Sleeping Forever
The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery

2025 is 12%. Pitch black. Big rich dark chocolate and boozy (but light bourbon) aroma and flavor. OK balance but it definitely leans sweet. Rich and robust. Full bodied with a sweet chocolate dessert-like finish.

The Veil. Big Stout. Not an IPA. 16 oz. can.

The pour is flatter than an Aerosmith 'song' with no hint of the bubbly. Dead black. Could be oil, or tar, at a glance. The nose is deep, ratchet malts. Sweet, sweet, sweet.

Sleeping Forever: what people say I do on a regular basis. I mean, is 13 hours too much, really? This stout is basic in a very good way. Very sweet, nice roast to cut into that nonsense. with a nice tail of mild bourbon. Nicely full & the tall boy isn't too much.

This would be a great stout to spring on someone unfamiliar with barrel aging. As is, very good beer.

2025 version - poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours motor oil black with quickly dissipating brown head. The nose is mocha, dark chocolate, dark roasted malts, a bit of wood, slight soy sauce,

The taste is quite nice. Roasty is my first thought. Lots of dark roasted malts, charred wood, slight dark fruit, French roast coffee grounds, a hint of maple, a hint of vanilla, and a maybe a hint of bourbon. I think the charred wood and tobacco notes really dominate for me. There is some molasses that comes through over time. Very good.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and the aftertaste is again the bitter dark malts and a bit of dark fruit. Good, but wouldn't buy again.

06/22/25 can @ home; 2025 vintage 12% ABV

I’m going to use this entry. Label from this one says aged 27 months. Very inert appearance, pours with thick dollops, so you know what you’re getting here. A strong barrel aged stout - the barrels are the stars here. Scents and flavors of barrel, vanilla, roasted dark malt. Thick, but syrupy, strong back of the mouth booze burn. I like this fresh, aging it probably would take away the character.

 

 

 

 

 

(2020 version, which has some Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel-aged Sleeping Forever blended in)

Presentation: 16 oz. can with the canning date printed on the bottom. Served in a tulip shaped tumbler. 

Appearance: The thick, creamy, dark tan, three finger head stays around for a very long time and leaves behind a lot of chunky lacing that covers the entire glass. It's a deep, rich, pure black color. 

Smell: There's musty, roasted malt and raw cocoa, caramelized brown sugar, vanilla and even a crisp, new leather note towards the end too. A very complex and very interesting aroma.

Taste: The taste is a bit simpler than what's on the nose. Just some very creamy chocolate notes, vanilla and a touch of heavily caramelized/burnt sugar bitterness in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: It's extremely thick, creamy and velvety smooth with low carbonation. 

Overall: A beer that looks just about perfect and has an amazing texture. The aroma and flavors are good too. Just awesome overall. 

 

 

2019 version, blended with Apple Brandy barrel aged.

Pouring from a 16 oz. can into a PAA Dino tasting glass, this beer pours out with a thick blackness. Even on a full pour, it doesn’t muster up enough carbonation to form a crown, however it does manage to make a few deep, dark caramel bubbles around the edge. Minimal highlights; very slight ring around top edge. Moving it around in the glass, it leaves a brown film on the glass as it settles. 4.25

The nose carries in a sort of Apple Jacks cereal presence right off the bat to me with the way the apple brandy and grains are mixing. It then very quickly turns to a boozy warmness tangling with roasty grains, and huge chocolate layers; chocolate pudding, slightly bitter bakers chocolate, brownie mix. I would guess this at higher than 12%, not because the booze, but because the amount of grain showing in it. It’s almost like touring a brewery with a glass of apple brandy in your hand. 4.75

The taste follows the nose well. The first thing I notice is a grain hit. Cereal like along with roasty, dark grains before showing a touch of the apple brandy and then traveling into the layers of sweetness, made of burnt brown sugar, peanut butter and the different layers of chocolate (pudding, bitter bakers chocolate, brownie mix). 4.5

The mouthfeel is thick and full. Syrupy feeling that coats the mouth. Ever so slight warming sensation; really nice, offers a touch without being too much. 4.5

Overall, this is a 12% monster and not in a bad way. Those grains really are a nice show case while still letting other aspects show and not ever seeming too boozy for what it is. I can’t believe they got the grains to show case that much at only 12%. 4.5

 

 

 

 

 

L - trace mocha head atop a tar-black body.

S - molasses, vanilla, dark fruits, chocolate, leather. Damn!

T - follows the nose. Additional tastes of peanut butter, oak, tobacco, soy. Moderate-low bitterness. Low sweetness. Low booziness.

F - full bodied with minimal carb.

O - alcohol is so well hidden.