Inkwell Imperial Stout (Port Barrel-Aged Private Reserve)
Muddy York Brewing Co.

Strong and boozy, this 2018 production lost its head but kept its booze taste, alcohol, and barreling aroma along with a fuller mouthfeel.

Appearance: Black as night as a good stout should be, but zero head, and thus no lace or retention. I'll grant this was apparently from 2018 but the bottle was waxed up, it not producing anything is a bit of a disappointment.

Smell: This smells boozy. Not whiskey boozy, but like the most vindicative vermouth wine you could find, or that 30% ABV liqueur kind of booze, where the sweet tries to mask it, but it simply can't. Chocolate malt with a strong mix of cognac, oak and red wine which I can only presume is port. There's certainly nothing bad here, save that it smells like it wishes it could peel paint.

Taste: Starts with chocolate malt with a hint of white wine that seems to take on a bitter earth, charred malt and boozey note that seems to take a packed gravel road kind of "smoothness" before oak, mild wine and a burnt sugar snap rounds things out.

Mouthfeel: Deduction for the complete lack of head, and really the low carbonation in general. The transitioning a kind of extended middle that seems to almost vibrate through things which is something intriguing that I've never really had and the aftertaste is good with mixed chocolate and a good mixture of oak, malt and sugar with only the barest wine touch that doesn't overstay its welcome.

Drinkability: This stuff drinks like a meal, as it is thick in extreme and incredibly boozy. Obvious a barrel aged stout like this is a a rare occasion sip and savor affair, and while it certainly brings some interesting things to the table, I don't think it's my cup of tea. It's just so undisguisedly boozey.

Final Thoughts: I've never actually had port before, so I presume that mixture of oak, wine and cognac is what drinking it much be like. I also figure if I enjoyed port I'd probably enjoy this stuff a lot more, and would probably appreciate this more for what it is as a result. That said, the premise I like, as I sincerely miss when Innis & Gunn made it their mission to try to age beer in other kinds of oak. Glad to see these guys pickup that torch, even if this one wasn't quite my cup of tea.

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stotu with a large foamy head with light retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of roasted malt with light chocolate notes with some dominant port notes. Taste is also a mix of dark roasted amtl with some blakc chocolate notes with some slightly vinous port notes with some residual sugar notes. Body is a bit thin for style with good carbonation and light warming alcohol notes. Enjoyable but not sure port and imperial stout are the best mix flavors wise.