 2023 membership glass from a 500mL bottle. Reviewed & consumed 3/19/23. Review #3100.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medianoche variants have been popping up with regularity. All of them are highly regarded. The 2022 Reserve is a beast of a BA stout. It is the most viscous barreled beer I have had. It is rich, decadent, and extremely sweet. The depth/complexity isn't quite there and could probably use a few years in cellar. Overall, an exceptionally unique stout.

poured from a 500mL bottle into a perennial snifter. pours a shiny jet black goop with no head whatsoever. nary a bubble to be found. a quick swirl does almost nothing to agitate the beer save for staining the glass a light brown color. i get a ton of chocolate up front on the nose. as it brings itself to room temperature i get more oak bourbon barrel, toasted coconut, caramel and slight vanilla. on the taste it’s heavy chocolate followed by whiskey and oak, coconut and caramel. it’s rich and filling with a thick mouthfeel that’s extremely low in carbonation. decadent but really good. the adjuncts overpower the barrel when it’s a little colder but let it warm up and everything is in balance. it’s a bit on the sweeter side but it’s so chocolate-forward with nice barrel notes it’s hard for me to complain.

THICK. Pours like oil-dark color, ruby edging, no head whatsoever. Strong scent of coconut with notes of cocoa, vanilla, and barrel. The barrel is much stronger on the taste, as it plays well with the assertive coconut and the undercurrent of cocoa and vanilla. So obviously this is one sweet beer. Syrupy and boozy, big bodied, bold, and thick.

 

 

 

 

 

Very dark almost black appearance. Aroma is a very pleasant blend of slightly sweet molasses. Taste is a very thick slightly sweet molasses with a touch of coconut.

Coconut Bomb. #SPInvitational2022