Brewed Awakening
Loose Screw Beer Co. - Downtown Brewery Taproom

delicious and cozy wintery new one here, a barrel aged stout with coffee and maple, lots of both, and with well hidden alcohol, a little outside the normal wheelhouse for these guys, but all in our group really liked it when we were in recently. i actually think the base stout is quite light, basic too, like just simple roasted barley and some chocolate malt type middle, but its not sweet without the maple, its not too deep without the coffee, and so it takes these elements really super well, just not sure itd be epic on its own without those things. the maple makes the whole thing sweet and sort of accentuates the chocolate side of things, dark and milk alike, a nice contrast to the bitter roast and the java, which is boldly dosed and seemingly pretty darkly roasted. nuances of toffee and caramel as well as a little vanilla. i get more oak and barrel char than i do any whiskey or anything, but it comes out a bit more as this warms, some cigar type tobacco there as well at the end, not really lingering or too thick and palate coating like a lot of these can be, its not so heavy or full bodied for the style, and i think thats why we got a second pour of it, not such a massive palate commitment, less can be more and it is here. some might say thin, but i think its nice. the maple seems high quality and not quite all the way fermented out, while the coffee adds a warmth that fits the season. trace smoke, raisin, and even white pepper somehow, maybe a product of the barrel, more maple and coffee than barrel, and that works well. nice effort here, will be good all winter!