Beer Review: Damon (Batch 1)

BEER REVIEW #300!

Reviewing the infamous Damon from Hill Farmstead Brewery out of Vermont. Hill Farmstead quickly became one of my favorite breweries this year, and Damon solidified Hill Farmstead's place in my top three.
Score: 98

2011 vintage (batch 1), bottle #471/864. Black wax. Served in a snifter glass and enjoyed on 06/06/12.This beer was consumed the night before being sworn into the Wisconsin state bar as a celebratory libation.

Appearance: Pours the color of motor oil with a thin brown layer of head atop the beer that quickly settles to a mocha-colored ring around the glass. Oily lacing, minimal head and decent retention. The beer looks visually imposing enough at 10.5% ABV. 4/5

Smell: Ample notes of raisin and complex chocolate coat the nose. There's milk chocolate, bakers chocolate, dark chocolate and even some fudge as the brew warms. There is also bourbon vanilla and fig present too. Absolutely awesome nose. 4.75/5

Taste: Smooth bourbon, raisins/figs, fudge and milk chocolate throughout with a nice vanilla flavor in the middle. The vanilla sweetness yields to a fudge flavor towards the finish, though the aftertaste is more of a creamy milk chocolate flavor than fudge. Residual notes of wood. Some sweet maltiness comes out as the beer. Smooth and without booziness. The balance and integration of the flavors here is absolutely superb, almost seamless at times. The flavors are almost too complex and integrated to pin down. Needless to say, this is is a decadent digestif! 5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied, minimal carbonation. Super creamy mouthfeel. Mildly dry finish with a rich milk chocolate aftertaste. 4.5/5

Overall: One of the best beers of the year; this one truly lives up to it's hype. My only wish is that I had another.

Recommendation: A top notch barrel aged imperial stout that is absolutely worth seeking out. Even casual beer drinkers should be able to revel in the flavorful, unboozy complexities of this big brew.

Pairings: Fresh mint ice cream.

Cost: $15 for a 500 ml bottle.