Style: Barrel-Aged Cinnamon & Spice Stout

ABV: 12.5 IBU: 66.0

92/100
Aroma: 11
Appearance: 3
Flavor: 18
Mouthfeel: 4

Cerebral Brewing Sugar Pie

What the brewers say

Aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels with pecans, cinnamon, vanilla.

What our panel thought

Thick vanilla, cinnamon, and bourbon on the nose. The thickness continues with a gooey body. The pecan nut-tiness stands out to bring the sweetness up even more as it backs up the vanilla.

What our editors thought

Sweet overwhelms spicy on the nose, amplified by cocoa, vanilla, maple syrup, and a vein of cinnamon run-ning through. The sip is similarly sweet, with a broad and loose maple syrup-meets-vanilla and a hint of roast and cinnamon. It's a bit too cloying to be truly great but remains an enjoyable dessert beer.

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


REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Cerebral Brewing Rare Trait

__Aroma:__ “Grapefruit, tangerine, herbal and very slight bready malt. Straight up guava, pineapple, lime peel. A hint of alcohol, but this is an easy crusher on the beach.” __Flavor:__ “Strongly lemon and grapefruit. The alcohol is fairly present for being a single IPA, but it transitions to a smooth welcomed bitterness that embraces you like an old friend. Drys out very nicely, and the lingering bitterness fades rapidly. Medium bitterness helps accentuate the perceived citrus acidity.” __Overall:__ “There’s a nice blend of citrus with a bit of tropical in the backround. The beer is fairly well balanced with a firm bitterness that isn’t harsh or overpowering. Haze and color are spot on, and the mouthfeel isn’t too thick from an over-addition of wheat or oats. It’s missing the lush fruit ‘wallop’ on the nose, but it’s still a great beer.”

Arizona Wilderness Brewing Barrel-Aged Pecan Pie Brown Ale

“Brown sugar, vanilla, chocolate-dipped macaroons, sweet cookie bars sprinkled with shredded coconut and slivered almonds. Nuttiness adds depth and bitterness. Decadent holiday cookies in liquid form.”

Cerebral Brewing Tandem Jetpack

__Aroma:__ “Fruit salad up front with pineapple, pear, peach, and mango. A nice touch of dankness keeps it from getting too much into the produce section.” __Flavor:__ “A healthy balance of tropical fruit juice (orange and pineapple), dank dispensary character, and a healthy amount of bitterness (a characteristic sometimes lacking in New England IPAs). A pleasant amount of soft malt sweetness rounds everything out, but the bitterness carries through, just to remind you, that despite the haze, this is still an IPA first and foremost.” __Overall:__ “An excellent marriage of between those overly juicy New England IPAs and those overly bitter West Coast IPAs. This beer finds a wonderful balance in highlighting hops flavors with touch of soft malt sweetness and assertive hops bitterness.”

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