Barrelborn - Coffee Edition
Moksa Brewing Company

This is a collaborative Imperial Stout (Moksa Brewing Co. + Ritual Lab from Roma, Italy), matured for 24 months in Cognac and Bourbon barrels, selected by the Moksa team, who worked directly in Rome to create this collaborative beer. Compared to the Barrelborn (the basic version), a specially selected coffee blend has been added from the local Caffetteria Fax Factory, specializing in specialty coffees and 100% artisanal specialties for the café.
(33cl bottle, Lot: L110AB (the first to be bottled) - Best before 2035; €14 directly from Birrificio Ritual Lab): On the nose, roasted notes immediately fade into other spicy scents that are difficult to identify, but which certainly lend a different nuance of freshness compared to the base version. These nuances also remind me of tobacco, certainly more pronounced than the dominant hints of bourbon barrel and dark chocolate. Black color with brown highlights, more visible against the light. On the palate, everything perceived on the nose is present, but amplified: roasted notes with a truly "fresh" roasting, which gives way to almost floral notes, but a sweet, floral, not herbaceous, almost fruity one.
I don't know if the addition of cold brew coffee had an impact, but compared to the Barrelborn (base version), the body seems much lighter to me.
I have both in front of me and trying again... it definitely seems that way.
Nothing striking, but definitely identifiable, in my opinion. On the palate, the notes of freshly roasted coffee beans and nuances of floral spices take center stage, I detect nuances that remind me of tobacco and other more Soft notes of tonka beans and walnuts. The spicy flavor also covers the alcoholic flavor of the Cognac, which is only noticeable as an internal heat.
This beer, placed literally side by side with the base version, certainly has a much broader aromatic bouquet in terms of flavors released, but it appears less intense, not less balanced, certainly different.