Prairie Artisan Ales Pirate Noir

**Aroma:** “Rich complex roast. Very low ester profile. Notes of coffee, some chocolate, dry cocoa sweetness. Toasty malt with a hint of caramel. As it warms, more chocolate and and some dark roasted roast.” **Flavor:** “Medium sweet with slightly tart finish. Sharp chocolate up front with a rich roastiness that takes over quickly after. Characteristic silkiness of oatmeal stout. Medium smoke note that extends into the aftertaste. A sharp bitterness from the roast character reminds me of an iced coffee. Some nutty notes, some dry chocolate sweetness and bitterness. Thin bodied. Earthy hops come through near the end as well as dark roasted malt. Finish is quite dry.” **Overall:** “Rich and complex, yet easy drinking. Very dry. Malt is simple but works well, and the slight earthy hops are good. A high roast creates an astringency and almost a bitterness. Medium smoke note that also contributes to the astringency. This beer had some nice roast qualities, but the roast itself seemed to dominate the flavor. Somewhat thin for an oatmeal stout.”

**Aroma:** “Starts out solventy and inky but fades into a fairly muted blend of coffee, chocolate, and roast. Some dark plum and dark fruit, with a moderate British hops aroma and vanilla.” **Flavor:** “Notes of soy sauce and solvent. The beauty of this beer is the lack of things sticking out—the base has some nice roast and chocolate character that are complemented by the dark roast coffee. Sherry, cinnamon, and dark fruits appear as well, with some floral hops in the background.” **Overall:** “This is a fun beer if you can get past the oxidation and solvent/high alcohol character. It’s a solid coffee imperial stout that fits together well with the nice rich chocolate and coffee flavors.”

**Aroma:** “Some sweet dark cherry and raisin character. Nice sweet chocolate. Slight vanilla and oak. A musty red wine barrel character. I imagine this is what an old French wine-barrel room smells like. Medium strong roast dominates with some bright cherry notes dancing on top. Relatively thin overall on the nose.” **Flavor:** “Nice blend of flavors. Some bold roasty notes, nice dark and sweet chocolate notes, and some sweet dark cherry notes. The oak character adds nice complexity to the beer, hitting in the middle and carrying through the finish. The warmth also adds to the taste and cuts some of the sweetness. Some tannins couple with the roast and alcohol to add to the dry finish.” **Overall:** “This is a really smooth and well blended barrel-aged imperial stout. Lots of good malt flavors came together well and worked together throughout the whole beer. An interesting beer that displays a heavy amount of wine barrel that will do well with some age on it.”