2018 First King of Kiev HH Bourbon Barrel Aged
Mad Swede Brewing Company

22oz waxed bomber, poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark pour, fairly viscous, with a creamy mocha-colored head that fades to a ring.

S: Lots of lovely, smooth bourbon character. Not boozy. Caramel, mild coffee and dark fruits. Roast character of the stout balances very nicely with the Heaven Hill bourbon barrels.

T: Nice; again, the bourbon character blends nicely with the stout profile of this brew; rich, balanced, smooth; notes of dark caramel, espresso, raisins.

MF: Smooth, medium-to-full bodied. Creamy.

O: A delicious Heaven Hill BBA stout. The stout profile and barrels blend well together.

special edition of this imperial stout from a couple of years ago, done in heaven hill barrels, its big and its delicious, and it was more than i needed after several others yesterday, but i certainly dont regret it. cool they have this on tap at the brewery now, an exciting offering to say the least. there is a nice tall dense mocha colored head on this, the beer is abyssal black, and there is a lot of visible carbonation activity, which you dont often see in these barrel aged beers. the whiskey is strong in the nose, but there is a nice bitter dark roast from the grain with it to keep it from seeming overly sweet, hints of cigar and maple and good espresso all present, some vanilla and honey too, woody and mature, and quite alcoholic although not in a cheap and boozy way, more rich and regal to me. the flavor follows the nose pretty closely whiskey first, some bitterness from the roasted barley, and some neat grain nuance, maybe some rye in here, i get a little spice, could be from the barrels i guess, but its more complex than a lot of these are. super smooth even though the alcohol is present the whole time, its almost creamy feeling, very lively for what it is, and it warms up very well too. i love all the wood on it, the slight cola character that comes in late, and the way the beer lingers pleasantly on the palate after each sip. this is really good, a great expression of the bourbon, and overall a treat to score at their taproom yesterday!