Buku Maureen
Aslin Beer Company

 

 

 

Poured from 500ml bottle into pint glass in June 2022, that I purchased at their brewery in Herndon. There is "released february 2022" on the label, and I drank this about 1 month after I purchased it.

Appearance: Very dark black with a small 1 finger head. The head was dark brown with red tint, and thins out after a minute. It left only a little lacing on the glass, and no head remained after a minute.

Smell: Strong mix of aromas and the bourbon aroma filled the room as soon as the bottle was opened. In addition to the bourbon, some roasted coffee and chocolate aromas too. Not much hop aroma.

Taste: There is a sweet taste of chocolate, vanilla, and licorice. Also, some coffee and roasted malt flavors. They are more balanced than I expected from the aroma, which was dominated by the bourbon aromas. Flavors are very bold. There is a strong alcohol presence that matches 12.0% on the label. A sweet chocolate, and vanilla aftertaste, that is really enjoyable.

Mouth-feel: Very thick, but with an extremely smooth and creamy body.

This is a good barrel-aged Imperial Dessert Stout, and it has a variety of flavors that adds a nice complexity to the beer. The balance of flavors is outstanding. The bourbon flavors from the barrel-aging are noticeable, but do not dominate. The additional flavors of coffee and roasted malt nicely balance the sweet dessert flavors and the bourbon. It is very smooth and enjoyable to drink. Since it is a sweet stout, it is not one I would often daily, but for special times it is excellent. Their Colchester barrel-aged stout is also excellent, but I prefer this slightly more. It would be interesting to try them side-by-side, but at 12-14% ABV, I will need to do that with a partner. I have enjoyed all the beers I've bought at Aslin, I would buy this again. Hope they have bottles available the next time I visit.