Bob Barley
Baffin Brewing Company

 

 

12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 10/21/2019. Pours dense opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger dense/creamy/fluffy tan head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts the whole glass. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Amazing appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, coffee, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, coffee, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome hop/char bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium-plus carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is a fantastic imperial coffee stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, coffee, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/charred/drying finish; great soft/silky feel for the ABV. Amazing balance of very rich malts and fruity/nutty coffee complexity; with nice earthy hop presence/balance, and mild fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering hop/char dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on American style example.