Three
Moksa Brewing Company

 

No bottling date (released on 2/6/21, so presumably bottled within a few days of that date); consumed on 11/12/21

Pours a viscous, midnight-black body capped with a short-lived half-finger of dark khaki head, leaving a sole, fuzzy island of cap over the abyssal surface and a uniformly rich, moderate ring, while no lacing whatsoever clings to the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens with dark cherry phasing into baked cacao nibs, a solid roast profile easing independently the bouquet; lesser hints of dark chocolate bar and gooey marshmallow are imbued in the background as toffee and deeper tones of bourbon brownie batter linger in the distance.

Taste of walnuts and soft bakers cacao sets the stage for milk chocolate accented with dark cherry esters; as tinges of gritty oak mark the mid-palate, notes of toasted caramel encounter bourbon in waves, in turn amplifying the building vanillins into the finish.

Mouthfeel brings a deft full body textured with a gritty silk and minimal carbonation; a taut dryness lurks beneath the semi-oily character over the mid-palate, while a wispy char stimulates the back end to spikes of a boozy warmth on the finish, evenly dispersed yet calmly potent.

A layered base invites bourbon to the backdrop in an all-too-natural impression of barrel-laden bakers chocolate throughout; approachably steady, a body carried with ease and though not extensive in barrel expression, the harmony detailed in the malt/bourbon profile is more than enough to keep the beer as a whole engaging.