Holy Hell Preacher
Ghost Town Brewing

unique barrel aged stout here, with vermont maple sugar and vanilla beans, its not as enormous or as sweet as it seems like it would have to be, somehow lighter in body than a lot of its peers, and with enough bitterness to sort of balance it out, to me there is almost a little bit of astringency in it, a kiss of smoke too as it warms, both of which help cut back its apparent size, and i think the alcohol is awfully subtle for how strong it is, so dare i say this is even somewhat drinkable as these go. near black, a little muted looking, not much head from the tap. way cool on the nose, the maple is subtle. the vanilla is more robust, a campfire vibe making it seem autumnal, nice roast, a coffee layer, but also slight almost mustiness and oxidation, there is a weirdness to this, possibly in the ferment, that i cannot quite place. i do appreciate this being on the drier side for what it is, but i could stand more obvious maple sugar character in this, it seems fermented down most of the way. the oak is bold which is rad, more prominent than whatever was in the barrel, some whiskey can be safely assumed, but its char and oak leading into the warming vanilla rather than the spirit, no complaints from me on that, there are enough whiskey bombs out there to go around and i appreciate the contrast. a little burnt drip coffee at the end, some subtle yeastiness, and a hit from the maple, finally just high end vanilla and bitterness on the palate. i have not had nearly enough beer from these guys, and this is cool, but it didnt stand out to me or my wife in a super heady stout lineup, slightly disjointed, maybe we did it a disservice trying it in this way, but better than not having it at all. ill be seeking more of their stuff.