Twenty Three - Brandy Barrel-Aged
Central Waters Brewing Co.

 

Lots of brandy barrel in nose and on palate, stout presence is evident. Thin, but expected from CW.

22 oz bomber split with my brother and a friend. Pours an opaque near-black with a tan head. Aroma and flavor feature dark roasted malt, black coffee, dark chocolate, earthy hops, and some brandy. Much more dry than anticipated, and not as boozy as I expected either. The net effect is a much more drinkable beer than a typical high-abv BA stout, although I would have appreciated more secondary barrel flavors such as vanilla and toffee.

 

 

 

A big thanks to Jeff for this one. This is the Blue Label.

22oz. bomber into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter.

Beer is super dense. Pours with no head and surprisingly little lacing. Nose is tobacco, roasted malt, chocolate, smoke,
prunes, and sweet soy sauce. Great complexity. Beer opens chocolate, booze, molasses, and tobacco. There's some peat and wet wood in there too. Notes of raisin, prunes, roasted malt, and liquorice in the middle. More chocolate, a slight sweet soy sauce, and more roast and cocoa powder in the finish. Nicely complex with a lot of traditional imperial stout flavors. Body is full with moderate carbonation. Some bubbles on the palate and goes down sharp and accented. Smooth, rich, velvety aftertaste.

This one's great. Really harkens back to the traditional imperial stout flavors I'm fond of.

22oz bomber poured into Tyranena snifter.

Appearance: black bodied beer with medium brown head. Beer poured at cellar temp. Head pours fairly tall rapidly with a hard pour. Head drops down to an uneven cap and eventually a ring around the outer portion of the glass. Light lacing on the glass. Booze legs apparent with each sip.

Smell: Fudge, dark fruits, and brandy barrel.

Taste: Brandy barrel forward; dark fruit spirit notes integrated into that fudgy base beer that makes CW Anniversary stouts so good every year. Light vanilla & tobacco; a very faint cola. Lingering dry oak and light barrel char in the finish. All the flavors play together nicely. Rich flavors that are well balanced.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied stout. Adequate carbonation. Smooth barrel aged stout. Not silky or creamy, but still has a nice texture. Lets call it "sticky" without being overly sweet. Overall a thinner mouthfeel for a barrel aged stout, but it is on par with the heftiness / body of most CW Anny beers.

Overall: CW Anniversary stouts do not disappoint. This one is great as well. I am surprised that CW has not done a brandy barrel aged stout sooner than this particular Anniversary stout. CW has done a few barrel aged offering in brandy barrels, but not a stout until now! Wisconsinites love their Brandy and CW did the great state of Wisconsin justice by aging their beloved Anniversary stout in Brandy barrels. Central Waters is in my opinion a brewery that has always has embodied "hardcore" Wisconsin roots & a CW brandy barrel aged stout truly exemplifies this concept.

This beer has got the creative juices flowing for me.... What about a double barrel aged Black Gold using brandy and bourbon barrels? I think it would be an instant hit. That would be complex as all get out. Just saying!