Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Farnham Ale & Lager - Vermont Laboratory

Gifted to me by @PatrickCT. Drank at slightly over 14 months old Pours dark brown with tannish minimal, quickly dissipating head and lacing. Smell is boozy barrel and slight dark roasty malt notes. Presence of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. Taste is sweet vanilla. and dark fruit (raisin), booze, malt, slight chocolate and coffee notes. A bit of a chalky/metallic aftertaste. Medium bodied, mildly boozy. Not oily, not thick, but will see how it warms up. Good, not great, but seems to be missing a barrel presence.

 

Very well made Russian imperial stout, excellent balance between roast notes, hop bitterness and subtle sweetness. However no barrel aged characteristics to be found. Maybe the faintest woody oak note but that’s it.

This is a quality beer along the lines of Old Rasputin but don’t market the barrel aged angle without delivering something on that front.

Canned on 1/8/19

Pours a gorgeous glossy jet black topped with ~1 finger of deep golden khaki foam; head recedes fairly quickly, leaving behind a frothy collar along with extensive, thick, stringy lacing; really a beautiful-looking stout.

Aromas of malted milk chocolate, calming barrel tones, dark roast coffee, vanilla, and light caramel all discernible upfront; undertones of baking spice, cake batter, gingerbread, raspberry, and rum all balanced and turned away from outright sweetness by a healthy dose of roasty char.

Taste shows an awesome profile of malty chocolate upfront followed up with plenty of roasty malts, barrel tones, and bourbon-soaked brownie batter; lighter bits of smoked toffee, roasty char, and cherry round out out and occasionally soften the denser barrel notes.

Mouthfeel trending towards full-bodied with milder carbonation; silky, with a slightly oily texture and a faint roasty quality coming through on an otherwise pretty sticky finish; no booze detectable, making this even easier to down.

Great harmony of sweet and roasty notes here, with some pretty impressive depth brought about by the barrel. Verging on too-sweet before consistent roasty malt balances things out at every turn the balance here ultimately brings about a really enjoyable, well-done, and almost unnervingly approachable example of a barrel-aged sweeter stout.

Can. Rich and delicious with subdued fruit and a beautiful fine texture that lasts throughout. Full body chocolate and roasted coffee. And does it really matter if I type more than 150 characters?

16 oz. can.
Moderate pour yields a one inch tan head over a very dark brown body with some fleeting lacing. Nose of caramel, vanilla, dark roasted malt, and whiskey. Taste mirrors nose very well with a nice, full mouthfeel. Overall, I'm diggin' this new offering from Farnham in South Burlington, VT. Cheers!