It is that magical time of year again folks. The days are getting a little shorter and colder with that unmistakable crispness in the air. We all know what that means, we have officially entered into Stout Season (or Szn as the kids say). While I have always been an avid supporter of not letting the season dictate the style of beer you drink, I would be hard pressed to say that I do not enjoy stouts just a bit more this time of year. I recently went back to my parents house where I keep a small box of cellared bottles (more on that in a future post) and picked out one of the perfect bottles to kick off Stout Season, ‘Barrel Aged Color & Grain’ from Trillium. To be completely honest, I forgot exactly when I bought the beer, but I think it was in the cellar for about a year and a half. While I might have let it go just a bit too long, it is still an awesome beer.
‘Barrel Aged Color & Grain’ pours into the glass pitch-black with a darkish brown head. Its notes are mostly just boozy chocolate with a slight hint of vanilla and toffee on the back end. I expect the chocolate, vanilla, and toffee notes would have been more pronounced when first purchased. However, after over a year in the cellar they have been slightly muted. The flavor is purely decadent. A soft, velvety mouthfeel with a rich chocolate and toffee taste that lingers just long enough on the front of the tongue. While the listed ABV is 13.9% after over a year in the cellar it is probably close to 15%. This gives the beer a boozy, but not overpowering kick that is just enough to remind you that you are drinking a barrel aged, imperial stout. While no longer in production, if you’ve got one in the cellar now is the perfect time to open it up.
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