Bolt Cutter
Hardware Brewing Co

Taster at brewery. Inky black pour, small beige head. Roasty aroma and taste. Nice crisp bitterness. Smoky, coffee, burnt toast. Light seeetness and a ceamy feel

very solid liquid here, objectively the best of the three beers i had from these guys. its classically styled, professionally made, and is a smooth and easy drinker with a lot of flavor, really a great beer for the morning, for a hangover, for a chilly windy day, or anytime i suppose! its shiny in the glass under three quarters of an inch of tan head. smells simple, earthy and cereal forward from the oats, moderate on the roasted barley, deep but not bitter to me, and with some caramel and chocolate malt sweetness and depth in the middle, a little bit concentrated to me, a light bready ale yeast character in here as well. the flavor is all of this, chocolate forward with some nuttiness, a little bit of caramelized sugar through most of it, but drying out more towards the finish. no astringency, no harshness to the dark grain, and no frills like lactose or vanilla or anything, just a beer, and a good one. the oats cream up the body a little bit, but this still drinks light for the style, not too much weight behind it even with the sweetness, and it has a relatively clean finish, maybe a little more tidy in the ferment than was displayed in their other beers i had. a great sipper, coffee notes as it warms, good balance, well made. nice.