Cast Shadow
ForeLand Beer

16oz can pours pitch black with absolutely no head, viscosity apparent on the glass. Bourbon aromas rise from glass, rich vanilla, fresh coffee. Rich whiskey and vanilla, smooth medium body, chocolate, subdued roast, minor notes of espresso.

16-ounce can purchased at Uptown Beer Co., Portland, OR. Date stamp reads "2022". Enjoyed in a small "The Big Woody" goblet 4 ounces at a time.

Look:
The pour shows a deep chestnut brown body with red-amber highlights. In the glass, the beer is opaque and coal black. The small head of rough tan foam settles into an everlasting ring. It doesn't leave much lacing, but the beer does show rather impressive legs when you tilt the glass.

Smell:
Milk chocolate, dark fruit, vanilla buttercream, chocolate-covered blueberries, a hint of soy, a whiff of smoke. Replete with bourbon, but not gratuitous.

Taste:
Leads with enough roast malt and dark fruits to qualify as a Russian Imperial Stout. Follows with high-percentage cacao dark chocolate, dried prunes and figs, molasses, marshmallows, coffee, malted milk balls, vanilla nougat, caramel, and a puzzling but appealing salty note. An afterthought of licorice. Bourbon is prominent and glorious. The lengthy aftertaste is chocolate and dates macerated in good quality cask-strength bourbon. A delicate smoky note emerges if you let it warm up gracefully. And why wouldn't you?

Feel:
Full-bodied with carbonation that started off a bit rough but quickly turned soft. Creamy, velvety texture. Piquant alcohol bite in the finish.

Overall:
This is a stunning and impressive example of a big bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout for people who enjoy them without reservation. The chocolate and dark fruit characteristics are huge and rewarding. The bourbon is prominent even after a year and a half in the can. The beer fits together superbly, bold and untamed by time, yet nuanced, with delectable layers of malt and fruit and bourbon. You could age this for another year or so, but why bother? Open one of these 2022 or 2023 cans you've been hoarding and enjoy it the way it is meant to be enjoyed.

On tap at Imperial taphouse the other day, but also sampled out of the can on various occasions. Whether on tap or in can, this is an excellent, well crafted BBA impy stout.

The beer pours a slightly viscous, blackish brown color with great head retention and pretty decent lacing. This is a beer that has the look of an impy stout that has seen some pretty serious barrel aging. The aroma profile confirms the beer's appearance, as I'm picking up considerable milk chocolate, vanilla, light coffee and noticeable bourbon. This beer smells great. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely, but showcases considerable bourbon and light molasses. I find that it's increasingly difficult to find this amount of bourbon flavor in a ba stout these days, and so I like this beer all the more for that. Mouthfeel is fairly full, with a soft, creamy presence and long finish. Alcohol is very well integrated into the flavor profile, though it's apparent the abv in this beer is up there a bit. Drinkability is quite good, mostly because this is such a delicious, easy drinking beer.

While I've been impressed with most of the beers I've had so far from Foreland, this really kicks things up a notch. Easily the the best beer I've had from this brewery so far, and one of the better ba impy stouts I've had in quite some time. This is excellent.

 

 

Can from Uptown Market.

Jet black with a dense dark brown head with good retention and lacing. The nose is classic, old school RIS, with roast, bitter grain, anise, dark chocolate, bitter coffee. A moderate vanilla and bourbon note are present. Dark chocolate milk duds. The palate opens warming and roasty, with a nice, grainy bitterness. Roast, bitter dark chocolate, coffee, dark caramel and burnt cream. Licorice and anise. The depth on the palate is stunning. Definitely warming with whiskey, vanilla and booze. Roasty, full finish with bitter dark chocolate, mildly fatty, present. Subtle tannins. Lovely.