Peter & Patrick's Pay Dirt
Wonder Aleworks

i didnt realize this was so strong, no wonder i was turnt when i left here. this is cool beer, never seen this before i dont think, an irish imperial stout as the base, heaps of irish grain in here is a clever nuance you dont often see, and i think the way a lot of their beers have stories related to local history is cool, its truly beer inspired by it, which you just dont see done to this level, and i think this would be cool even without the frey ranch bourbon barrel, which i had the pleasure of tasting just as whiskey recently too, and was stoked, its all a wonderful combination, even if the execution overall is somewhat less than fully professional. quite light looking for what it is, more brown than black for sure, even reddish in the right light. the base beer is neat, some terroir in this grain, wet soil, must, mossy forest, even subtle peat because i will it into existence i think, soda bread, toffee, and some nice earthy depth to the roast here too, bitter in the right ways to balance the richness of the whiskey, which hints at cinnamon, vanilla bean, and even cedar at times in this as it warms, possibly cooked banana, layered well. oak and light smoke too, dark cocoa, licorice, black tea, and some corn sweetness too, molasses. very flavorful, a touch astringent like the ferment isnt totally dialed in, or like it needs a little more maturation time despite it being barrel forward, just chemically speaking. a touch thin maybe on body too, but the irish pale malt lightening it is part of what makes this so intriguing, memorable, and unique. some slightly amateur edges on this, but i love the thought, the story, and the end result all up. this place is probably cooler than its getting credit for being, even from me upon first impression. hope their quality rises to meet their ambition!