What Northeast beer are you drinking now? (2022)

Im back with a barleywine for the holidays. Ive cross posted with the barleywine appreciation thread.
Barreled Souls Big Bang with pralines and brown sugar. This 13.4% barleywine is just what I need to wind down after a fun day with family. Lots of happy kids and several beers with my brothers. Call it a win!

onto my review:

Sampling a cellar temp 500 ml bottle poured into a snifter. Bottled on 4/28/2022, picked up at the brewery in October 2022, and the bottle has been in my cellar till tonight.
The beer pours a clear copper color with about1cm of dense creamy eggshell white head. This foam fades to a sturdy edge layer soon after the pour.
The aroma is brown sugar, toffee, some glazed nuts, I guess praline, but its generally nutty scent. No real hint of hop character and the ABV is well hidden too, not boozy or fusol at all.
First sip reveals a medium body and smooth texture. The carbonation is fine gentle and sort of spacious on my palate. Beer feels nice and drinks easy.
Flavor is sweet malt with toffee and brown sugar mixing with nutty notes again, which must be praline. No hop character and again the beer hides its ABV. No black pepper bite, no warming booze on the swallow.
This is a sweet beer with some depth to it, but not a lot of contrasting flavors. I am enjoying is as I really like the malt forward barleywines. I could see someone thinking the beer is too sweet, but I dig it.
4.41 in the BA DB

 

Another big beer I had as part of Christmas. This is Big Nugget Imperial Stout from Tree House. 11.4% and features chocolate, coconut, roasted coffee and almonds. Excited for the beer and to share the big bottle.

onto my review:


One of a few beers I had this Christmas day. Poured a cellar temp 750 ml bottle into a snifter. Picked up at the brewery in October 2022.
Im splitting the bottle with my brothers, but the beer pours very dark brown, black coffee color and only a very minimal tan to brown head foams up minimally before fading to nothing soon after the pour ends.
Aroma is fudge brownie, roasted malts, some coffee grounds, a bit of toasted coconut and some chocolate syrup. Fairly complex malt forward nose. Hops not really making a showing and the ABV is hidden as well. Very rich and decadent smelling nose.
First sip reveals a thick and sticky beer with coating of the palate and sticking to the lips after each sip.
Flavor is similar to the nose advertisements with fudge brownie, dark chocolate bar, coffee grounds and some coconut. No hops not boozy either. The thickness of the beer and robust flavor profile, make this a sipper, but the ABV is well hidden throughout. Quite a tasty big beer, but glad I shared the 750 ml bottle with my brothers.
4.32 in the BA DB

 

Time for another imperial stout to share with the Northeast Crew. This is cross posted with the Imp Stout appreciation thread. This is Rusty Rail Brewing Dread Wolf Bourbon barrel aged Imp Stout. 10.3% . Brewery is in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania.

onto my review:

Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into my snifter. Date stamp appears to be January 3 2023. so must be a best before date, unless time travel!
The beer pours a cola brown color with a fluffy tan head of 3 cm foams up and fades slowly to a sturdy surface layer. Very dense clingy lattice forms when I swirl the glass. The foam sticks around through entire sampling.
Aroma is some roasted malt notes and dark chocolate with some sweet bourbon scents mixed in the background. The bourbon is there but definitely not dominant.
First sip reveals a medium body with fine tingly carbonation. The carb is actually sort of prickly as it rolls across my palate.
Flavor is roasted malts some coffee grounds and dark chocolate. Almost bakers choc flavor, so bordering on bitter. Bourbon is almost non-existent, but there is also no warming booze or fusol notes. The beer drinks pretty easy.
Not flawed anywhere, but not super robust or memorable either, just fine. I am not sure I would buy it again, but also wouldnt turn it down at a party.
3.8 in the BA DB

 

Im sampling Mythical Czar Imperial Stout from Phantom Brewing in Hartford, Connecticut tonight. This is an 11.5% imperial stout with no additives, adjuncts etc. Cross posted with the Imperial Stout Appreciation thread.
Had this one in my cellar for a few months, and tonight seems to be a good night to drink it.

onto my review:



Sampling a 16 oz can at cellar temp and poured into a snifter. Date stamp only says "na zodrovya", not helpful with freshness.
My label also has 11.5% as ABV not the 9.9% listed here. I picked up the cans at the brewery in September of 2022 after a Hartford Athletic game.
The beer pours a jet black coffee color with no light passing through the glass. A brown slightly frothy yet dense head of 2.5 cm foams up. This foam fades to a sturdy surface layer and one large wispy island. This remains through sampling.
Aroma is roasted malt, dark chocolate, some coffee grounds and a bit of anice. No hop character nor booze hints on the nose. Pretty straight forward imp stout profile.
First sip reveals a medium to lighter body than expected, with very fine tingly carbonation. Texture is smooth and doesnt coat or leave sticky residue on palate.
Flavor is roasted malts and dark chocolate, almost a charred wood note. Hints of molasses, but this is not a sweet beer profile. ABV is hidden and there isnt any real hop notes on the flavor profile either.
This is a bit of an old school, no additives imperial stout, that has good flavor and aroma. The body could be a little thicker, but in general, I like this one.
4.13 in the BA DB