Keeping warm in winter is old hat in Wisconsin. It’s something the vast majority of us has either mastered or learned to deal with, often with aid. Scarf? Sure. Balaclava? Why not. But I had something else in mind: beer.
Over the last few years, winter has become synonymous with “Stout Season”. It’s a phrase first coined by Founders Brewing Co., out of Grand Rapids, Mich. with the release of its Breakfast Stout – a double chocolate oatmeal stout – in the latter part of last decade.
A double or imperial stout will certainly warm you in the winter months, with big, chewy, roasted and chocolate malts that could serve as a meal. Want even more hair on your chest? (Don’t answer that.) Supercharge that stout’s warming powers by aging it in bourbon barrels. Trace amounts of bourbon in the barrel will boost the ABV while the oak adds flavors of bourbon, coconut and vanilla, to name a few.
This week’s featured beer comes from MobCraft. The Madison-based brewery crowd sources its recipes, brewing the winner after putting it to a fan vote. It’s the first 100 percent crowd-sourced brewery. MobCraft was also the first to raise funds under Wisconsin’s new crowdfunding law for capital for its new brewery.
Tasting Notes
A Russian imperial stout aged in a Elijah Craig small batch barrel, clocking in at 9.5% ABV. Decadent dark chocolate poured over oily coconut flakes and greasy vanilla beans charm the sense of smell. It’s like a bourbon-injected bonbon with a gooey turtle fudge center, spliced open on one side and set over the nose like a part of a clown costume
A hint of smoke and charred oak comes out in the flavor, with caramel praline sauce to smooth and nurse the burns. Dried out prunes impart subtle dark fruit notes. Semisweet chocolate morsels melt on the tongue and leave a waxy later. Scorched molasses tickles the throat as it warms from the alcohol presence. French silk pie sings in the finish with dark chocolate, coconut flakes and Irish cream.
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