Beer Review: Capricho Oscuro (Batch 5)

Reviewing the Capricho Oscuro (Batch 5) from Cigar City Brewing out of Tampa, Florida. According to Cigar City:

This beer is a blend of at least five different beers, including Hot Blooded Foreign Stout, Puppy's Breath Robust Porter, and several vintages of Warmer Winter Winter Warmer. These beers were aged in some cognac and brandy barrels before being blended together. This will be a tasting room exclusive.

Score: 91

2012 vintage bottle served in a Goose Island Chicago flag snifter and enjoyed on 04/23/13.

Appearance: Pours a dark, distinctively brown color with just a whisper of head that quickly and totally dissipates. No lacing or retention; this beer just leaves behind a clear, oily coating on the side of the glass that slowly oozes back into the beer. 3/5

Smell: Huge notes of toffee, raisins, figs and sweet maple. I can smell the dried dark fruit notes at least a foot from the glass. Vanilla, brown sugar, caramel and more raisin. This beer is an absolute raisin bomb. Big, bold and decadent in aroma. This beer smells sweet, but it does not quite get to the point of sugary sweet. The aroma gets sweeter as it warms up and airates; this made me downgrade the aroma score a quarter step. 4.25/5

Taste: Upfront is sweet brown sugar, maple, sugary vanilla and raisin. There's a bit of booziness thereafter, but not in an overly intense cringe-inducing sort of way -- more just in the warming sensation and bold accompanying flavor. Toffee, caramel, leather, brown sugar and maple in the finish. Tons of dried dark fruit throughout. A little oak as it warms up. This tastes a sweeter than the nose and is a bit sugary, though not "Dark Lord sweet." 4/5

Mouthfeel: Medium, maybe slightly sub-medium, bodied with low carbonation. Sweet overall. I was expecting a little more fullness and a little less sweetness, but this does not fall so short of the mark to hurt this brew. 3.5/5

Overall: This beer has some awesome qualities going for it. The flavor profile is reminisce of Melange 3 and Fruet. Alas, the sugary-sweetness and lesser bodied restrains this one from true greatness. If you love your sweet raisin-forward beers, this one is calling your name.

Cost: $10 for a 12 oz bottle.