Sisyphus - Rocky Road - Bourbon Barrel Aged
Mortalis Brewing Co.

Pours very dark brown and syrupy thick. Black in a PBGC Aromatic Snifter (SRM36-38). The head forms a fine, thin ring, and leaves no lace. A viscus film forms no legs when tipped or swirled.

The aroma is predictably sweet, with strong vanilla, followed by toasted marshmallow and rich chocolate syrup. Hazelnuts are a strong third place player. Faint cinnamon and nutmeg are revealed with light warmth.

Chocolate and cinnamon/nutmeg are strong up front. Another very sweet stout from Mortalis, with bitterness preventing it from tipping over. Vanilla and hazelnut quickly follow in a second wave, and only slightly less intense than the first wave. Toasted marshmallow shines with light warmth. There is no real sense of barrel aging. Warmth produces strong maple syrup notes. The finish is short, mild, and sweet.

The dense body, syrupy texture, and faint carbonation provide a very smooth experience. Light spicy heat. Alcohol is well below expectations, though at 13% it is still quite present. There is a ton of residual sugar.

This is unmistakably a dessert beer, though I enjoyed it with quiet reading on a cool late Summer afternoon.

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like creamy walnut - it's really, really walnut forward on the nose. I also get vanilla ice cream, bourbon, marshmallow, and chocolate fudge.

I like this one more than the base Sisyphus, as the adjunct pendulum swings more towards walnuts here than marshmallow, which I don't always like. There's not much oak barrel, but there's a good bourbon kick here that helps balance the intense sweetness. There's lots of chocolate too. This essentially tastes like barrel-aged ice cream.

This is medium bodied, rich and creamy, with really no booziness to it.

This is middle of the road for the various barrel-aged beers they've done, but it's still a real treat to have, nonetheless.