Barrel-Aged Almond Cake
Trillium Brewing Company
- From:
- Trillium Brewing Company
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- Imperial Pastry Stout
Ranked #326 - ABV:
- 15.7%
- Score:
- 93
Ranked #3,592 - Avg:
- 4.41 | pDev: 6.12%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 25, 2024
- Added:
- Mar 09, 2022
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
93
Outstanding
93
Outstanding
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois
4.45/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
500 ml bottle into a snifter. Believe it is a 2023 release. Had 1/5/24.
Pours a dark brown, mostly opaque, with a brief head and a few specks of cling. Aromas of vanilla, roasted malt, almonds, chocolate, oak, some bourbon, a little caramel as it warms. The barrels come to the front in the flavor: bourbon, vanilla, almonds, roasted malt, some chocolate, light oak, light caramel- again, as it warms. Smooth, a little creamy, a very good full body, appropriately carbonated.
Delicious. The vanilla and almonds stand out overall and the barrels shine in the flavor. Really enjoyable.
Jan 25, 2024Pours a dark brown, mostly opaque, with a brief head and a few specks of cling. Aromas of vanilla, roasted malt, almonds, chocolate, oak, some bourbon, a little caramel as it warms. The barrels come to the front in the flavor: bourbon, vanilla, almonds, roasted malt, some chocolate, light oak, light caramel- again, as it warms. Smooth, a little creamy, a very good full body, appropriately carbonated.
Delicious. The vanilla and almonds stand out overall and the barrels shine in the flavor. Really enjoyable.
Reviewed by Holderness from Massachusetts
3.85/5 rDev -12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev -12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
Pours nearly still with a scant amount of quickly dissipating light brown head produced with well aerated pour. Smells of marzipan, vanilla, marshmallow, coconut, bourbon, fudge, and caramel. Taste is very sweet -- definitely a bit into cloying territory -- with predominant notes of brownie batter and bourbon barrel. Only getting a little marzipan-like almond character. Mouthfeel is probably the low point, I was expecting something fuller given the ABV and high gravity. This is the first Trillium BBA stout I've had in quite a while, so can't really tell whether my palate has changed or this one was just a little too "pastry". Expensive @$24/500ml
77/100
Feb 21, 202377/100
Reviewed by Damian from Massachusetts
4.81/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.81/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Drank from a 1 pint .9 fl oz (500ml) bottle purchased at Trillium Brewing Company, Boston, MA
Served in a tulip
Fuller bodied and near pitch black in appearance. The viscous, oily looking liquid was topped by a thin, bubbly, saddle brown mass that quickly transformed into a lasting collar. A few specks of lacing trickled down the sides of the glass.
The aroma was fantastic. It started out boozy and somewhat nondescript but really improved after a few minutes. Bourbon notes came through big time. Loads of brown sugar sweetness too. Fragrant vanilla bean was also apparent. Vanilla icing perhaps. Some maple character was detectable as well. Possibly a touch of almond, but I definitely would not pick this out without prior knowledge of the beer’s ingredients.
The flavor profile was nearly as impressive as the nose. Super malty and robust. Big caramel malt presence. Touch of roasted malt character as well. Some burnt sugar perhaps too. Boozy bourbon notes kicked in hard as the beer moved along the palate. Vanilla bean was noticeable in the center. The bourbon really intensified on the back end and the finish. Nice lingering boozy, bourbon barrel notes and roast after the swallow.
The mouthfeel was also outstanding. Super rich and viscous. Full bodied for the style. Oily and slick on the palate. The liquid contained a super fine, mellow effervescence that worked perfectly.
Even though the almond character was rather subtle, Barrel-Aged Almond Cake was an amazing, over the top whopper of a stout. While the barrel notes were front and center and the booze was quite prominent, the beer was still surprisingly well balanced. Trillium’s pastry stouts are usually impressive, and this was one of their best offerings to date.
Aug 01, 2022Served in a tulip
Fuller bodied and near pitch black in appearance. The viscous, oily looking liquid was topped by a thin, bubbly, saddle brown mass that quickly transformed into a lasting collar. A few specks of lacing trickled down the sides of the glass.
The aroma was fantastic. It started out boozy and somewhat nondescript but really improved after a few minutes. Bourbon notes came through big time. Loads of brown sugar sweetness too. Fragrant vanilla bean was also apparent. Vanilla icing perhaps. Some maple character was detectable as well. Possibly a touch of almond, but I definitely would not pick this out without prior knowledge of the beer’s ingredients.
The flavor profile was nearly as impressive as the nose. Super malty and robust. Big caramel malt presence. Touch of roasted malt character as well. Some burnt sugar perhaps too. Boozy bourbon notes kicked in hard as the beer moved along the palate. Vanilla bean was noticeable in the center. The bourbon really intensified on the back end and the finish. Nice lingering boozy, bourbon barrel notes and roast after the swallow.
The mouthfeel was also outstanding. Super rich and viscous. Full bodied for the style. Oily and slick on the palate. The liquid contained a super fine, mellow effervescence that worked perfectly.
Even though the almond character was rather subtle, Barrel-Aged Almond Cake was an amazing, over the top whopper of a stout. While the barrel notes were front and center and the booze was quite prominent, the beer was still surprisingly well balanced. Trillium’s pastry stouts are usually impressive, and this was one of their best offerings to date.
Reviewed by edthehead from Maryland
4.39/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.39/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle pour into a taster glass.
Dark brown appearance with a sparse tan head. Vanilla, almond paste, toffee, bourbon. Medium to thick body, medium carbonation.
Jul 17, 2022Dark brown appearance with a sparse tan head. Vanilla, almond paste, toffee, bourbon. Medium to thick body, medium carbonation.
Reviewed by ThrewRedButter from Massachusetts
4.58/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.58/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
APPEARANCE
Pitch black body and less than half a finger of well...almond-colored head
AROMA
It's been a while since a big imperial stout claiming to have vanilla actually smelled like vanilla, but winner winner chicken dinner. This is a vanilla bomb with plenty nutty character, wood, char, bitter dark chocolate, and more. Oh, and can't forgot the spirit (figuratively and literally) of bourbon soaking up all the action as well.
TASTE
The bourbon is so much bigger on the taste that is almost overloading my taste buds. Behind that is just the deepest, darkest chocolate that you ever did see and just like the nose, vanilla is beating my palate into submission. This dives into "dessert beer" territory in a hurry as a lot of the barrel character (other than gobs of bourbon) are completely masked by the big chocolate and vanilla notes. Hey, not going to complain.
MOUTHFEEL
I've been waiting to comment because this is probably a Top Five THICKEST mouthfeels I have experienced in a stout. The viscosity on this is almost to the point of absurd, but in stouts this big, I really do enjoy the hell out of it. Aside from the thick body, alcohol warmth is present on each sip, but not a big deal at all. It's a sipper for sure.
OVERALL
It's a dessert beer. It's a barrel-aged beer. It's a big BA Stout that packs in the bourbon, vanilla, and chocolate for days. Could it have used more almonds and nutty character? Sure, but the final product is still so good it is worth overlooking any minor faults.
Mar 18, 2022Pitch black body and less than half a finger of well...almond-colored head
AROMA
It's been a while since a big imperial stout claiming to have vanilla actually smelled like vanilla, but winner winner chicken dinner. This is a vanilla bomb with plenty nutty character, wood, char, bitter dark chocolate, and more. Oh, and can't forgot the spirit (figuratively and literally) of bourbon soaking up all the action as well.
TASTE
The bourbon is so much bigger on the taste that is almost overloading my taste buds. Behind that is just the deepest, darkest chocolate that you ever did see and just like the nose, vanilla is beating my palate into submission. This dives into "dessert beer" territory in a hurry as a lot of the barrel character (other than gobs of bourbon) are completely masked by the big chocolate and vanilla notes. Hey, not going to complain.
MOUTHFEEL
I've been waiting to comment because this is probably a Top Five THICKEST mouthfeels I have experienced in a stout. The viscosity on this is almost to the point of absurd, but in stouts this big, I really do enjoy the hell out of it. Aside from the thick body, alcohol warmth is present on each sip, but not a big deal at all. It's a sipper for sure.
OVERALL
It's a dessert beer. It's a barrel-aged beer. It's a big BA Stout that packs in the bourbon, vanilla, and chocolate for days. Could it have used more almonds and nutty character? Sure, but the final product is still so good it is worth overlooking any minor faults.
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