Wicked Weed Dark Arts
What the brewers say
“The third incarnation of this annual imperial stout has been aged since October 2015 in rum barrels. This beer was brewed with brown sugar, agave, and honey, then fermented using our house Brettanomyces culture.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Nice brown sugar and rum sweetness up front, with vanilla and a touch of coconut. Bright raisin, with plum esters and subdued pepper phenolic. Smoky and woody, with the oak really shining through.”
Flavor: “Intense boozy sweetness, with strong molasses, brown sugar, and slight burned sugar notes. Fruity raisin and plum esters hide behind the cane sugar. The yeast character is almost Belgian—it’s difficult to nail down, but it’s nice—and the Brett characters aren’t evident in the taste … just the slightest hint of funk. Hints of toasted bread and bread crust with vanilla.”
Overall: “The aroma is gorgeous, but the overwhelming sweetness masks some of its depth. A beautiful raisin rum character and oak earthiness hide underneath. I would love to see how this ages—when the Brett kicks in, it could be a completely different beer.”
