Beer Review: Maple Barrel Aged Fayston Maple Imperial Stout (Batch 1, 2010)

Reviewing the Maple Barrel Aged Fayston Maple Imperial Stout from Lawson's Finest Liquids out of Warren, Vermont.

Score: 93

Batch 1, Bottled in December 2010. vintage bottle served in a GLASS and enjoyed on 06/19/13.

Appearance: Pours virtually no head above an inky black body. Minimal lacing and retention. Has some oily legs. 3.75/5

Smell: Lots of oaky vanilla, maple, chocolate and some roast. Smells a bit sweet, nothing complex. Better integration as it warms up. 3.75/5

Taste: Chocolate, maple and lots of roast. Vanilla too, which is more pronounced on the back half than upfront. Raw unsweetened chocolate flavor in the finish. I love how there is a nice medley of "sweet flavors" that are not sweet. Quite drinkable. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, low carbonation. The flavors that hit you are initially sweet, but then a roasty bitteness takes over and balances the sweetness just right. This makes for an interesting mouthfeel, as it gets the palate quite dry. No residual sweetness. The dryness borderlines on chalky at points, but I like that a lot. Reminds me of The Count in that regard. 4.5/5

Overall: The nose was better in batch 2, but the taste here is so much better. The bitter dryness and roastiness is done just nice, and the lack of residual sugar makes this an excellent beer to drink more than a few ounces of. Gets better as it warms up, and the nose integrates better.

Cost: ??? for a 750 ml bottle.