pFriem Scotch BA Imperial Brown Ale

Smells like a pine forest after a spring rain. Fresh American hops aroma: herbal, floral, fresh, with touches of sweet orange, sandalwood, cherry, peach. Lots of hop flavor, but the bitterness is restrained and balanced. Toasty, smooth, layered malt complexity, light chocolate, low caramel. Somewhat dry. Just enough bitterness to balance. Fresh spruce tips linger. Overall impression of a softer, sweeter IPA. Very pleasant and satisfying.

**Aroma:** “Fairly heavy roasty aroma, with chocolate, coffee, light smoke, and light alcohol. A really nice earthy, woodsy, aroma emerges as it warms, along with some cherry notes.” **Flavor:** “Heavy roast and chocolate up front quickly transition into a bitter roast and alcohol harshness that grows as it warms. Intensely sweet, with dark stone fruit esters, malt, and vanilla. An earthy, almost herbal-like character adds a nice level of depth and somehow complements the other flavors perfectly. Some heat, but it works with the overall smooth body. The mouthfeel is fairly chewy with smooth carbonation, and the alcoholic heat finishes with a slight numbing effect. Overall, it’s a very intense beer.” **Overall:** “Crazy intense all around, still somehow mostly balanced, even if it’s like Clash of the Titans flavor-wise. Lots of roast and dark chocolate, with acrid bitterness and a warming/numbing effect from the alcohol that grows as you drink more. The chocolate and roast play well off each other, making it nicely rounded. It’s a delicious beer that slightly tweaks convention within the style and creates a unique and awesome beer. Check this one out if you’re a thrill seeker.”

Aroma: “Whiskey and oak are dominant up front with lots of vanilla and spicy oak. There’s a nice rich malt along with toast and caramel behind that, which helps balance the initial intense aroma. After the initial blast, there is a moderately low chocolate aroma as well.” Flavor: “The flavor is still barrel- forward, but the malt helps balance it a bit more. Aged chocolate-covered cherries soaked in bourbon, raisins, warming spicy alcohol. Alcohol lingers pleasantly into the finish.” Overall: “It is what it says it is. The barrel is maybe a bit over the top, but the beer is still there. It’s warming but not too boozy. Tasty beer to sip near a campfire.”