Score: 97
Six week old growler (my bad) served in a Bourbon County snifter and enjoyed on 11/06/14 after being stored in a low-temp fridge continuously. Thank you immensely Rudzud for sending me this one!
Appearance: Pours an inky black color with a half finger of tan head that settles to a bubbly ring around the glass. Excellent lacing and lengthy retention with a high cling factor on the residuals. Gorgeous stout. 5/5
Smell: The aroma is a perfect trifecta of coffee, chocolate and maple syrup. Lovely roastiness too. This one rivals Morning Delight, through Morning Delight has a bolder chocolate character, if memory serves. While there is no mistaking this one for a kitchen cooking up fresh chocolate chip pancakes, it is still excellent. 5/5
Taste: Bold mix of coffee and maple syrup, with lots of maple flavor without much sweetness. The coffee character is stronger on the taste than it was present in the nose. There is not a big chocolate presence in the flavor. Coffee upfront with a long syrupy finish. Has a great balance between bitterness and sweetness, no booziness. I am frankly shocked by how much maple is present without this brew being sweet. 4.75/5
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, appropriately low level of carbonation. Lovely bittersweet balance, lasting and coating flavors. 4.75/5
Overall: This is an amazing beer. I cannot imagine how much better this is even fresher, at which point I am sure it rivals Toppling Goliath's Morning Delight even moreso. My only knock here is the muted chocolate on the taste, but that is splitting hairs since there is a lovely 1-2 punch of coffee followed by maple, with a great mouthfeel and balance to boot. Seek this one out, you will not be disappointed. This was one of the best new beers I encountered in 2014.
Cost: $12 for a 750 ml flip-top growler (+$6 for the glass).
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