Mi Shari Amore
Weathered Souls Brewing Co.

wow, this is a really crazy beer, brewed for valentines day or something. a big imperial stout aged in buffalo trace bourbon barrels with strawberries, dark chocolate, and vanilla! definitely the most ambitious recipe they had going while we were in, and certainly boozy, but a very distinct and enjoyable offering that really captures valentines day in a glass for me. the beer is near still from the tap, obsidian black with high shine, and significant viscosity. the aroma is insane, its wild how much strawberry comes through all this dark grain, oak, and alcohol, but it really is quite fruity, not sure if they used whole berries or some kind of concentrate, but its neat that its as forward as it is in the aroma. vanilla is right there with it, balancing some of the bitter roast and barrel char which are obvious here, i get some coffee too, almost a mocha thing with the chocolate in here, all quite compatible and well layered. the flavor is like the nose, remarkable berry forward, but instead of the roasted malts behind it, its whiskey next. tons of bourbon to me here, compliments the vanilla and really is pretty intense. the alcohol now kind of takes over the beer, even when its still quite cold, and the chocolate element is lost a little bit. there is also a weird astringency to it, not a sourness or an infection, but like a tang that rises up, highly tannic too, its not the right feel for the flavors, especially without bubbles, but i still like this a lot, even if the execution is not quite perfect. nice to see a brewery like this pushing the limits, my lady and i both thought this was pretty cool!