Cosmic Echoes - Double Barrel-Aged
Private Press Brewing

Late-2023 release; consumed on 3/11/2025

Pours an oily black body capped with a finger and a half of pale khaki foam; decent head retention leaves a slim layer of cap, paper-thin collar, and minimal-no lacing around the walls of the glass.

Aroma wafts homemade fruitcake and dusty mocha into a Medjool date focus, with accents of red raspberry jam bringing a brighter contrast to toasted marshmallow undertones peeking through the bouquet over time.

Taste brings notes of strawberry jam and a firm toffee undertone upfront, showing toasted oak detailing and a refined complexion of cherry shortbread past the mid-palate before culminating with a dark cacao edge and gooey marshmallow exhale.

Mouthfeel presents a medium body and a mild spritz of carbonation tingling; a silky texture meets soft barrel char and levels to an easygoing, warming swallow.

Darker fruit saturates the senses with impressive variation carried through roast and sweeter barrel aspects, extracting maximal nuance from this thoughtful and engaging blend.

Always a treat to encounter Private Press. Pours the color of cola. Lightly layered aroma, with hints of toffee and leather. The sip adds to this, with some coffee and chocolate nibs. Tough of chew on the finish. Intriguing. Wonderful sipper.

 

A: A charcoal decant with an asphalt transfer, while scaling highlights towards iridium. The cross-reaction amongst hydrophobic polypeptides & bitter acids is yielding, when depicting the passive collar. Correspondingly, a height confined to centimeters that thins within centiseconds, before reaching a short desiccation. The spindrifts struggle to formulate a cling, as the appearance is cut by negative materials. Yet, there is a prominent viscous cling with an ethanol backing at the induction, which calmy reveals the monastery arches at length. This presence has an elongated endurance across the environmental factors, by avoiding & prolonging the evaporating principles, to provide a sophisticated series of slow tears

S: The blend works to vehicle the thermal degradations, as applied to carbohydrates and hemicelluloses. This is aided over a slow process, of controlled oxidation, where the fermentable intricacies perform. In consequence, there is a Nudge® resemblance to caramel coffee bombs with a vanillin lignin cusp, while the quieter cues address Cherry Fig Merlot Bars. A series that explores the richer sides through an incremental balminess, for writing in Bonet alla Piemontese. Accordingly, the focus at this point is on the diastatic enzymes conversions, as aeriation is in an early – sedative – stage. Meanwhile, a reposed hop effect steers the undertones towards Coniferous pines, while the wort compositions materialize the organic acid reactions. Timing on the intervals is persistently prescribed over an oak lactone asylum, as the developments draw inferences to Hennessy XO. Thereupon, a burning to the late ester maturities, while reverberating the vatted constitutions over molasses stained leather(s)

T: Middles on the starch-to-sugar conversions, before opening to the phenolic aldehyde spirits. A route that increments the bite across short-chain esters, while the casks reliably & unfailingly alter the outputs. The ignition has a licorice backbone to the raisin orientations, which pair alongside almonds, for denoting a Dundee cake symbolism. Moreover, malt drives the saccharifications through bready forecourts, when signifying fresh Babka with a cinnamon restraint. The blend is permitted to work the casks, by way of air, as prescribed to openness and time. This eventually enforces the cognac reflections above the port elicitations, where the phenolic compounds shine. Accordingly, a clove to sweet spice abetment on the dark fruit riders, as the intermissions pencil in pig skins. Simultaneously, an ensuing warmth to attenuate a charred parchedness through full scribe cabins, and wooden toy trains, beyond the indebted demeanors of the oak plank relations

M: An intense development is set to the polyphenol compounds, which aid in the attenuated postscripts. However, the forewords offer a warming – rich- sleekness that’s entertains a chewy velvetiness, when applying the appropriate (organic) factors. This aspect takes shape within the early hours, before engaging the build through dry complexions. A process to calm & nurture CO2 per an uncapped arrest, which is slightly agitated through the timetabled transfers. On balance, a blend that imposes time well, for nurturing the spindrifts, as the hydrolysable substances intricately & consistently renew

O: The process facilitates open air without venturing into aerobic environments, which facilities an elaborate – melodious – blend that sidesteps acetobacter bacteria. Correspondingly, a safeguarded composition with non-porous consequences across the vatted natures, while the fermentable conditions work a calm collusion. The approach has an incremental warmth around the roasted flairs, which sensitively burn the late malt flairs, as hops sharpen the outlying undertones

Chocolate covered caramel, bran flakes cereal, dates and a hint of raisins, and a bourbon barrel nose on this one! Taste follows with a balanced, stout and barleywine, bourbon barrel boozy finish. This is good, but subdued...nothing is really popping out or prominent. I think this was released September of last year so, maybe a touch of age is showing? It has only been 6 months since then, but I am picking up a little oxidation on the backend.

Under a short tan blanket is a matte black body that sees faint hues of tans and reds near the the edges.

My first impressions give me a very unique mix of dark chocolate decadence and classic barleywine potency. My best effort to describe it is Riesen and black tea meeting sherry and tobacco with a splash of whiskey. The chars just go for days, feigning deep brownie crust corner, but then much more, yet cleaned up by a spritz of unobtrusive bitters.

There's something intriguingly challenging on the palate that I can't quite explain, but it puts this over the top. I sipped and savored this one for over 5 hours and three pours that had long since come to room temperature, and there were still elements teasing my palate.

Dare I say Brad's best work to date? As far as I'm concerned, yes. It's like Courvoisier VS Cognac and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof had a demigod baby.