Night King - Bourbon Barrel Aged
Fortside Brewing

12oz can from Brewers Haven, 2024 vintage. Near black pour, a few bubbles, razor thin ring. Boozy aroma, bourbon, chocolate. Taste begins with sweetness, roasty, and then a big, warm bourbon barrel hit. Notes of dark chocolate and anise. Very good

A complex bba stout for sure. I feel like this is a very solid stout, the only reason I'm not rating higher is because it lacks a bit of sweetness for my tastes. Also it is a bit alcohol forward, which is explainable at 14%.
Very smoky with good balance. Ends on a slight burnt molasses note. Like I said I rated lower than I think it deserves to reflect my preference in stout taste.

2023 vintage: 14% ABV

Poured from a 12 ounce can dated 10-16-23 into a snifter at 51 degrees.

Look- Black, opaque, large visible particulate at the margins, dark brown frothy head, average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Bourbon, cherry, vanilla, cocoa, oak, very high strength of scent.

Taste- Bourbon, cocoa, slight vanilla at the finish, mildly sweet, highly boozy, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, highly bitter, moderately mouth warming, highly boozy, mildly sweet, moderately mouth coating, mildly creamy.

Overall- Deep black and opaque with large visible particulate at the edges. The bouquet was a delightful mix of bourbon, cherry, vanilla, cocoa and oak with a very high strength of scent. Flavor was bourbon dominant with cocoa in the background and vanilla at the finish. The body was slightly thinner than expected with moderate mouth warming and coating properties. Overall this beer had an outstanding look and nose. The flavor was slightly too bourbon dominant, but still delicious. This beer provided a great drinking experience.

Russian Imperial Stout. Cocoa powder and dark chocolate meld with a floral and sweet malt bouquet balanced by soft roast toasted marshmallow and mocha flavors. 34 IBUs Rated 7-27-2023

On tap at Mahoney's Ridgefield today.

The beer pours the expected blackish brown color with good head retention and decent (albeit fairly light) lacing. As others have noted, this looks like a beer that has seen considerable barrel aging. The nose is quite attractive as well, as I pick up bourbon, vanilla, dark chocolate and considerable molasses. Mouthfeel replicates the nose pretty closely in this beer, though there's more bitterness on the finish than I was expecting. Consequently, the beer comes across as a bit drier on the finish than I was expecting. Mouthfeel is otherwise fairly full in this moderately sweet impy stout, with a long, slightly boozy, finish. Alcohol is pretty well integrated into the flavor profile, though you can tell it's up there a bit.

Nice effort from the folks at Fortside. Hopefully they'll keep on making this.

draught
This 2021 edition has an alcohol by volume of 15%.
There is no head on this stout. Quite dark brown, which cannot be seen through. Very apparent bourbon barrel aroma, with an alcohol tinge and a touch of dark roasted woodiness. Slightly sweet bourbon and caramel taste, is accompanied by some woodiness and bitterness.

Look - black thick syrup with rimming
Smell - chocolate boozy barrel slight black liquorice
Taste - chocolate woody barrel
Feel - medium full body but flat tasting
Overall - could do better but not bad

Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a one finger brown head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt with light char, chocolate, licorice and bourbon; a bit boozy. Flavor is dark toasted and mild biscuit malt with moderate char, dark chocolate, licorice, bourbon and mild dark stone fruit. Chocolatey bourbon finish. Silky medium bodied with moderate to full creaminess. After trying the base stout last night I was looking forward to this one because that one had a full, fine flavor. I was not disappointed. Excellent barrel character with distinct bourbon and woody oak notes. A great creamy, luxurious mouth feel. Lots of chocolate, but well balanced with the barrel character. They did a great job on this barreled stout. I'm impressed, they deserve some recognition for this one.