You're Killin' Me S'mores!
Barbarian Brewing

nope. this one didnt do it for me, or anyone in our tasting group this weekend either, a shame. i was excited because they apparently used a whole heap of real graham crackers and marshmallows in this, but the beer doesnt work, its over the top sweet, problematically alcoholic, and just outright doesnt taste very good. i was shocked it was blonde, didnt know that at all, was expecting a big imperial stout, so that threw me, but i was excited, sometimes the roasted grain gets in the way of tasting added ingredients, so maybe a blonde stout would let them shine? not the case, its nothing but sugar in the nose, a little cheap sweetness to it too, the marshmallows clearly have not been fermented down enough, and while i smell some appealing honey from the graham cracker, the rest of it is off, including in the ferment, and it comes across as candy sweet and not real interesting, maybe a vanilla melted ice cream thing if i am being generous. the flavor is whack, metallic up front, diabetic in the back, without the chance to taste most of what sold me on this can, namely the smore ingredients. no sign of chocolate in the mix at all to me. its so sweet it hurts my teeth, and while i guess i get some graham cracker, the rest of it is just off, watered down vanilla, over the top alcohol, the was just a miss. forgivable because not every experiment can be a success and i appreciate how hard these guys are pushing to make creative new beers a thing here in boise, but this one is utterly brutal. down the drain, first one in ages...

Taster at taproom. Cloudy golden, sparse head, graham cracker crust on rim. Aroma is graham, vanilla, marshmallow. Taste mirrors the aroma, not a hint of chocolate. Maybe it was a white chocolate s'more. Sweet. Something metallic in the finish, boozy.

Golden stout malt-base comes through as well as a good dose of creamy caramel; the lactose is strong as well. However there is strong impression of something artificial or out-of-place in this one that I sometimes get from the Barbarian golden ice cream ales.