Stone Brewing Company Farking Wheaton W00tstout (2015) American Double / Imperial Stout at 13% ABV | 45 IBU (C$17.99 at Zyn, 650 ml, bottle date 20-Jun-2015, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 18-Feb-2017)
Appearance: solid, unrelieved black with no hint of relief, one finger of dense light brown head diminishing fairly rapidly to a persistent thick cap, minimal lacing. (4/5) Aroma: complex, roasty malts, pecans, bourbon, vanilla. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, moderately hot alcohol. (8/10) Palate: full slick body, prickly to moderate carbonation, warm verging on hot lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
Damn you, Wil Wheaton! (Ok, not really – I’m actually a bit of a fan.) This is a very decent RIS, in which the bourbon barrel ageing notes are emphatically present, but not quite dominant. At a year and a half old, this thing is still quite hot (unsurprisingly – it’s 13%, come on!), but not to the point of being solventy or harsh. This is actually the third one of this vintage that I bought, and the final one will remain in my cellar for at least another year or two, when we’ll see how it’s doing – maybe I’ll find some newer vintages to vertical. I drank the first one fresh, and can’t say I’ve seen huge changes in the intervening year and a half. And yes, I might pick up another one for even longer cellaring, because this could pretty much sit forever and just keep getting better. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
