Farmer's Breakfast French Toast
Cellar West Artisan Ales

this is the first miss from cellar west so far in my very limited experience. admittedly, i heard maple syrup and coffee and got insanely stoked about it, not knowing it was supposed to be a farmhouse style stout brewed with their house funky culture (which i have loved in their other beers). as i drink this, i realize i dont really love it in this context, i think it produces some real acidity and tannic weirdness that cuts through the body created by the rich dark malt and it makes the beer seem almost thing. i get a bunch of red wine in here which is nice with the roast of the dark barley, dark red fruits and some sweetness. i also get the bourbon, which of course loves the maple syrup in here. its sweet for sure, milk sugar might not be necessary. tasty coffee too, complex and smooth. the wild yeast is whats off for me, i wish it wasnt funky and sort of tangy, and im not sure the wine is the right pick on the barrel side (the bourbon certainly is!). i appreciate this for what it is, and i like the vanilla and cinnamon in it, but i straight ahead ale yeast or even something english would be a better selection, and the bourbon by itself would be preferable for my palate. i know thats not what they are going for, but it would work better with both the maple and the coffee. i enjoyed all the beers i had recently from these guys, but this one missed the mark a bit for me.

edit: boosting a few scores here, this has improved with a little time in the bottle. more funk, cleaner, less acidity somehow than i remember, and better carbonation. i get more of the port and its nuttiness and its awesome. super will hidden alcohol strength too, holy cow i cant believe its this strong! still a little strange to me, the funk not really compatible with all of this, maple and coffee, but its unique and its better than it was...