Style: Stout (Barrel-aged, Flavored)

ABV: 14.0 IBU: 50.0

93/100

Aroma:	11
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	19
Mouthfeel:	5

Forgotten Road Ales M 3rd 25th: Fires of Nightmares

What the brewers say

“Bourbon barrel–aged imperial stout with cinnamon and vanilla.”

What our panel thought

“Adjuncts play off the barrel character, adding a spiciness throughout. Substantial base stout adds sweetness and body to balance, leaving an impression of cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate. Barrel aging adds depth without harshness.”

What our editors thought

“Sweet, spicy aroma with strong cinnamon and a chocolate liqueur–like boozy note. Cohesive and smooth in the sip, as the spice pulls into the generally sweet, dark-chocolate fold with woody and nutty tones around the edges.”

Review printed in: The Malt Is the Message (Spring 2024) (View All Issues)

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REVIEWS FOR YOU >

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.”

Forgotten Road Ales GSO Barrel Select Stout 2024

“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.”

River North Brewery Whiskey Barrel Aged Nightmare Fuel

__Aroma:__ “Intense coffee that’s deeply roasty with light char, but balanced by rich cocoa and cacao nibs and just a touch of cherry.” __Flavor:__ “Very bitter, big coffee, roast, and chocolate. The coffee is so intense, it’s a bit acrid. Notes of light oak, vanillin, with cherry and plum esters. It’s very earthy, grassy, piney, and very dark, leaving a coating on the roof of your mouth. Relatively dry overall, considering the heavy body and high alcohol. Very sweet yet an acrid/burned bitterness dries out the finish.” __Overall:__ “The coffee blends well with the roast and barrel character without completely drowning them out. The wood is a bit over the top, but the fermentation is clean. The very dark roast coffee lends a perceived dryness, with a peak of sweetness in the middle and roast in the end, and the oak helps balance.”

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