Votive (No. 4)
Fox Farm Brewery

500ml bottle with a black pressure cap. Poured into Rastal Lawrence stemless tulip.

Appearance: dark black bodied stout with dark brown 1 finger tall cap. The head drops to a ring around the glass.

Smell: The spirits both introduce themselves almost immediately to your nose. Oak and chocolate are mostly what you smell from the stout after you get the big whiff of bourbon & brandy medley which is quite pleasant to the nose.

Taste: You take a sip of this beer and you get some sweetness & some barrel but nothing much else to speak of in the middle of the beer interestingly enough. This stout literally skips straight to the finish...saving the best for last! The finish is long and lingering loaded with barrel char, smoke, leather, tobacco, chocolate, moderate level roasted malts & a sweet bourbon / brandy spirit medley.

Mouthfeel: medium full bodied stout. it's thick, but not pastry thick. Low and adequate carbonation levels. This is slightly boozy and smoothed out the rough spots as it warmed up actually.

Overall: The brandy barrel is a nice change up here since you don't see brandy barrel aged stout too frequently. Usually the brandy barrels get filled with Old Ales or Barleywine.

 

500ml. Bottle served in a tulip. Pours an inky black with a mocha-colored head that quickly disperses into a thin, tight band around the shoulders. Clarity is opaque. Nose hits with ethanol, roast, dark chocolate and butterscotch. Flavor profile is consistent with nose and quite boozy, albeit not as assertive as suggested by the aromas (my nose hairs were on fire!) - butterscotch is more prominent in the mingle and finishes with a kiss of vanilla. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body with a light oiliness and a carbonation that is more than i prefer for the style, but still in the ballpark. Overall, This is a thick, delicious, boozy stout. I wish I had another bottle to sit on in the cellar for a year or two.