Friday, February 21, 2014

Crux Fermentation Project Tough Love Imperial Stout Brewed with Spices - Aged in Bourbon Barrels - 2013 Release

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Crux Fermentation Project Tough Love Imperial Stout Brewed with Spices - Aged in Bourbon Barrels - 2013 Release. I picked this bottle up at the brewery and now wish I had bought a case.

Commercial description: “Tough Love is bold but nuanced, an homage of sorts to the traditional Russian Imperial Stouts and the ruling style of Catherine the Great. We Construct it with dark, roasted malts, malted rye, and oak-smoked wheat, and then banished it for nine months in Kentucky Bourbon Barrels. The aging smooths out the edges on an otherwise bold statement, and bitterness succumbs to tender strokes of vanilla beans, hints of dried cherries, and new layers revealing themselves with each sip.”
Let’s get started!
Appearance:  Pours black with a tiny mocha colored head and spotty and sparse lacing.
Aroma: Bourbon, dark chocolate, oak, vanilla, coffee and roasted malts.
Taste: Dark, sweet chocolate, vanilla, roasted malt, slight oak, bourbon, and dark fruit.
Overall: Rich and sweet, Crux Fermentation Project Tough Love Imperial Stout is incredible! This 11.5% ABV offering is balanced, delicious and smooth. As I said in the beginning, this is the kind of beer I wish I had more of…a case.  Next time I’m up in Bend, OR I plan to get A LOT of this one!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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