Chestnut Head - Barrel Aged
Roak Brewing Co.

 

 

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 10/25/2018. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, toffee, chestnuts, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, plum, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, maple syrup, chestnuts, oak barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, toffee, chestnuts, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, plum, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, roast, char bitterness; and oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, toffee, chestnuts, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, light licorice/dark fruit/smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, maple syrup, chestnuts, oak barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet, and oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness and oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 11.5% after the finish. Overall this is an awesome barrel aged flavored imperial porter. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, maple syrup, chestnuts, oak barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the modestly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Not overly roasty/charred on malts, or tannic on barrels. Awesome balance of rich malts, chestnuts, maple syrup, and oak barrel presence; with restrained fruity yeast and earthy hop balance against sweetness. A really enjoyable offering, and spot on style example as expected. Did not prefer it over the base beer. A bit richer from the higher ABV, but just as impressive.

I tried this at the brewery. It poured a nearly opaque dark with thin off white head that did not leave much lace. The scent had faint oak and sweet malt notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with hint of dark cherry flare and nut. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its a decent beer.

 

Very nice Brown ale! Served on tap at the pub in a snifter. Appears near-black in the dim light of the pub, with a mocha rim of foam on top. Aroma is nutty and woodsy, with some light cocoa notes. Flavor is bready, full of dark chocolate, oak, and almond/pecan/chestnut.