Bird’s Nest
Wren House Brewing Co.

Canned on 6/9/20; consumed on 5/17/21

Pours an oil-slick black body capped with just over a finger of dense, light caramel foam; solid head retention yields a half-finger of creamy cap, a lush, frothy collar, and minimal-no lacing holding to the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens with a rich initial impression of milk chocolate and nutty fudge, with distinct brown sugar accents developing into Sherry and underlying oak over the middle; raisin and sticky fig overlay bakers chocolate, a whiff of youthful bourbon, and touches of brown toast over the back end of the bouquet.

Taste opens with vanilla quickly transitioning over to notes of melted caramel, toffee, and charry bakers chocolate; roasty malts and a more rounded bourbon profile comes through over the mid-palate, phasing in toasted fig and rye toast on the back end; candied almond revitalizes a passive sweetness as brightening Sherry, raisin, smoked toffee, and fruitcake mark the remainder of the finish.

Mouthfeel brings a body on the higher end of medium, with a subtle prickle of carbonation laying a fluffy char dancing across the palate, gliding with impeccable consistency into a budding warmth and distant, sherried twang on the back end; a semi-dry, light roastiness scrapes the palate through the finish.

While not their most refined or concentrated blend, Wren House derives a firm composition of flavor, formulated from an eclectic selection of barrels, for a profile approachable in structure and layered evenly with soft malt and oak textures.