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Introduction
A collaboration between Drew Curtis (fark.com creator), Wil Wheaton (actor and web celeb), and Greg Koch (CEO and co-founder of Stone Brewing Co.), this imperial stout has been a favourite among Stone fans since it’s inception in 2013. This third edition version and has been lovingly cellared for over a year so that we could bring you a vintage edition. In cel- ebration of its third brewing, this 2015 edition saw the collaborators up the barrel-aging quotient by adding to the mix a version of the 2014 vintage that had been aged in bourbon barrels for a year. This is a wonderful example of what aging a malt-forward beer can do for complexity, aroma and flavour. This beer is one that absolutely gets better with age. The year of cellaring has built complexity and allowed the bour- bon notes to shine through in the loveliest of ways.
How it looks
This beer pours pitch black, the colour of deep-space to lend to the theme, with a bubbly tan head that dis- sipates slowly as the bubbles seemingly pop, leaving some nice lacing.
How it smells
This vintage stout has an incredibly complex nose. It smells of maple syrup, cocoa, pecans and bourbon up front and moves into aromas of dark chocolate, vanilla, coffee grinds, molasses, charred wood and a hint of peppery spices.
How it tastes
While the nose is complex, the taste is where this beer really stands out. Nutty flavours of pecans play to the front with coffee and chocolate melding nicely together with some warm sweetness. The barrel notes of earthi- ness and vanilla combine with sharp rye and peppery spices following mid-palate with dark fruit and mocha joining in the back-end. This beer is one that absolutely gets better with age. The year of cellaring has built complexity and allowed the bourbon notes to shine through in the loveliest of way.
Recommended food pairing
A beer this rich deserves to be paired with dessert. The nutty and chocolate notes make it a perfect complement to coconut macaroons or double chocolate pecan cookies.