Elden
Aslin Beer Company

Pours deep black. Aroma is intense combination of chocolate, bourbon and some coffee. Taste is equally intense mix of chocolate, coffee, bourbon with the addition of vanilla and roasty malts. Full mouthfeel. Great stout.

 

Poured from a tap at their Herndon brewpub into snifter glass in March 2023.

Appearance: Dark black with very thin dark tan/brown head. The head is about 1-finger thick with very fine bubbles, and lasts for only a minute and ended with almost no head. There is very little lacing sticking to the glass.

Smell: Strong aroma of bourbon and chocolate. Also, some roasted malt, coffee, and a hint of sweetness from alcohol. Overall, the chocolate and bourbon from the barrel aging dominate the others.

Taste: There is a nice balance between the sweetness from the chocolate and vanilla, versus the bourbon. Also some roasted malts and coffee flavors. There is a little hop bitterness to add to the taste and add some complexity. There is a strong alcohol presence, as with other Imperial Stouts, which matches the 13.5% on the label. Great aftertaste, which is also dominated by the chocolate and bourbon.

Mouth-feel: Thick, but with an extremely smooth and creamy body. Much more smooth than many other imperial stouts. The high alcohol is well-balanced and not overpowering.

This is an excellent imperial stout, and it has a variety of flavors that adds an impressive complexity to the beer. Although this is a big beer, it is smooth and very enjoyable to drink. Similar to their Lourdes imperial stout. The smoothness adds to the overall enjoyment. Another great stout from Aslin and provides a nice balance to their IPAs, which I also enjoy. I will buy this again.