Style: Strong Ale

ABV: 14.0

99/100

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

Jackie O's Brewery Cellar Cuvee 1

What the brewers say

“Blend of bourbon barrel–aged imperial stout and honey wheatwine.”

What our panel thought

“Deep, rich aroma. Strong coffee and sweet dark chocolate. Light raisin, fig, black currant, and prune esters. Low buttery vanilla oak. Rich, but subtle and well-developed, malt flavors. Umami element just on the edges adds complexity. Barrel is restrained with light vanilla and silky mouthfeel. Balance is malt forward. Clean. Finish is sweet, only a touch cloying. Long rich malt flavor lingers a while. Excellent. Very rich and lovely. Elegant and powerful at the same time.”

What our editors thought

“Honey grape notes in the nose echo a richness without excess. The sip balances dry honey punch with a bit of roasty stout heft, yet it remains lean with a minimalist intensity driven by a tight focus.”

Review printed in: Beyond Barley (April-May 2022) (View All Issues)

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REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Perennial Artisan Ales Barrel-Aged Abraxas

__Aroma:__ “Smoky chile notes, with cinnamon and vanilla also strong. Hints of plum, sweet tobacco. The base stout’s slight bit of chocolate malt and roast reminds one of French-roast coffee with some maple sweetness.” __Flavor:__ “Notes of dried plums, apricots, cinnamon, chiles. The balance is spot on. The roast base helps balance the sweetness and chocolate, and the barrel brings things together with deep toffee flavor.” __Overall:__ “The barrel character is incredible, only made better by the base beer and adjuncts. Complexity is off the charts, while still maintaining a surprising level of drinkability. Beyond the flavors, the mouthfeel truly sets this apart. Rich, viscous, and full-bodied, but not cloying and just enough backbone to hold the line for the flavors. This is the standard by which all other stouts in this category should be measured.”

Jackie O's Brewery Cellar Cuvee 11

“Sweet burnt caramel and toffee aroma. Rich malt intermingles with leather and cigar tobacco. Very slight bitterness helps to temper the sweetness. Akin to a dunkel, with a healthy dose of honey and caramel added. Very sweet, but enough depth to keep your attention.”

Amalgam Underground Breakfast

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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