Bird Flies By And You Forget
Horus Aged Ales

This one was somewhat difficult to review, as with seemingly all of Horus stouts. Incredibly thick, velvety, and decadent, this one throws it all at you -- milk chocolate, nougat, caramel, barrel, vanilla, coconut, hints of cinnamon -- in ways that make the fact that it is non-adjuncted all the more impressive. On top of that, nearly 7 YEARS of barrel aging in a very elusive barrel makes this by far the most "barrel aged" BA stout I've ever had. Yet at the same time, there are some drawbacks. This is stupidly expensive (about $80 for a 12oz bottle), and even in the smaller format needs to be shared with at least one other person to avoid it becoming cloying and overwhelming. This lack of balance does knock it down just a hair from true A-tier territory. Also, the usual Horus "pulp" is settled on the bottom of the bottle, so pour carefully to avoid a potential slug.

88/100

Look - Pours a pitch black color with no head. A nice brown lacing on the glass when swirled.

Smell - Chocolate, malt, bourbon, and fig. I thought this might have too much bourbon, but it's well balanced with the other notes.

Taste - Taste has more emphasis on the bourbon, but it's not overly strong or harsh, it's mellow and very tasty. Also notes of fig and malt.

Feel - A very easy drinking and very smooth stout, especially at only 11.3%ABV.

Overall - This is better than I was expecting; the bourbon isn't overly dominant but adds to the overall flavor and is very tasty.