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
If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook
(here)
No comments:
Post a Comment