Fuzzy Feelings
Magnify Brewing Company

Good head production for a BA stout, with decent retention.

Nose is massive, with huge bitter roasty tones, and waves of oak and oxidation from the barrel. Molasses, brown sugar, chocolate, brandy, espresso, burnt toast, sweet grapes, figs. Aggressive and assertive at first, the more you simply sit and sniff this brew, the more enticing it becomes. My nose can't tell peach brandy apart from apple brandy, but it's pleasant nonetheless.

Flavor follows, with bold and rich roasted malt tones blended with very sharp brandy barrel notes. A deep, rich chocolate note emerges right around the 2nd third, and lingers throughout the finish, ultimately mingling with the brandy notes. Throughout, notes of burnt toast, caramel, vanilla, espresso, molasses, and brown sugar carry the load. I don't pick out vanilla as a particular additive, although the flavor is present in the overall blend. Nutty finish.

Thick, rich, smooth, creamy, very lively. Not quite chewy, but definitely full bodied. Some noticeable back of the throat heat, more likely driven by the strong barrel character more than the ABV itself.

This deserves more notice as a fantastic BA imperial stout (although I might argue the base is closer to RIS than AIS). When you think of breweries that do unique BA blends, I wouldn't have immediately thought of Magnify - but I will now!

 

Pours pitch black with a nice mocha head that slowly fades. Big chocolate aroma, faint peach, noticible barrel presence. Flavor is huge chocolate, faint peach, the brandy barrel is very similar to bourbon barrel flavor. Lingering bittersweet chocolate finish. Full bodied, rich and thick, creamy, carbonation adds to the creaminess. Overall a very good BA imperial stout, kudos for aging it in a peach brandy barrel - very unique.

1/25/19
16 oz can from brewery dated
4.5 rating

I don't remember if I've ever had a Stout age'd in Peach brandy barrels and wasn't sure what to expect. The peach brandy hits you right away. It is up front n central. I get chocolate in the background but the peach dominates and I like it. This is nice n thick as a proper Stout should be with just a hint of booziness at the very end. Well done

 

Reviewed one day after can release. Poured into a Magnify tulip glass. It pours an inky black. The medium-mocha head poured fluffy but quickly dissipated leaving just a thin sheen of lacing inside the glass. Its nose features rich chocolate, caramel/vanilla, light coffee, earthy nuts, and hints of peach and brandy. Wow, this is complex, and delicious. When first sipped the peach brandy barrel is front and center. It's surprisingly fruity. At mid-sip it becomes a rich chocolate and vanilla stout with hints of coffee. Then, as it finishes there is a touch of earthy car, nuts, and a slight bitterness. The flavors blend seamlessly. For this big a stout, the feel is thinner than I expected and the 11% ABV is quite warming. It's a sipper for sure. Overall, Fuzzy Feelings gets extra credit for blending fruit, chocolate, and brandy so well. This is a very fine Imperial Stout. Given the time in the barrel needed to brew it I don't know whether another batch will be released but if it is, then I'm there!