Arches
Phase Three Brewing Company

So it looks like a typical stout with pitch black opaque body and body head, but there are so many coconut floaties! Need a strainer when pouring this! Aromas are incredible: various blended barrels of bourbon with a darker toned wood, then molasses, toasted caramel and vanilla support the chocolate, cinnamon, and coconut. Taste is much the same, only more cinnamon and molasses forward, barrels cut through the sweetness and meld together nicely, though a touch sweet. Feel is warm and heavy with plenty of barrel and adjunct textures, but the sweetness and richness do add up over time

 

Drinking the 2025 vintage, which is 16 percent ABV. Very sweet scents of chocolate and coconut, slight cinnamon on the back end. Taste is similar, subtle and well balanced. Not as boozy as expected, bold, mouth filling. Excellent,

 

500 ml bottle into a tulip snifter. The 2024 edition, had 5/16/25.

Pours near black, murky and opaque, thick looking. Shows no head with a darker oily smear on the glass. Large coconut floaters. Aromas of chocolate, coconut, oak, light bourbon and rye whiskey, light cinnamon and vanilla. The flavors are mostly the same, but more intense: rye whiskey, bourbon, chocolate, coconut, cinnamon, malt, some vanilla and oak. Has a spicy taste as it warms. Smooth, thick, a solid full body, appropriately carbonated on the low side.

So delicious. The nibs and the coconut are dialed all the way up, the cinnamon is used judiciously, and the barrels have a solid presence in the flavor- especially the rye barrels, which lend that spicy touch. Extra thick, to boot. Really enjoyable.

 

Waxed bottle poured into Revolution Brewing snifter. First sip was a huge piece of coconut. Thought it was a piece of wax for a second. Many other chunks in the glass. Glorious. Deep chocolate flavor with a punch of cinnamon and thiccccc.

Poured from a white-waxed 500mL bottle into a Mikerphone tumbler. Pours a shiny and fairly thick black with a shit ton of coconut floaties. Bourbon, chocolate, coconut and cinnamon on the nose and taste. Nice balance between the cinnamon and coconut and a full mouthfeel with a slick finish. This was damn good. Sweet, but not too sweet. The cinnamon is integrated perfectly while the bourbon barrel works to cut the coconut sweetness.