Silver Peak Vintners Chocolate Stout

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

my expectations were sky high for 2 reasons...1)this brewery had made a bourbon barrel aged stout last spring that remain one of my all-time favorites, and b) a couple of the best brews at Stone in January were aged in Red Wine barrels. What do you get when you combine the 2? An odd, complex beer. Confused maybe? The aroma of chocolate, burnt malt, and oak, with a slight fruitines was amazing. The feel was incredibly smooth, if not as big as i was expecting. Even the finish was great. What prevented this from being a truly great beer was the tannic vinous slightly tart greeting you got when the beer crossed your lips. It was the first impression it made on your mouth and it was just...an odd mix, with the chocolate flavors (that came out quite nicely as the beer warmed. maybe left in too long, or just better in bourbon casks...complex and unique, if a bit odd, and good enough to still have more of, but not GREAT, as i was hoping for. i've had this beer now 3 times...once in April, once in May, and once in June. the tannic qualities of the barrel are starting to diddipate, and it's been a tiny bit better each time I've had it. ageing well!