Barrel Aged Gingerbread Stout
Talisman Brewing Company

gift from my brother in law, i think a year or more old now, this is a special edition of their gingerbread stout, aged in sugar house distillery barrels, i assume a whiskey, and its really good, done well in the bottle with a little time on it, and is easily the best beer ive had from these guys. 10.6% abv is handwritten on the label. frothy creamy inch plus of burlap head on this and nice retention, satin black base beer a little less viscous and more carbonated than expected, a nice texture for a bigger beer. it immediately reads holiday to me, even ice cold, and even without being overly spiced, i was worried this would be flavored to oblivion for some reason, but its really quite subtle, and to me it smells more like gingerbread than actual ginger, to its credit, brown sugar for sure, a vanilla note, subtle oak and alcohol on it from the barrel time, not overdone there either, nice roasty coffee character from the dark grain at the core of this, simple in a good way. the flavor is good, stout first, and it warms up really well, dark brown sugar is a predominant note, really creates that warming gingerbread vibe, its not spicy like raw ginger or anything, i get molasses, toasted oak, dark bread, vanilla extract, and subtle nutmeg or something, less boozy than expected at this strength even as it warms, just a hint of oxidation that actually kind of works in its favor, some good balancing late bitterness from all the roast, dark chocolate there, even a hint of smoke, nice underlying nuance in this, really well restrained flavoring, it comes together super well and definitely hits the gingerbread mark. i think the barrel is essential to the success of this, but i would also be curious to try it straight up, i think they really have something here. i like the bitter and the bubbles and the depth. awesome holiday stout for sharing, would love to source another bottle of this! killer.