Phases Of The Moon
Uprise Brewing Company

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass with a thin, somewhat fizzy, dark khaki head that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, coconut, cocoa and dried plum. Flavor is dark toasted malt, bourbon, plums, raisins, fudge; lingering fruit esters and cocoa in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. A great tasting barreled stout. Oddly, like the Gigantic I had last night, this has a profile with lots of fruit almost like a barleywine and stout blend. I'm guessing the fruit is largely from the bourbon, although that component seems to have unusual flavor density here. The base malt is light for an imperial, more like a milk stout, but holds up and melds with the barreling very nicely. A tad on the sweet side, but I like this very much. I accidentally bought two cans of this and hoped this unknown barreled stout would be worth revisiting; now I'm glad I have another to enjoy. I'll be watching for other barreled brews from Uprise.

An 8 ounce draft pour into a tulip glass at the brewery.

Look- Black, opaque, medium brown frothy head, above average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Bourbon, cocoa, coffee, between medium and high strength of scent.

Taste- Bourbon, coffee, cocoa, toasted malt, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Full body, average carbonation, high creamy, moderately bitter, mildly mouth warming, mildly mouth coating.

Overall- The appearance of this beer could not have been better. The aroma and flavor was solid and very pleasant, but lacked the depth it needed to take it to the next level. The feel was very nice with a full body and high creaminess. This beer provided a nice drinking experience and I look forward to trying more beers from this brewery.

strong effort, i liked these guys when i visited, this is the first packaged beer i have had from the i think, the first barrel aged one too, well done, sweet and not as complex and layered as the best of these, but its good beer, especially for the polar weather we are having, plenty of meat on the bone here in terms of body and residual sugar, not to mention the alcohol, which gets a little bit exposed as this warms. really cool looking cans. near black pour, moderate viscosity, high gloss look, short dark brown head. the nose on this isnt as barrel forward as expected, subtle whiskey warmth and light vanilla sugar, just a bit of oak, milk chocolate and chocolate fudge from the grain, a molasses sweetness and earthiness, and some raisin type fruitiness too, i can smell its strength. the flavor is nice too, tobacco and leather depth, toasted bread and roasted coffee beans, a hint of like a marshmallow type decadence with the residual sugar this high, and now more of the bourbon, i wonder if this is partially barrel aged and cut with fresh beer, its an accent not a driver either way. light vanilla, brownie batter, brown sugar, espresso crema, and smoke at the end, less bitterness than most of these, just a bit of oaken richness, long sweet aftertaste. a little light on carbonation but thats fine in the style and with these specific flavors. a well made beer overall, distinct from the masses a little bit, strong the whole way. good to see these guys pushing forward.