Friday, December 11, 2020

Lagunitas "Willettized" Coffee Stout Aged in Rye Oak barrels


The kings of hoppiness, Lagunitas Brewery, do some styles other than IPAs quite well, and this is one of them. Did I say "quite" well? I meant amazingly well! They're calling it a coffee stout, but it could easily be categorized as an imperial stout due to the 13.1% ABV. The "Willettized" refers to J.D. Willett in Kentucky, a distiller of rye and bourbon, who provided the rye barrels in which this incredible stout was aged. 

It pours a deep, dark mahogany brown with smoky ruby highlights and a scanty chocolate head. The high ABV imparts a heady boozy heat, the rye & oak is detectable, as is a very subdued coffee flavor. There are also hints of licorice, dark chocolate, and brown sugar with a tiny bit of fig and raisin wafting in as it warms up. 

Not a "quaffing" beer, not one for Mom's lawn guy, but without a doubt a 9.5 on the IGB Stout scale

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