Double Dose Benthic
Half Acre Beer Company

Canned 10/28/19

Consumed 4/17/21

I always mean to drink my adjunct stouts fresh (especially coffee) and I have to wonder what I’m missing here by having it almost a year and a half after canning date. I’ve never had the double dose but Benthic and all of its variants have always rated super high for me. Half Acre knows how to do a balanced adjunct stout to my taste buds, but this variant made me wonder if it would verge off somehow given the description. Well, it still hits the nail on the head. Even as this age I’m getting a nice coffee balance although the coconut is most prominent. Thankfully it has the right balance of sweetness to it. It’s super thick and coats the mouth with a long sweet finish of coffee and coconut and a touch of vanilla still. I can’t do regular side by side with this given the 16oz can size, but I wish I could. Half Acre’s barre aged program is word class now. This variant is definitely worth seeking out and drinking fresh or aging a bit if you must. The booze is still here, but it’s very subdued and mellow. I suppose that might be due to the age, although HA never misses on that mark usually even when fresh.

 

 

 

 

way better than regular Benthic

 

 

 

 

A: vanilla, coconut, chocolate, and oak. Loads of BA booze and smooth.

A: black with low carbonation, low dark brown head fades quickly to a lace around the glass

F: very smooth and excellent. Loaded with coconut, chocolate, vanilla, boozy oak and mellow coffee.

M: Medium full body with lingering chocolate coconut vanilla. Boozy with mild oak.

O: excellent and extremely smooth. Very good example of the style.

 

650ml bottle, 2018 release, poured into a Half Acre "Occult" snifter glass.

The beer pours a deep jet black color, thick and viscous with a lot of coconut floaties hanging out in the glass. There is a brief caramel head, hardly a finger that is fizzy and loose that has no retention and yields only a spot or two of lacing, though some coconut floaties stick the glass as it goes down. The aroma is very nice, bursting with rich coffee, lots of toasted coconut that plays well with the coffee roast but there is plenty of chocolate, stone fruits and charred oak barrel, light bourbon and a touch of marshmallow. The flavors are excellent, incredibly well expressed coffee, smooth roast, nice rich mocha flavors that bring out a nice dark chocolate character, soft coconut flesh highlights the barrel character, super smooth and rich, soft and earthy oak, toffee bourbon with some marshmallow character, stone fruits and a bit of licorice and molasses. The mouthfeel is great, thick and heavy body, coating and creamy with an oily texture from the coconut that finishes easily with some warmth.

Verdict: A sensational barrel aged adjunct stout from Half Acre. Wonderful coffee that is the highlight of this beer but the coconut acts as a great bridge between the base stout and the barrel character while the vanilla seals the deal. Luscious, rich, balanced, everything working together.