Sockeye Oak Aged Split Tail Stout

Draft @ Brewpub: Pours a black color, thin head. The nose is bright with the oak and whiskey notes. A perceived fruitiness and roast intermingle with some vanilla and sweet marshmallow. The flavor is thick with the oak flavor, not so much the whiskey, and the starchy sweet imperial stout flavors barely co-exist, more like repel each other in an everlasting battle. Maybe some age will find peace between these forces, but I’m sure the keg is already dry on this. Amazing drinkability for the style.

On Tap at the BrewPub Black with medium brown head. Nice lacing that lasts. Sharp roasted aroma and some of the Bourbon notes as well. Flavor was dark roasted and of the whiskey barrel also, thogh subtlel. I thought the woody, dusty sediment feel took off some of the beneifts that the aging had on this. Tasted/felt like the barrel was powdered and poured right into my glass. Maybe if had been filtered affter aging...

On Tap at Sockeye Brewing Boise, ID. Pours out a pitch black topped a nice brown head. A very nice sweet aroma of vanilla. Tast much like the normal Split Tail but with the wood, vanilla, and Jim Beam. I think they may have tried a little to hard to make it tast like the oak. Still tasty but not as good as it could have been.

Draft @ Sockeye: Pours a deep, dark brown with a large tan head. Nice lacing. Aroma is roasty and smoky before picking up the bourbon notes. Flavor is impacted right up front with a blast of roasted malt, coffee, and mocha before the trailer of bourbon and oak. A very noticable change from the original (excellent, but not overly complex), but I felt the bourbon/oak took over a bit more than it should. Still, another excellent brew from Sockeye. However, I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like to blend these two...