Perennial Artisan Ales Barrel-Aged Abraxas

__Aroma:__ “Smoky chile notes, with cinnamon and vanilla also strong. Hints of plum, sweet tobacco. The base stout’s slight bit of chocolate malt and roast reminds one of French-roast coffee with some maple sweetness.” __Flavor:__ “Notes of dried plums, apricots, cinnamon, chiles. The balance is spot on. The roast base helps balance the sweetness and chocolate, and the barrel brings things together with deep toffee flavor.” __Overall:__ “The barrel character is incredible, only made better by the base beer and adjuncts. Complexity is off the charts, while still maintaining a surprising level of drinkability. Beyond the flavors, the mouthfeel truly sets this apart. Rich, viscous, and full-bodied, but not cloying and just enough backbone to hold the line for the flavors. This is the standard by which all other stouts in this category should be measured.”

“Aroma is intense, rich, vinous booze but has layers of definitively beer-like honey-tinged sweetness. Even the spicy aromas are complex. Gooey raisins and sticky dates. The roasted character comes in with loads of brownie batter, blackberries, bourbon, and a hint of cinnamon and black pepper at the finish. Port and sherry alcohol lingers through the finish. Nothing singular.”

Barrel-forward, with whiskey, vanilla, and oak supported by dark roast malt. Greets you with a fuzzy wall of dark malt flavors—rich milk and dark chocolate, dried fig, toffee, toasted marshmallow, even bread crust. Roast is restrained. Sweet and intense throughout—not quite cloying, but with the malt and barrel intensity, it works. There's enough bitterness to balance, without ashy or acrid character. The barrel is up front—adding subtle spice and underlying alcoholic warmth—but the beer supports it well. Long, complex finish. Fantastic, intense, evolving in the glass as it warms. You don’t need much, but this would be great to share.