Maple Morrigan
Barbarian Brewing

A: Jet-black pour with a nice fluffy dark brown head. Good head retention and lacing.

S: Well, definitely a maple component in there. Get some of those dark berries that I got in the base beer. Mild caramel, likely from the bourbon barrels.

T: Tons of maple up front. Not artificial maple flavoring but an authentic flavor. It melds nicely with the caramel from the barrels. Sweetness runs out as it turns into a much more bitter char/roasted malt flavor. Just a touch of berries and dark fruit in there, into a lingering roasty/cocoa-y finish and aftertaste.

M: Heavy on the palate for sure.

O: The maple version of this beer is definitely a step up. The maple really helps balance out the big roasty notes and adds some complexity in the process.

Special 2019 bottling split into snifters. Oily black opaque pour with an attractive dark brown head. Roasty, sweet, and boozy nose of char, dark roasted malt, maple sweetness, oak, and vanilla. The maple character is really well-executed, authentic and constant without being overpowering or cloying or fake. The smack of bourbon on the palate really blends all of the charred oak and some jammy dark fruits together with impressions of espresso and dark cacao nibs. With a full & soft mouthfeel, this is a barrel-aged brew that stands with the best of them in my opinion.

 

a special edition of their imperial stout, aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels, and its just fantastic. one of the best beers i have had from these guys to date even, which is really saying something, they make such great beers across the board. this is deep coal black in color, has an eggshell luster, and long legs on the edges of the glass. the booze stands out in the nose a bit, but its appropriate for the style and not too intense. the dark roasted barley has lightly burnt and soft smoke characteristics, a little black coffee to it, and an obvious whiskey profile, honey and vanilla and corn sweetness, rich but not sugary to me, the maple is natural and somewhat subtle, a big and well made base stout is apparent here. the flavor of this is amazing, not overly layered or complex, which i sort of prefer in this sort of thing, i can really taste and enjoy the maple without anything else really rising up to interfere with it, nice balance with the bitterness of the roast, and trace dark chocolate and raisin in this, good depth, and some darkness from the barrel char coming through as well. its smooth and round and the maple does a lot here, just gorgeous with the whiskey, wintery and cozy and delicious. it lingers on the palate but isnt sticky, and is smooth as can be going down, really not even all that boozy for how strong it is either. maple and whiskey go so well together, and they fit into this stout super well. i have not had the original base stout, but i imagine its excellent on its own as well, or in regular bourbon barrels, i will look out for that, but this maple edition is just wonderful. its perfectly dosed, distinctive, and highly refined. special stuff here, one of their best!