Name: Jörgmungandr
Brewer: Low Key Barrel Project (United Kingdom)
Style: Mixed-Style Beer (Base Style: Imperial Stout)
ABV: 10%
Review Year: 2021
Jörgmungandr is the debut release of the Ashford-based nano-brewery, Low Key Barrel Project. This smoky Imperial Stout was brewed with chocolate and tonka beans before spending some time in Laphroaig whisky barrels.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Mixed-Style Beer (34B), combining Specialty Wood-Aged Beer (33B) and Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer (30A), with Imperial Stout (20C) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Opaque deep brown almost black with a short-lived thin brown head. Jörgmungandr unleashed a wave of prominent and complex aromas from peaty (mossy, smoky/phenolic), oak, tonka beans, cacao/nuts, with hints of grapes and licorice. Medium-full-bodied, moderately low carbonation. Strong flavors of peat (mossy, smoky/phenolic) and tobacco led the charge, backed by a moderately roasty and dark chocolatey malt backbone. Subtle fruity esters (lychee, grapes) and licorice added complexity. Bitterness was a notch above moderate, sweetness was low, while alcohol was fairly restrained even as the beer settled. Impressions of roasted malts, tonka beans, and raisins lingered long.
THE VERDICT
Jörgmungandr is a dark, roasty, and smoky Imperial Stout that could be enjoyed right before dinner. The influence of the Laphroaig whisky was quite evident in both aroma and flavor, perfectly matching the dark and roasty malt backbone of this beer.
The perceived body of this beer is slightly lighter on average relative to the other beers of this style; this quality, together with its tempered sweetness and absence of alcohol burn, has contributed positively to its drinkability. Overall, Jörgmungandr is an excellent barrel-aged Imperial Stout in our opinion.
Related Reviews:
Low Key Barrel Project
Beers From the United Kingdom
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