Cooperation
Mollusk Restaurant & Brewery

 

2016-12-23
500ml bottle served in a big chalice. No dates that I see.

Pours black with a gigantic creamy white head. Too big. Smell is interesting. Woody brown ale. Not sure what to think of it. It's not unpleasant.

Taste is...well, first response is Jaegermeister. And I'm having trouble getting past it.

Mouthfeel is medium, very effervescent. Overall, not a fan, though it's not terrible.

Golden brown color with a big whipped-cream foam in the Wander snifter. Interesting aroma that is quite grain-scented along with the light whiskey note. Body is fairly slight with a tangy, almost sour barrel taste.

There's a burnt oatmeal flavor that is This is a little thin for barrel aging. Seems to make it more harsh and less mellow than I"d like. Still, like everything from Mollusk it's another interesting experiment. Label says this is this is a collaboration with Westland Distillery, which supplied the malt and the barrels. From the 500 ml bottle purchased at Elizabeth Station in Bellingham.

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown with a massive half glass light brown head with good retention, seems a bit overcarbonated but looks nice. Aroma of dark toasted malt, whisky, hints of coffee and molasses. Flavor is charred dark malt, coffee, oak and smoky whiskey; finishes with char and earthy bitterness, with a woody tart astringency. Medium bodied with very active carbonation. The brown ale malt body is there, but is somewhat overwhelmed by the barrel characterstics; fortunately the malt is just robust enough to carry the woody whiskey flavors and char. There is an odd light tartness to the finish that makes me think this should be drunk right away; not a good prospect for aging. This is the second 8-9% barrel aged ale I've had this month and like the first, it makes me think that the malt bill at this ABV is at the lower limit for supporting barreling. There are some good malt flavors here, but they are nearly covered by the barrel character. Interesting charry brown ale with lots of woody notes.