Working Vacation
Cerebral Brewing

this has obviously been made more than once, my bottle, shared generously by a close friend, is from the 2022 vintage, laws rye barrels, 13.2% abv, raw and toasted coconut. good coffee from mostra, vanilla, lactose, and lots of maple syrup, a great combination, and i was a little worried about the age on this with the coffee, but its drinking brilliantly right now, even with just a touch of coffee staleness now, the overall quality and flavor profile rule, very impressive offering, nice woody maturity, sweet but not diabetic, very very good. neat label, i was stoked to open this, lots of my favorite ingredients in this. dark brown, almost no head, leggy and thick but not as dense as i thought it might be actually, not pure syrup, high shine, no sediment even at the very bottom, consistent. the nose is beautiful, rye not bourbon evident, tons of maple, the good stuff, a little coffee oxidation but also some cool chocolate character and earthiness to the roast, a good bit of vanilla with all the richness, balance bitter and char and roast later, very cohesive, and i think effective as a porter specifically, insofar as there is a distinction between that and stout at this size, but it makes sensory sense as a porter to me. the coconut is pretty subtle, a little chocolate dipper macaroon thing going on, but the other elements are well in front of it in the nose. the flavor is just a tad oxidized, shockingly not alcoholic really at all, even as it warms up, like this hides its formidable strength really sneakily. maple all through it, vanilla running with it, plenty of coffee and its bitterness which keeps this from running away as dessert, love how much maple is in tact, so authentic, and the malt layers add cocoa and earthiness to it that are very complimentary. the barrel treatment on this is ideally suited for the extra ingredients too, love the rye spice and the oak permeating. coconut is mellow but there, gorgeous with everything else going on, could be ramped up a little, but the balance is nice too and maybe its been toned down a bit by time. a tad thinner feeling than i thought it would be, but thats because everyone boils these for like 24 hours now, i do wish for more carbonation, but not more body, its close to still and the sweetness lingers as a result. still, this is delicious and elite, the coffee is just hanging on so maybe dont save it forever if you have one from this vintage still, really good stuff. would love to try some of the other vintages, looks like some slight differences between them in terms of barrels and coffee and such, way cool! huge thanks to my buddy for sending me this gem!

Many thx to tacosandbeer for this bottle.

Bottled on 04-2021

A - Dark brown pour with dense medium to dark caramel lacing.

S - Maple syrup, chocolate roast, and delicate coffee ground.

T - Velvety toasted cocoa / chocolate, spicy Whisky Bourbon, maple syrup, some subtle underlying coffee, and finishes on the sweeter side with light bitterness and a perfect blend between between sweetness and booze.

M - Light syrupy, silky, and viscous texture that's sticky on the lips with some warming in the back of the throat.

O - This right here is highly recommended and totally amazing. Seek it out.

Type: 500-ml. bottle
Reviewed as: Imperial Porter
Glass: Ball 16-oz. mason jar
Price: n/a
From: A trade
Purchased: n/a; Received Dec. 20, 2020
Consumed: Dec. 23, 2020
Misc.: Bottled in March 2020; Green waxed neck

Got this and two other Cerebral BA stouts in a trade for North Park Triple Vanilla Hazelunut Macaroons Before Dying. This one was labeled on their website as “Brewed with Vermont maple syrup, MiddleState Coffee's washed Colombian German Cordoba coffee, toasted coconut & lactose. Aged 12 months in Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon Barrels.”

Poured a pitch-black color with two fingers of frothy tan head. Some bubble streams coming up along the sides of the glass. Decent spotty lacing. Average retention. (Sight - 3.50)

Smelled maple syrup, brown sugar, roasted coffee, milk chocolate syrup, caramel, toffee, vanilla, toasted coconut and a little bit of oak. Huge maple and caramel from the bottle. (Smell - 4.25)

Taste was even better than the nose with more coconut. Got maple syrup, milk chocolate syrup, toasted coconut, roasted coffee, caramel, toffee, oaky wood, smooth bourbon, vanilla and toasted brown sugar. So smooth for 12.8 pct. ABV. (Taste - 4.50)

Full body. Sticky texture. Soft carbonation. Long, warming finish. (Feel - 5.00)

For a porter, this was almost perfect. So damn good. (Overall - 4.75)

4.48 | 99 | A

 

Dark brown appearance with a slight tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a prominent bourbon with a touch of coconut. Taste is slightly sweet blend of bourbon and coconut. A little thin.