Fireside
YaYa Brewing Company

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass with a half finger dark khaki head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, hints of chocolate; boozy. Flavor is dark, lightly toasted malt, bourbon, milk chocolate, lactose and light vanilla.Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess and pleasant silky mouth feel. Well, what a surprise. The aroma was very bourbon forward, masking the other elements of the nose; there was a surprising boozy element in my snifter for the somewhat modest ABV. I was expecting a similar bourbon hit in the taste, but wow, the flavor is very well balanced with a distinct, but well supported bourbon note and quite nice chocolate and lactose character appropriate for the mild stout style. The flavor is smooth, balanced and very inviting, with the bourbon fruitiness just at the right level to meld with the nice malt flavors. I've found many lower ABV beers to not hold up well to barreling with 8% being right at the cusp, but this is smoother and better balanced than many of the bigger barreled porters. Maybe my snifter was doing its job of concentrating aroma too well, with the bourbon overpowering the other components. This tastes great and makes me ready and willing for the next barreled and/or big stout or porter this brewery sends out. Nicely done.