Fremont Brewing Brew 2000

“Toffee aroma with hints of vanilla, caramel, raisin, chocolate, and apple. The flavor blast of brown sugar and caramel quickly melts into a complex blend of toffee, coffee, vanilla, crème brûlée, and spiced-rum.”

__Aroma:__ “A heavy vanilla defines the nose. Notes of burnt malt, fig, chocolate, dark stone fruits, a touch of raisin, toffee/caramel, and coconut are present as well. The barrel character is strong and wonderfully inviting.” __Flavor:__ “Sweetness is present up front, with burned roastiness and some dark fruits (raisin and plums) that follow. It’s a beautiful blend of chocolate, vanilla, coconut, roast, dark cherry, and molasses, with light coffee notes that add complexity. A nice blend of a bourbon-barrel character, with spice and booziness.” __Overall:__ “Well-rounded, blended beautifully, deeply complex, and distinctly unique. This beer takes the familiar barrel-aged stout dark fruit flavors and sweetness, braces them with perfectly placed roast, and wraps them in a warm envelope of bourbon. Delicious.”

**Aroma:** “Big dark chocolate and coffee aroma. Big plum, dates, moderate cherry, light acidity, moderate caramel, light umami, light earthy hops, some brown sugar notes. A backbone of bready malt. I’m sitting by the fire with a snifter of...not barleywine, but this beer. Rich malt complexity with sherry, dried figs, and raisins, and warming alcohol. More caramel than roast, but the coffee and chocolate are there.” **Flavor:** “Lovely complex malt sweetness—like chocolate-covered Fig Newtons, or maple syrup, with a touch of earthy hops to help balance. Like a shot of strong expresso, no cream. Complex and deep, but a bit intense so sessionable is not part of this section. Big cherry, light plum, big chocolate, moderate coffee, light hops bitterness, touch of alcohol, moderate caramel. Aftertaste: big chocolate, touch of coffee, light bitterness. Starts out like a thinner-bodied barleywine, but the hops and roast bitterness crack that illusion. The promise from the nose is here, but it doesn't quite mesh as well in the flavor because the lingering hops and slight astringency add some harshness. Hops flavor is as big as the roast. Sherry, malt, dried fruit and esters are still nice, though.” **Overall:** “Very tasty, but could use a bit more carbonation to help the flavors pop. Love the fruitiness. Fun dark-fruit dominated imperial stout. The chocolate, caramel, and roast notes are present throughout with just enough hops to balance. It is fairly well carbonated, but that works to bring out the brighter fruit notes. The nose had me, but the flavor not so much.”