Judge’s Review: 97 Rating – Lone Buffalo: Cinnamon Maple Vanilla Barrel Aged Stout by Wild Leap Brew Co.

Specialty Wood-Aged Beer | Limited Release | USA

By Joseph Formanek

Judges Rating: 97
Aroma: 24
Appearance: 6
Flavor: 38
Mouthfeel: 10
Overall Impression: 19

Lone Buffalo: Cinnamon Maple Vanilla Barrel Aged Stout by Wild Leap Brew Co. is a brew even larger than its name. This absolutely massive dark beer exhibits incredible complexity with a huge explosion of delicious flavors and aromas that linger in the memory (as well as on the palate) well after drinking is done. The classification of this beer in the BJCP guidelines is as complex as the character of the beer! Accordingly, this brew is being evaluated as a 33B Specialty Wood-Aged Beer with a 30A base beer in the Spice, Herb and Vegetable Beer category with 20C Imperial Stout as the base beer for that, all per the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. Phew!
From the second you pop it open, an intense character of aged malt, maple, raisin, sweet bourbon, rich brown pipe tobacco, cinnamon, caramel and toffee explodes from the bottle. This only becomes more intense as the brew is poured into the glass. This deep, black-colored, opaque brew has a light tan, smaller-bubbled head with fair to moderate retention and absolutely huge legs. The beer is quite clear when viewed through the thinnest part of the glass. All extremely attractive and inviting for you to enjoy.
The flavor of the brew follows the expectations in the aroma very well. The base RIS is roasty, complex, thick and chewy. This is merely in the background as you are assaulted by the intense up-front flavors of tobacco, caramel, maple, bourbon, raisin and cherry esters, delivering a synergistic layered effect that marries quite well. Even though the bourbon is very intense, it marries very well with the mélange of flavors present, as to not overpower the overall character. There is quite a bit of sweetness present, but it does not come through as cloying. The length of aging of this brew probably also helps in this. The cinnamon spice character does help clean up the palate a bit in the finish.  The flavor profile remains from the first sip all the way until the long, lingering finish. There is definite alcohol warmth that comes through, as expected for such a highly alcoholic brew. The mouthfeel is simply huge. This is truly a meal in a bottle!
This is a major winter warmer that would be a fantastic choice for finishing off a fine hearty meal, or for just lounging by the fire. This is a sipper to enjoy and ponder – not a quaffer by any means. The palate could quite easily fatigue over time by enjoying too much of this rich, delicious and complex brew. The layers of flavors in this offering are very impressive, though the base brew shines through very well by itself. This world-class brew is highly recommended!