Imperial Sex Palace
Situation Brewing

1L howler from the brewpub - and yeah, that's what this one is called. When I inquired as to the name, all I got was a shrug, and a 'the boss is kind of funny that way'. Hardy har...har.

This beer pours a solid black, with subtle red cola basal edges, and one flabby finger of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly brown head, which leaves some roiling sea froth lace around the glass as things slowly sink away.

It smells of gritty and grainy caramel malt, a bit of free-range ashiness, bittersweet cocoa powder, muddled dark orchard fruity notes, some mild wet woodiness, black licorice, and very plain leafy, earthy, and somewhat perfumed floral hop bitters. The taste is grainy and doughy caramel malt, some Halls-esque cherry astringency, damp wood chips, discount store (ok, Bulk Barn) chocolate, a further indistinct dark fruitiness, faint coffee grounds, and more understated leafy, weedy, and increasingly estery floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly tame in its merely structural frothiness, the body a so-so medium weight, and smooth, that is if you like chewing on wood. It finishes off-dry, the roasted caramel malt, wood-forward cherry character, and fading cocoa carrying us out like the drunks that we surely are.

Overall, this 'wood-treated' big-boy stout comes off better than the parsing of it may indicate - the graininess of the wood informing this offering much more than any cherry or other sundry fruity notes do. However, taken all together, it's a surprisingly drinkable 20-proof brew, and perfect for acting as a salve for all the obligatory bullshit we have to go through at this time of year.