Juno (8bit)
Mortalis Brewing Co.

an absolute monster of a scotch ale here, thanks to my homie for sending, just my third from these guys, but i totally get that they make enormous and robustly flavored strong ales at a very high level, this was a treat, but a slow sipper, a pint can is a big dose for one guy, especially during the weekend i was having, but as a late night fireside sipper, it was pretty fantastic. pretty burnt orange to rich chestnut colored brew, reddish in the low glow of the fire under a two inch creamy and airy tan head, looks awesome, leggy and sturdy, i need liveliness in a beer this robust and sweet most of the time, and i am thankful for it here. no denying its a scotch ale type, malty and sweet with maple, rum raisin, and toffee character instantly in the nose, caramel, black tea, almond, hazelnut, molasses, and brown sugar also come into play, and all of this is there in the flavor too. its rich but mellow too, warming but not hot, seems almost oak aged, with vanilla and even some woody tannins behind all the dense malt, big fig and date characteristics too, a light almost peppery spiciness as it warms some, and quite a lot of residual sugar, which slows me down pretty good despite this having decent carbonation for what it is. maple again, cognac, and indeed bourbon as it sits and opens, a lot going on here, totally palate coating and long to finish, aftertaste immortal. the can says brewed with natural flavors, not sure what that means here, the lack of info about it is strange with that mentioned there, doesnt seem artificial in any way to me, just intense and long boiled and almost candied. about as much flavor as can be packed into one of these, and the quality is there. i recommend sharing, but mortalis totally has my attention right now, this is wildly unique in this style space.

This one pours a golden dark brown color, with a small head, and a bit of lacing.

This smells like dark fruit, raisins, plums, etc, with caramel, toffee, and lots of chocolate.

This is a pretty solid take on the style, especially as it warms up a bit. It's quite chocolatey and fruity, with dried plums, cherry, raisins, etc, with a layer of chocolate, bready malt, and caramel layered on top.

This is medium bodied, with no booziness, and a nice creamy finish.

I'm excited to see other beers from this series - it's obviously nice to step back from the gloop and the pastry.