Single Barrel Select: Weller Double Absence (FTV 2021)
Westbound & Down Brewing Company

poured from a 500mL bottle into a CW snifter. pours a cola brown but settles in the glass nearly black with a few mocha brown patches here and there. heavy oak and bourbon sting with roasted malts and a touch of coffee and chocolate on the nose. taste follows with a big wave of dry oak, bittersweet chocolate and bourbon. it works a little more on the tongue than on the nose. the dry oaky finish is still there but the bourbon seems a touch more balanced and there’s enough chocolate to cut the barrel aspects. medium-full mouthfeel with an appropriate level of carbonation. all in all, not a bad barrel-aged imperial stout. more roasted and bitter than sweet and rich but it’s solid and drinkable.

 

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like milk chocolate, caramel, bourbon, vanilla, and coconut.

This has a definitely sweeter profile than some of the previous iterations of this beer. That brings the score down slightly, as the other versions of this beer had just an insanely preferable balance of sweet and bitter barrel and base. It's still delicious here, with a gooey vanilla/caramel/milk chocolate cookie taste, with a small hit of bourbon and oak.

This is medium bodied, with a really silky and wonderful body, and a great drinkability.

This is a step down from the first couple batches, but it's still absolutely a top notch BA stout, all things considered.