Papua New Guinea Distraction
American Solera

 

Sampling a cellar temp 1 pint 9fl oz bottle poured into my snifter. Ive had the bottle in my cellar for about a year. Part of my BIF NFL 33 winnings last season.
The beer pours a black coffee color and no light passes through my glass. A dense creamy tan head foams up about 0.3 cm and fades to a thin but sturdy edge layer quickly after the pour. Im surprised to learn that the bottle is green after the beer is in my glass.
The aroma on this beer is a little muted, which surprises me. I do get some dark chocolate , roasted malts, and a good bit of ground coffee. There are wisps of vanilla in the background but it is certainly not dominant. No hop profile and the abv is well hidden.
First sip reveals a medium to full body with smooth texture and very, very fine carbonation that is actually kind of prickly. Beer does leave a bit of a sticky feel on my lips and palate after each swallow.
Flavor is roasted malt and dark chocolate, hints of bourbon and vanilla move in and the vanilla lingers a bit after the swallow. No real hop notes and ABV hidden once again. Pretty dangerous at 13%.
This flavor profile and nose opens up more bourbon as I sip this one. Decent imperial stout

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like rich, earthy, and sweet vanilla, oak, tobacco, dark chocolate, and roasted malt.

This is much, much more balanced than I'm used to with this brewery. The vanilla is very forward in the flavor, but it doesn't overwhelm the barrel and base, and doesn't give an overly saccharine quality to it, like American Solera often does.

This is rich, thick, and creamy, with a very nice drinkability, and very little boozy heat.

This is one of the more interesting beers I've had from American Solera, and one of the better ones to boot.

No bottling date (released in 5/2021, so presumably bottled within a few days of that date); consumed on 2/14/22

Pours a plodding, viscous, motor-oil black body sporting shreds of initial dark khaki effervescence struggling to form any type of head and eventually settling for a few spotty islands over the surface, a creamy, moderate collar, and no lacing holding to the walls of the glass.

Aromas of brownie crust and nutty undertones candied cashews find a softer cocoa roast with edges of burnt sugar building to fresh caramel brittle over the middle as isolated tones of floral vanilla bean peak into Nilla Wafers on the back end and close on a satisfying tone of bourbon-laced brownie batter.

Taste shows bakers chocolate opening to charry malts, with sweeter cocoa engaging caramel and melted toffee through the mid-palate; burnt almonds on the back end guide toward subtle vanilla integrated with a burlier toasted oak barrel presence on the finish.

Mouthfeel brings a medium-full body with minimal carbonation leaving ample space for charry viscosity wavering to silky richness through the mid-palate; a subtle grit lingers against a boozy punch on the back end, easing to a slick, warming finish.

Decadence monopolized within the confines of an unhinged barrel, a rich base guided by a floral vanilla undercurrent largely neutralizes the harsher levels of whiskey presence for a sweet, boozy treat of a sipper.