11:59 PM
Bent Stick Brewing Co.

Bought two pricey little bottles some five years ago - never drank fresh, and thought how about we crack these on a hot August evening, with 3 8 ounce pours.
Pours a deep thick black with abundant fluffy creamy brown head.
Aroma of bready caramel malt, cocoa, molasses, touch of vanilla and a definite whiff of bourbon.
Tastes of sweet caramel malt, dark chocolate, hints of vanilla, bourbon and a touch of licorice with a definite roasty bittersweetness at the back.
Rich full mouthfeel with vigorous carbonation despite the ageing - bittersweet favours the sweet with a nice bourbon boozy warmth.

341ml stubbie, aged 111 days in a 'small batch bourbon barrel from Keg n Cork Liquor Co.' Refining in the bottle since April 22, 2017. Well, let's get at it, shall we?

This beer pours a solid black hole, with the barest of amber basal edges, and a teeming tower of puffy, finely foamy, and chunky brown head, which leaves a bit of random sticky and streaky lace around the glass as it slowly ebbs away.

It smells of gritty and grainy caramel malt, bittersweet cocoa powder, a sort of acrid vanilla-laced Bourbon woodsiness, muddled dark stone fruit, some free-range ashiness, mild meaty notes, anise spice, and some tame earthy, weedy, and besotted floral green hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, edgy and boozy Bourbon wood (with less of the vanilla at this point), very dry chocolate, equally sere black licorice, day-old coffee, some mild char, and more rather understated weedy, leafy, and floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is quite active in its effervescent frothiness, the body a decent medium weight, and sort of smooth, as the overarching dry smoky character takes things down more than a notch or so here. It finishes trending dry (I know, I should look up more synonyms for that word), and quite woody in its lingering bearing.

Overall - this is one stellar big and bad American stout, with the time spent in the barrel apparently a judicious period, as such. I wasn't expecting much in the way of a woody character, but lo and behold, thar she blows! Pretty heady and enjoyable stuff, I have to say, and perhaps a trip back to the aforementioned bottleshop is in order for an age-worthy sample.

This is an expensive bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. Limited release, I could only buy 3. Overall I would say it was a fine stout, a sipping beer, suitable (at the right temperature) for a relaxed evening of movies or in front of the fireplace. I have two more and will anticipate each and ensure it is a special occasion.