Style: Barrel-Aged Coffee & Breakfast Stout

ABV: 13.2 IBU: 72.0

99/100

Aroma:	12
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	20
Mouthfeel:	5

Great Notion Brewing BA Double Stack

What the brewers say

Our imperial breakfast stout fermented with a ridiculous amount of maple syrup and conditioned on whole-bean Sumatra from Clutch Coffee. Aged in Heaven Hill, Woodford Reserve, and Bull Run bourbon barrels.

What our panel thought

"Wow! Maple! There are some vanilla overtones and hints of roast malt, but the maple hits like a Boston tidal wave. A wonderful combination of maple syrup, coffee, and chocolate dancing in a vanilla, caramel, and slightly marshmallow-like bourbony vessel. Just enough body to stand up to all those flavors. Noticeable, but in no way harsh, alcoholic warmth. Exquisitely well-balanced base beer."

What our editors thought

What this beer lacks in bourbon-barrel character, it makes up for in intensity. The coffee is intense but tucked into a beer that feels like a vehicle for the maple character. It’s decadent with a perception of sweet-ness on the nose from the maple that (thankfully) isn’t fully realized in the sip, allowing for a surprisingly clean finish for a big-bodied barrel-aged breakfast stout. Gloriously overdone in the most decadent of ways.

Review printed in: Stouts for All Seasons (Oct-Nov 2019) (View All Issues)

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This is at least 500 yards of velvet goodness. Coffee, maple, and vanilla blend very nicely in the aroma. Taste is the same, very smooth, velvety, and big. This one is hard to put down. As it warms, it gets even better. The barrel aspect comes out in the finish—some char to help balance the sweetness. Mouthfeel has a very silky texture. This is a beer we would gladly enjoy in a coffee mug while camping or hanging out by a fire late at night. Not overtly sweet, this can be a full glass of fun.

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“Beautiful! Sweet, toasty aroma of vanilla, light chocolate, coffee. Strong sweet espresso, chocolate, vanilla flavors—like a premium dark chocolate Mounds bar. Quite sweet, but nicely balanced. The mouthfeel is almost velvet. Lovely richness in the flavor. Medium-full body, solid carb. Smooth alcohol.”

Great Notion Double Stack

Aroma: “As subtle as they may be, there are some blueberry, strawberry, and earthy notes from the coffee beneath the thick layer of maple that dominates everything else on the aroma.” Flavor: “Very strong maple-syrup character, though maybe not as intense as in the aroma. Milk chocolate sweetness throughout, with a lingering creamy finish. The roast from the stout tries oh so hard to peek through and brighten things up, but it doesn’t really have a chance. The coffee adds some dryness on the finish, but it’s still quite sweet overall.” Overall: “I need a pancake and a shot of insulin. Massive maple syrup. Over the top. Has some other nice flavors, but they get lost. Really sweet.”

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