Diamond Moves
Southern Grist Brewing Co.

I wanted so badly to like this beer. I generally like everything I've had from this Brewery.

This pours thick syrupy with zero discernable head or lacing. Looks thick.

Smells inviting strong on peanut and caramel, milk chocolate in there too. Bourbon barrel/oak seems very muted

Taste isn't bad but its so overwhelmed by the syrupy sweet mouthful I can barely tell you what I'm tasting. No carbonation which adds to the syrupy feel.

This is a slow sipper, and I'm full 1/2 through.

Canned on 1/25/2022; consumed on 1/11/2023

Pours a viscous, motor-oil black body capped with a temporary, half-finger expansion of pale mocha cap before fading to an inky void of a surface, thin, frothy collar, and minimal-no lacing clinging to the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens to chunky, lightly salted peanut butter and a firm cocoa backing; toasted caramel supplements a distant shred of bourbon over time, as a vague char meets oily dark chocolate and softer background malts.

Taste features peanut shells and faded maple accents upfront, with chunky dark chocolate building through hints of waffle cone over the mid-palate as distant threads of whiskey wash into fresh bakers cocoa on the back end of the profile.

Mouthfeel brings a medium body with minimal carbonation, a slick texturing built into a faded yet punchy char; creaminess over the mid-palate trends slightly sticky on the back end while dryness wavers on the finish.

Potent peanut butter integration guides a rich profile balanced with a subtle bourbon drift, a supportive roast imparted just enough to counterbalance the waves of decadent, cocoa-forward sweetness; satisfying.

1835
Name: Diamond Moves
Brewery: Southern Grist
Location: Nashville, TN
Style: Imperial Stout
Date: The date was smudged off.
I have had one other beer from here; it was a dessert stout. Using a tulip glass, I served the beer at 54 degrees. This was surprising, and not in a good way. The liquid came out thick and syrupy; however, no head was created. It seemed as if the beer was flat. Charting the color around SRM 30, dark brown with muted garnet hues. The appearance of this beer is below average.
Nosing the glass, I detected molasses, maple syrup, bourbon, oak, peanut butter, milk chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and lightly roasted coffee. I faintly notice acrid burnt char, raisins, toffee, and floral. The aromas are typical for this style.
The flavors are peanut butter, milk chocolate, oak, bourbon, molasses, raisins, sugar, milk, maple, smokiness, soy sauce, vanilla, caramel, light coffee, and char.
The mouthfeel is sticky. The body is heavy, has zero carbonation, and has a long and unpleasant finish.
This stout is too much! They did not use a deft hand in creating this beer. It is flat, overly sweet, and unbalanced. To me, this is a train wreck waiting to happen. When working in the kitchen as a chef, we learn to use little ingredients for maximum effect. Here maximum ingredients to little effect.

Canned 1.25.22,opened 4.7.22

A blend of 12-16 month bourbon barrel aged imperial sweet stout and fresh imperial sweet stout conditioned on peanut butter powder, Vermont maple syrup and cocoa nibs

Can poured into a straight sided glass, black motor oil with a dark brown layer that instantly evaporates , no lacings

Aroma is bourbon whiskey, peanuts , whiff of maple syrup

Taste is bourbon, maple syrup , cocoa nibs on the finish

Low to no sudsing, syrupy mouthfeel , abv is 12.1%

Good beer

 

 

 

So, according to their website, this is "a blend of fresh Imperial Sweet Stout and Imperial Stouts aged for 12-16 months in Nashville Barrel Company Rye and Weller Wheated bourbon barrels. This 10.1% abv Imperial Stout was then conditioned on peanut butter, vermont maple syrup, and cacao nibs, making it event more rich and decadent than ever before". All right then; sounds interesting.

Aggressive pour yields a mere pinky finger of mocha head that thins out almost immediately, but I kind of expected that. Barrel-aging and the oil in the peanut butter will do that, I reckon. Body is thick and pretty much motor oil black. There's a big nutty component on the nose that I wouldn't necessarily identify as peanuts; smells more like hazelnuts to me. There's some boozy bourbon notes, but they combine with what I perceive as hazelnuts to smell a bit like Amaretto. Mild maple syrup notes and the usual dry, roast-y imperial stout goodness. Smells pretty good. Tastes very "add junk" heavy and sweet. Nothing dominates your attention on the tongue, so I guess it's well-balanced, but I'm not overwhelmingly positive on the flavor. It's not bad, mind, just a bit of a hodgepodge. The barrel notes are very nice, though, I must admit. May be a good candidate for extended aging; let certain aspects drop out and thus amplify others. Mouthfeel is just velvety smooth decadence. Minimal carbonation borders on flat-out-flat, but it suits matters in this case; this just wouldn't work with normal carbonation. Finishes oaky and dry. This isn't my favorite barrel-aged stout, but it's far from my least favorite. I have another one that I'll let collect dust for a year or two and see how things change.

Later thoughts: Holy shit does this get crazy, lip-smackingly sweet as it warms. Overwhelming. I could lose a toe before I finish it.

5/3/23 Edit: Opened the other can and wow - this is a rich, decadent, impossibly sweet monster. This has got to be 400 calories at minimum. It's a really nice mouthfeel, but otherwise way too sweet. Not my bag at all, but if desert stouts are your thing, you could probably do a lot worse.