Morning in the Mountains
Lost Grove Brewing

bourbon barrel aged imperial breakfast stout, one of the more ambitious brews i have encountered from these guys, their list was popping off on our recent visit, great too see how far this place has come. this has coffee in it for sure, maple syrup i think too, and i pick up a unique nuttiness in among all the malt and java, almost a hazelnut wrinkle, subtle but cool, could be grain derived. deep black in color from the tap but not overly viscous as these go, especially at this abv, and it has a stocky inch of rich caramel colored foam on it, looks great in the glass, high shine. the nose is quite sweet on this, a vanilla hint from the whiskey, that corn sweetness, molasses, and definite maple syrup, a good contrast to the bitter roast and dark coffee character this has, some chocolate middle malt here too, but not overly sweet, a light cola note, a kiss of smoke, lovely and wintery. the flavor follows the aroma, coffee all through it, a sort of espresso richness, lots of maple, and plenty of good whiskey on it too, although its never hotly alcoholic to me at all. some nuttiness throughout. smooth to drink, a fudgey decadence about it without it being diabetic, good bitterness in the roasted barley keeping it pretty balanced to me even with all the flavor, and a nice smooth and soothing oak profile to round it out, a little char, and a nice earthiness from the grain and the maple alike. impressive specimen here, a beer that will sneak up on you, very tasty and well done, these guys are on a roll lately!

 

500ml wax-topped bottle, shared with family on Christmas. Surprisingly not black, this one pours out dark brown with a tannish cap and light showing through the liquid...intense sweetness on this one, I was hoping for more coffee but this is loaded with rich hazelnut, vanilla, maple syrup, and nice barrel character, with minor notes of chocolate and espresso. Overall a bit too sweet for me but still good.

500ml bottle from Brewers Haven. Dark brown pour, fizzy beige head, then still. Chocolate first in the aroma, followed closely with light coffee, hazelnut and maple notes. Taste comes in sweet, chocolaty and a nice hit of roasty, coffee bitterness. Maple and hazelnut blend to add a real breakfast vibe to this. Short stack of chocolate chip pancakes, hazelnuts and maple syrup accompanied by a cup of coffee.