A blend of barrel aged stout and fresh Double Stout from Green Flash Brewing in Vista, CA. Format: fancy new custom Green Flash twelve ounce brown glass bottle poured into a tulip glass. 10.10% ABV.
Pours black with dark brown edges, less than a finger of tan head that dissipates fairly quickly, resulting in a thin ring which actually does leave some lacing as I partake in this beverage.
Aroma of Cabernet grapes, bourbon, candylike malts buttery oak, maple, and paper mill. Tastes of bourbon, rich chocolatey malts, caramel, and port-like vinous qualities on the midpalate. Moderate bitterness and rich cookie malts on the finish with some dry port and herbaceous reminders. Rich body and light carbonation make this silky on the palate resulting in a very easy to drink beer, perhaps outrageously so for something ripe with bourbon and over ten percent.
Good base beer here made exponentially better through barrel aging and an excellent hand in blending. To my palate this reminds me of both bourbon and port barrels. The beer is labeled “barrel aged stout” which does not specify a type of barrel. Having had the bourbon barrel aged version of Double Stout, this is quite a different beer. I would not be surprised if a portion of the blend included red wine barrels. If it doesn’t include them, I do have some worries as to whether or not this may have some bugs in it, which means it could sour upon aging. It is ready to drink now and so I suggest drinking up. Excellent beer.
TOTAL: 90/100 Points
Appearance (5%): 8
Aroma (20%): 9
Flavor (50%): 9
Palate (10%): 9
Overall (15%): 9
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