REVIEW #57: Breakfast Stout [French Oak] (Kernel Brewery)

Pours an inky black with an enormously fluffy light tan head. Smoky charred wood and something that resembles barbecue sauce in the nose; pungent, savoury, delicious. First thing noted upon tasting was the silky smooth mouthfeel. Its a surprisingly light textured beer. An observation almost contradicted by the breathtaking array of rich flavours occurring in the taste; cocoa, spice, strong black coffee, burnt sugar & cream (think crème brûlée), coconut, rum, bourbon and leather. A big phenolic, tannic, woody and alcohol-fused finish sears the palate.

Vanilla ice cream and coconut notes appear up front and do so again late in the finish as a lingering aftertaste. These likely derive from the ageing process. The beer is matured for 4 months in Bordeaux oak casks which previously contained Brouwerij de Molen's Tsarina Esra imperial porter. Molecules such as lactones and vanillins, in addition to complex wood sugars, seep from the oakwood into the beer over time. Maturation also results in rounder, more refined flavours. I'd wager this is a smoother if not any tamer animal than Kernel's straight Breakfast Stout. Replacing the word Breakfast with Imperial would be a more accurate descriptor of this beer. Its big and bold but at the same time smooth, creamy and refined. Kernel have a stunner on their hands with this one. A contender for my beer of the week, month & year.

• MALTS:  MARIS OTTER, AMBER, BROWN, BLACK, CHOCOLATE, MUNICH, DARK CRYSTAL, OATS

• HOPS: MAGNUM, HALLERTAUER HERKULES
• IBU: ?
• yEAST: aMERICAN, ALE 
• ABV: 9.3%`
• CONTAINS COFFEE (MONMOUTH BRAZILIAN FAZENDA SERRA DU BONE), aged in french oak barrels and BOTTLE-CONDITIONED.

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