Widowmaker Boubron Barrel Aged ComRAD

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 11.6%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: 4.31/5
- Beer Advocate: N/A
- RateBeer: N/A

BREWER'S DESCRIPTION
"As we culminate our first year at our brewery, we offer you this warm, big, textured Russian Imperial Stout aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels. A play on our Donut Shop utilizing additional hops, Belgian Candi syrup, lactose and of course coffee, we could not be more pleased with the results! Cold Brewed by Widowmaker Brewing, using roasted beans from Red Eye Coffee Roasters: 3 Otis Street in Hingham MA"

APPEARANCE
Pours pitch black with just the slightest ruby red on the edges with less than a finger of almond-colored head.

AROMA
The aroma is dominated by sweet, sticky bourbon. It is almost sugary sweet with maybe notes of caramel and toffee. A bitter, dark coffee smell is also just as big, but then there's also big cherry and dark chocolate. Additionally, I'm picking up a small bit of tobacco and some boozyness is definitely present.

TASTE
Not surprisingly, the bourbon is first and foremost and it is followed by that caramel and sugary sweetness from the aroma. I get almost a molasses and tree sap flavor from this with a small influence from the wood from the barrel. As it warms, fluffy milk chocolate emerges for some relief from the darker, more bitter flavors, but it still keeps in line with the overall confectionery theme this one has going on. If you can get past the sweeter moments, you'll find some smoke and char from the barrel and maybe even a little black licorice or anise. I must say that this doesn't have a burning, alcohol taste, but it is considerably boozy and that often is the exclamation point on each sip.

MOUTHFEEL
The body is thick enough to be called an Imperial Stout, but I can't help but feel it should be much more thicker and viscous for an 11.6 % BA beer. Still, it meets the requirements. As I said before, booze is noticeable, but it doesn't do enough damage to ruin the beer. It's a sipper for sure, and would come in handy as these nights in New England start to get colder.

OVERALL
BA ComRAD is a flawed, but satisfying Imperial Stout. It hits all the items on the checklist of what you are looking for in a bourbon barrel aged beer, but I personally feel the booze was a bit too prominent. It's not without its imperfections, but as a big, warming beer with good barrel character, it's mighty fine in my book.

Rating
7.9/10

Widowmaker & Vitamin Sea Widow's Walk

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 7.1%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: 3.96/5
- Beer Advocate: 4.35/5
- RateBeer: N/A

"Pouring a cloudy pale yellow color with a creamy white head. Hoppy aroma of papaya and pineapple. A subtle sweet maltiness is hidden behind the hop forward taste. Medium bodied with a nice dryness in the finish."

Pours out light orange in color with a slightly hazy body and a solid two fingers of bright white head.

Lots of acidic grapefruit and orange rind on the aroma. Mild hints of white grape and some sherbet follow and a little bit of bubblegum and bitterness round it out.

The tastes yields significantly more bitterness and tart citrus. It starts off with orange skin and faint hints of the grapefruit from the aroma. The dominant flavor is Honeydew melon and it is at the beginning and end of each sip. What might be even just as strong is an herbaceous presence with fresh mint leading the charge. This all happens in the front, but the second half switches to sweeter citrus notes of blood orange and some of the aforementioned orange sherbet from the aroma. The finish immediately goes back to those minty qualities and tosses in some powdery malts for good measure.

Mouthfeel is noticeably calm, but not undercarbonated. The body is standard for the style and it has a relatively clean aftertaste. Alcohol is non-existent and the 2nd half citrus flavors help break up the herbal qualities to assist with drinkability.

Widow's Walk was a solid collaboration between two young Massachusetts breweries. It's a flavorful, smooth, and drinkable IPA with enough complexity to bring you back for more. The South Shore has had an influx of new breweries over the past three years and you can add Widowmaker to the list of one's to watch. Once Vitamin Sea gets up and running later in 2018, they too should be a place to keep your eye on.

Rating
8.3/10