Four Seasons Autumn ’17

This beer was judged as a #33B (Specialty Wood-Aged Beer ). This can also be judged as an “Autumn Seasonal Beer “, but with the addition of it being aged in bourbon barrels I thought the latter was a better fit. The first scent of this beer had wonderful bourbon and chocolate notes. The pour revealed a pitch black beer along with a tan rocky head.

The carbonation was very good along with a nice head retention. The first taste of this beer had complex and rich flavors that exploded in my mouth. Each was equally present and not one flavor dominated. In no particular order I had hints of vanilla, chocolate nibs, bourbon (oak barrel ), dried fruit (raisins/dates) and nuts (peanuts, in this case). Considering that this was a peanut butter imperial stout, the nut flavor was not as pronounced as advertised and instead it played a minor role.

The mouthfeel and body was between medium/heavy and the carbonation was nice. The overall impression is that this is a nice imperial stout clocking at 10.2% ABV that will keep one warm during these cold winter months. It had nice complex and rich flavors that melded together nicely along with the bourbon and wood flavors from the barrel. The high alcohol content gives a slight burn in the finish as well.