Style: Stout (Barrel-aged)

ABV: 14.0 IBU: 50.0

88/100

Aroma:	12
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	18
Mouthfeel:	4

Forgotten Road Ales GSO Barrel Select Stout 2024

What the brewers say

“A rich thick beer that is perfect to finish the day sipping on.”

What our panel thought

“A powerful bourbon aroma of caramel and vanilla with black licorice and coffee. Big, sweet body with sambuca, bourbon, vanilla, crème brûlée, milk chocolate, plum, and dark cherry. Finishes with the perfect balance of sweetness and alcohol character. Easy to drink, despite the evident high alcohol.”

What our editors thought

“Toffee and dark fruit notes in the aroma with big oaky bourbon. Sweet, with nutty and welcoming coffee flavors and just enough smooth roast to balance.”

Review printed in: The Expanding Maltiverse (Spring 2025) (View All Issues)

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SweetWater Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel–Aged Imperial Stout

**Aroma:** “Mild bourbon, with vanilla, chocolate, light caramel, and malt roast. Dark fruit, raisins, light plum, and a touch of apple. Some light vinegar in there, too.” **Flavor:** “The sip starts with a rich flavor that’s a mix of roast, chocolate, vanilla, oak, and cherries. Dark fruits (raisin and prune), followed by the bourbon and mild smokiness. Medium alcoholic warmth, which carries through the finish. The body is thick and chewy and very smooth. It’s a nice blend of supporting players without any one stealing the show.” **Overall:** “This beer is very rich, with huge chocolate and bourbon, with strong roast and a moderate astringency that plays with the alcohol warming at the end of the sip. It has a big, thick body, and a single pint is probably as much as I could drink of this—it provided a nice platform to blend the flavors of the beer and the barrel. The flavors supported one another in a smooth and complex blend, and each sip gave more to consider, adding to the overall experience.”

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Forgotten Road Ales M 3rd 25th/ Forever Fight with Ones Self

“Wake up!’ shouts the aroma. ‘We have coffee and maple pancakes!’ (And some chocolate syrup.) The sweet flavor echoes the aroma: coffee, maple, and chocolate. An assertive bitterness (barely) keeps the sweetness from being cloying.”

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