Hopfenstark Kamarad Friedrich - 5 Star Edition (Oak Aged)

Brewed by Hopfenstark
Style: Imperial Stout
L’Assomption, Canada

Bottled. A black beer with a red shine under a lazing brown head. The aroma is sweet malty with notes of butter, roasted malt, and soy sauce. The flavor is sweet malty with an acidic edge and notes of alcohol, roasted malt, and metal as well as light notes of wood. It shows some signs of oxidation. Thanks Shaun for sharing.

Thick, oily and inky, with only a hint of brown. Rich, molassesy aroma wth hints of fruits and light nuts. Boozy towards the end, but still rich and oily. Fun stuff.

If I did not enjoy the regular Friedrich so much, I must recognize that the oak sojourn did fixed a lot of the features I enjoyed less. It looks quite the same, but it seems to have become more complex. The strong cerealic component has concatenated into a smoky, earthy, caramelly medley as its roast has become more confident in its dryness. It’s as if the oak has eaten as bit of the extra sweetness. The beer is still sweet, but it feels more multi-dimensional. Still warming, but here, the alcohol has more competition and is not clearly one of the main actors.

My Bottom Line:
Blackstrap molasses and toffee lace lush black grapes as gentle smoke rises from the oaken dryness. This Imperial Stout is a classy, luxurious and complex homage to the all-knowing malt.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam sticks to the pitch black.
-Side by side with the regular Kamarad Friedrich, this oak-aged version appeared smokier, fruitier, and more complex in its malt sweetness. Definitely more alluring in the aroma department, and perhaps also in the flavor profile.
-Alcohol heat fits; this is a serious dessert sipper.
-Roastiness adds even more complexity to this already intelligent interplay of flavors.
-Hops provide bitterness, but are far from stealing the show in this one.
-Carbonation is smooth enough to let us enough experience the malts in all of their glory.
-The fortified wine cask used to age this beer works perfectly with the rest of the beer.

From bottles at the brewery tasting room.

Bottle shared by puzzl. Deep pitch black beer with a thick dark brown head. Aroma is quite unusual with a soft earthy/tobaccoish chocolatey aroma. A bit of black licorice and a light cafe con leche sweetness. Flavour is quite earthy and oaky with a light vanilla/caramel note. There is a definite difference between the wood that this brewer uses and most of the barrels that other barrel-aged impys have seen. Similar buttery/chardonnay quality as was seen in the framboise. Lingering fruity/earthy quality on the back. Another lovely beer.

A deep dark stout with a thick dark brown head, lacing and onctuous. A musty vinous chocolate aroma with dark fruits, light soy sauce notes and molasses in aroma. In mouth, a sultry bitter chocolate with warming alcohol, light vanilla and flral hops. Like a good belgian dark chocolate. Rich and onctuous. Bottle from the brewery, March 2008. Sampled august 16, 2008.

There is no mistaking the barrel-aging in the aroma. Very strong woody and vanilla character over bittersweet charcoal and ashy dark malts. Darkest brown body with ruby highlights is topped by a decent tan-brown head that recedes to a partial cover. Flavour is super-sweet and chocolatey with occasional notes of alcohol. Nutty with plenty of vinous fruitiness in the aftertaste. Dark malt bitterness is present but not nearly strong enough to keep the sweetness from becoming cloying. Notes of soy sauce offer counterpoint. Full body with fairly strong carbonation that prickles the tongue and cheeks. Tulip glass. Cellar temperature. Bottle purchased at the brewery in Jul-08.

Bottle 鸴ml). No ClowGr’s tasting, shared with blankboy, jerc, mabel and tupalev. Opaque, oily black, frothy smallish light brown head. Aroma of milk solids, plasticene, vanilla, dry old wood and deep roast chocolate malt. Taste, follows, much darker and roastier, tart cassis and burnt treacle notes, decidedly strong alcohol character, and it stays on the palate a long time. Somewhat still, slick and oily, long bitter-boozy bourbony finish - well done, very sophisticated, feels like it has some age on it - nice!!!