Mehndi - Double-Barrel
More Brewing Co.

2024 vintage; consumed on 12/27/2024

Pours an inky, jet-black body capped with a fuzzy half-finger of dark, khaki-hued foam; weak head retention fizzles to a blank void of a surface, minimal collar, and virtually no lacing holding to the walls of the glass with any longevity.

Aromas of heavy roast open into subtle marshmallow, with caramel accents and level, toasted oak definitions stoking fragrant barrel tannin overtones as the bouquet evolves.

Taste opens to silky chocolate ganache underscoring brownie crust as milk chocolate layers coat a toasty oak profile throughout.

Mouthfeel brings a medium-full body and spritz of mild carbonation, leaving creamy textures into a slick mid-palate, eventually drying into vague bittersweetness and boozy warmth encroaching on the swallow.

Simple and seamless; an immense barrel profile is effortlessly formed around arrays of chocolate and counterbalancing roast across the profile.

On tap at Vintage Estate Wine and Beer.

Wow! Chocolate from the get go! Aroma is full on Hershey's chocolate bar. And then the sip, thick, rich chocolate and bourbon. This one is best like sipping a shot of chocolate syrup and bourbon mixed together, poured over ice, and delicately enjoyed over a LOOONG period of time.

Midnight black body, brown cap. Smells deeply of the bourbon barrel, molasses, with supporting anise, dark chocolate, caramel, vanillins, and char. Taste has plenty of barrel and molasses too, though a tick not as deep, dark chocolate, anise, toasted caramel and char round out. Feel is very warm and tannins are felt too, smooth and thick.

Sweet chocolate/fudge brownie, rye-spicy, and a prominent vanilla-bourbon barrel boozy nose on this one! Taste follows with some chocolate malt balls upfront...and then a dark fruity, leather and oak, bourbon barrel boozy heat finish. Straight barrel going on here! This has a velvety soft mouthfeel to it...which helps balance out the bourbon heat. This one could sit for a while before settling down and reaching its sweet spot. Good stuff!

 

 

2024 vintage; I had this on draft 2/11/24 @ the Hopleaf.

Black appearance. No head; no lacing remained.

Bakers chocolate, marshmallow, bourbon heat & wood notes in the nose.

Thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Bakers chocolate, bourbon heat, wood & faint dark berry flavors.

A boozy, harsh Russian Imperial Stout vibe; it's not welcoming but it sure ain't boring.

On tap at the Bartlett, IL location. This version is the late 2023 or early 2024 release: Elijah Craig 8 year & Weller 12 year for 6 months, then Elijah Craig 12 year for 18 months.

L: thick jet black body, head dissipated by the time it got to my table
S: huge waft of oak and bourbon, roasted barley, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, toffee
T: sweet and boozy; very prominent oak with notes of vanilla and boozy bourbon; roasted barley, dark cocoa, caramel, toffee, dark brown sugar, earthy hops
F: very full body, thick-sweet-syrupy, a boozy sipper; modest carbonation, sweet finish with oak and bourbon lingering
O: a world-class barrel aged Imperial stout. The server asked me if I liked it more than Bourbon County. I couldn’t answer that because they are different beers. Both world-class but I can’t say I like one more than the other, but I did really like the more pronounced barrel flavors.

 

As tired as the descriptor is, this certainly fits the bill of used motor oil black, with nary a head to speak of, though it does have some clear legs not unlike the DB Pastry Mode before it.

And continuing to compare and contrast this to DB Pastry Mode, this non-adjuncted beauty features way more oak-forward qualities on heavy showcase compared to Moksa's pastry wonderland. It's splintery, almost hickory-esque, and tannin rich, finishing very dry. Before that, the silky, moderate viscosity develops dark caramel vanillins & Reisen that surface more readily under the Good Vibes sun.