Twos and trees

Brehon Brewhouse and Two Stacks whiskey have teamed up for a second time to give us a barrel-aged imperial porter, this time with an extra woody twist. I really enjoyed Oak & Mirrors first time round so grabbed the new one within seconds of seeing it in Molloy's.

This is Oak & Mirrors Maple Edition and I had to research the Two Stacks product range to find out exactly what's going on. As far as I can make out, the barrels were originally used for bourbon and cognac, then for maple syrup, and then for Irish whiskey. Two Stacks definitely has maple syrup aged whiskey, both before and after those barrels were used for stout, though I don't see anything involving cognac on their listings. Exactly which liquids went where and in which order isn't entirely clear. Maybe it doesn't matter.

What you get, in typical Brehon fashion, is a classic-looking porter: jet black with a nicotine-stained pub ceiling of a head, one which lasts all the way down the glassful. I was a little surprised to find it's the cognac which dominates the aroma: boozy raisin and plum notes with some fruitcake breadiness and a dusting of cocoa powder. Subtle it is not. The flavour is rather more balanced, and I couldn't detect the brandy in that at all. The whiskey, on the other hand, is there in spades, heating everything up from the outset, in a way that makes me slightly distrust the declared 7.5% ABV. It could pass for 10-12%. There's honey, there's chocolate, there's bourbon biscuits and there's coffee. What's missing from all of this is the maple. That could be for the best as it's not a very complementary flavour, even in a strong dark beer. I don't mind.

In short, this is another magnificent dark beer by Brehon. The novelty factor is perhaps overstated, but it's the good kind of bait-and-switch: what you get on pouring is a beautifully-constructed and very delicious barrel aged porter.