Void
Wild Oak Project

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a half finger dark khaki head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, woody oak, cocoa and whiskey. Flavor is dark toasted malt with slight char, woody oak, cocoa, whiskey, and a hint of sherry; woody astringency builds into the finish which has lingering wood bitterness and whisky. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. I actually liked this better than I expected given the "Wild" in the name, as I'm not that big a fan of tart beer, and this is a brewery leaning to wild ales. There seems to be a solid stout base here, with cocoa and notes of whiskey and sherry from the barrels, but it is secondary to the woody barrel flavors. The wood nature of the barrels seems to be the major contributor to flavor here. I'd have liked to have tasted more of the whiskey and sherry. I like rye barreling, but I think the rye tartness enhances the astringency from the barrel for my palette. This is not a sour stout, but it is a quite woody one. I'm at a loss to properly review this because it really does deliver on its name and barrel nature; oak and rye whiskey particularly, but it just doesn't suit my tastes. I was happy to finish the bottle, but not my style of stout. Appears to be a worthy barreling production and I will certainly try another non-sour offering from this small brewery.