War Beast
Little Cottage Brewery

Glossy black with burnt brown edges under a yellow-tan head that dies off instantaneously.

Tobacco, cacao, woody hickory, almost smoky, dark fruit.

Dang that is viscous for non-BA. It's like a Voodoo BRC and Dark Lord blend with a little heat and lightly sticky.

 

 

 

 

Pours jet black, glass coating without being stupidly dense (looking at you Medianoche). Thin layer of brown head slowly ascends from the black depths. This beer looks as ominous as the label.

On the nose, the smoked malt takes center stage, and blends extremely well with the heavy barrel presence. Nostril-stinging alcohol, which is not surprising coming from a Stagg Jr. barrel. I find the nuances of that bourbon to be difficult to find through the high ABV, and it has the same influence over this beer. Smoked dark fruits, cedar, vanilla, dark chocolate and cherries.

Flavors are bolder than the aroma, with more charred wood, umami, dark chocolate covered caramels, strong presence from the Stagg Jr., molasses, brown sugar. Definitely a touch on the sweet side, but the strong barrel flavors help keep things in check.

Bottled on 6/17/2020; consumed on 10/7/2022

Pours a silken, jet-black hue capped with just shy of a finger of creamy, burnt mocha foam; the short-lived head yields a few paper-thin islands of cap along with a richly creamy collar and a modest spatter of webby/spotty lacing holding diligently to the walls of the glass.

Aromas of dusty rickhouse welcome smoky umami to a tinge of cookie dough, leaving deftly toasted bourbon oak to meet overtones of freshly baked brownie crust; dark fruit comes through in waves before fading to firm bakers chocolate residuals and pronounced smoked toffee on the close.

Taste offers smoky umami into dark fruits interspersed throughout, with an extensive charring meandering delicately to bittersweet malts and interspersed tinges of pure dark chocolate culminating with shades of spent coffee grounds and soft vanilla pod.

Mouthfeel presents an almost unrivaled silk, thick with rounded, creamy carbonation; entirely mouth-coating; the slow build of bourbon heat cuts residual sweetness over time, enabling a harmony of sticky and drying textures encapsulated among level warmth and moderated bittersweetness.

Supreme attenuation guides smoky threads through deepening malt as level barrel extends an amplified bittersweet dispersal across a decadent profile; a comprehensive display of textured intensity, boldly detailed yet masterfully composed.