M 3RD 25TH
Forgotten Road Ales

 

 

Pours black with a quarter inch tan head. Smells and tastes of cocoa, rye, malts and a hint of vanilla. On the lighter side of full bodied. Very solid from a brewery doing great things.

No canning date (released on 11/11/20, so presumably canned within a few days of that date); consumed on 6/28/21

Pours an inky, straight jet-black body capped with a finger of near-creamy mocha foam fading hastily to a spotty few paper-thin island of cap, moderate, frothy collar, and minimal lacing holding to the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens with bakers chocolate sporting a hint of raw cacao as rye whiskey spice steadily integrates and a soft dark fruit sensation is interwoven; husky malts over the middle bring out a building toasted overtone, while a creamy vanilla bean character presents more heavily into the close.

Taste shows dark chocolate against a more restrained rye spice before delving into sweet shop notes of nougat and creamy peanut brittle over the mid-palate; an evenly dispersed barrel char catches up on the back end, embracing an earthy rye warmth over the profile to finish.

Mouthfeel offers a medium-light body with minimal carbonation, both compensated for by an ultra-slick texture upfront and mild grit past the mid-palate; an oily peak over back end carries a slight, boozy warmth through a charry, dry finish.

A silky and tame presentation of the malt profile melds with the finer counterpoints of a spicy rye barrel, bringing out a selective nuance and minimal to an impressive, entry-level-approachable sipper toying with an even higher level of expression just beneath the surface.