Maestro
Bearded Iris Brewing

 

16oz can courtesy of Whyteboar. My first from Bearded Iris, and my first from the state of Tennessee. Ironically, the one time I have had dinner in Tennessee (at an otherwise lovely Italian restaurant in Nashville), alcohol consumption was prohibited because a church was located across the street! Gotta love Blue Laws...

Poured into a snifter, this was the color of the hearts of those senators who voted against benefits for service people that had to breath in fumes from burn pits. Good sized beige colored head that ran away faster than Tipper Gore did from record censorship once Al became Veep. I think I'm now out of Tennessee political references. Very little lace except the kind created by agitating the glass. Not surprising for a high abv beer.

Slightly almonds, sweet nose. Very little stout-like aroma when first opened.

More complex in the taste than in the smell. For starters, the sweetness is more diverse. It's got the flavor of almonds, of (surprisingly restrained) vanilla, but also of brown sugar, molasses, and spicy rye notes.

Medium bodied, for an imperial stout, but with a rather creamy mouth feel.

Probably better to have drank this after a meal, but after drinking a Pliny, I was after something different, flavor wise, and this was the closest "different" in the fridge. On the other hand, it's a little more nuanced than I thought it would be, based on the impression I got from the label and the nose, once I opened it. I'm definitely interested in trying more from BI. Thanks, Craig!

Poured like fresh brewed coffee with about as much tan head. There was some carbonation but it was light and rarely seen. Looked black in the glass and had dark ruby highlights when held up to the light.
The aroma, even to my nose, was sweet. Chocolate, figs, plums, sweetness. (Vanilla maybe?)
The taste rather followed; it's very good but it was better fresh, when I *should* have rated it. I can taste all the additives, but the stout seems a bit overwhelmed. Still, very tasty.
Feel is good; viscous enough to remind me to sip, but not chewy at all. A little more carbonation may have been welcome, but that's on me for loosing this in my cellar.
OA, not sure if they will be brewing this again, I hope so. I plan on being back in TN in November so want to give this another go.

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours black with tan head. Tiny bubbles running up the glass. Nose is chocolate, vanilla, milk, bread, a bit of roasted malts, and a touch of leather/tobacco.

The taste is fantastic. Sweet toffee, chocolate, candy, milk, almonds, fig newtons, prunes, roasted malts, corn, maple, and a bit of fudge. Fantastic.

Mouthfeel is thick and creamy. Overall, a fantastic stout.

A - Pours out nearly opaque, with just a hint of brown translucence. Head of tan, with a bit of an orange tint. Not a lot of lacing.

S - Nose is dark fruit, raisins and plum, a bit of leather, chocolate and some booziness underpinning it.

T - Flavor reminds me of cherry cola. The fruit notes are full of raisin and prunes, a bit of chocolate and malty sweetness, and a slightly sticky finish.

M - Very light weight for the style and size of the stout. Alcohol present and scrubbing, which is important, because the taste could get cloying.

O - I do not love stouts that lean toward raisins and dark fruits. That said, this is a well-built stout that delivers quite a bit of drinkability while staying quite sweet and dessert-like.

16oz can. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, off-white head of foam. It left sticky rings of lace on the glass. It smelled of vanilla, almond, dark chocolate, toffee and caramel. Sweet chocolate, almond, vanilla and toffee with some subtle roastiness.