Temperance Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right & Variants 2017 Roundup

Brewed By: Temperance Brewing Company in Evanston, IL 

Purchased: 12oz CANS bought at Temperance Brewing Company in Evanston, IL; 2018 (2017 vintage)

Style/ABV: Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout (see below for %ABV)

Reported IBUs: ?

Temperance Beer Company is a brewery based out of Evanston, Illinois. Evanston is a suburb of Chicago, and known famously by the locals for its history of being a dry town until 1972. Evanston still has some silly liquor laws that prevent the sale of certain singles under a certain size. Anyway, Temperance was founded by Josh Gilbert back in 2013, and is "Evanston's first and oldest brewery."

None of that is super important. But what is worth mentioning is that Temperance have thrown their hat in the barrel-aged stout game. And they've produced four beers (one regular, three variants) that are pretty noteworthy. So I'm going to talk about them. These four beers are the result of taking Temperance's Might Meets Right Imperial Stout, and aging it in Heaven Hill barrels. The end result is quite pleasant and delightful.

Heaven Hill Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right (2017) - 13% ABV

Heaven Hill Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right

The Heaven Hill version of Might Meets Right is presumably the base for all the variants. It's also the most straight forward of these beers. My Untappd notes from the pre-release tasting say: "That's nice. Mellow and sweet with fudge and candy bars. The Bourbon is present and has nice flavor. Malt balls, vanilla, coconut. Malty..". 

This definitely leans towards sweet and malty. There is an array of candy bars here, with your Snickers shell and nougat, that Skor/Heath flavor shows up, and there's a fair amount of caramel filling. I want to punctuate how sweet this is. Compared to beers like Deth's Tar or even the BA Ten Fidy, this is definitely in the realm of sugar plum fairies and your 2015/16/17 BCBS regular. The bourbon does show up with lots of vanilla and fudge. I'm also getting legit brownies.

What differentiates this specifically from BCBS is the yeast profile, and probably the extent to which Temperance was able to blend their barrels. You definitely know where the inspiration is, but it tastes unique. This is really nice and the only thing holding this back right now is the availability and the fact that BCBS is still turding on shelves. Rating: Decent Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd) 

Bramble Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right (2017) - 13% ABV

The can reads: "After aging in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, we add blackberries & raspberries to heighten the dark berry notes of the stout. This is one of our takes on a revered style. Let's make some history together."

This looks very similar to the base, pouring into a body with minimal head. The aroma is nice. I'm getting a lot of caramel sweetness, Twizzlers, a lot of vanilla and caramel ala the base beer, and a lot of berries. The berries on the nose remind me of Goose Island's Backyard Rye and Bramble insofar that you get more of that "fruit on the bottom yogurt" or "berries with cream" note versus a roast/berry profile sometimes found on other stouts.

Bramble Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right

My untappd notes for this read: "The vanilla and base shines, and then I'm getting walloped with raspberry and blackberry and blueberry. Lots of fudge and vanilla over the top." I basically agree with that reflecting on this beer right now. You are either going to love this beer or hate it. The fruit is big and bold, with tons of raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry puree shining through the caramel and vanilla. The fruity notes actually heighten the alcohol and spirit, so I'm getting some sharp barrel, bourbon, and booze notes. Again, much like the aroma, the fruit in this plays into the base beer's sweetness. Sometimes fruited stouts really play with a roast-on-fruit character, but this is a beer firmly in the realm of fruit and yogurt or berries and cream or fruit with soft serve ice cream. 

What I love about this beer is how much it reminds me of Bramble and Backyard Rye. That's good company to keep. I also love how Temperance was able to keep the viscosity and T H I C C-ness. This is full-bodied with good depth, duration, and complexity. It really unfolds in a couple waves, with lots of the base up front, mids that are all about the berries, and a really complex back end that drops the spirit, some fruit-bourbon notes, lingering fudge and vanilla, and then a nice fade out. I really look forward to them brewing this next year. Rating: Decent Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd) 

Coffee Maple Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right (2017) - 13% ABV

The can reads: "Some think that might makes right. But it's the troublemakers -- the ones who speak truth to power -- who change the world. Coffe Maple Might Meets Right® is the stone in your slingshot. After aging our imperial stout in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, we add maple & Passion House cold-brew coffee to make this the perfect brunch weapon. This is one of our takes on a revered style. Let's make some history together."

Let me just say outright, this shit is We Todd Ed. This stuff is OFF THE CHAIN <insert Guy Fieri enthusiastically blowing loads meme>. It reminds me of Mikerphone's Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit Double Maple, which I was lucky enough to grab a pour of while standing in line for BCBS. That's high praise, by the way. 

Coffee Maple Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right

This basically looks like all the other deviants; maybe a little more heady than the ¡La Sorpresa! and the Heaven Hill. The aroma is an onslaught of aggressive barrel-aged bourbon pancake syrup, maple syrup, fruity maple bourbon, honeycombs, Waffle Crisp cereal, and pancakes. If coffee is in the aroma, it is drowning in maple syrup. This is like being at IHOP with your nose in some pancakes and that coffee in the corner. 

The taste mirrors the nose in the best way possible. Let's flip this a bit and talk about the mouthfeel. This is full-bodied and approaching that ideal cake-shake density. There's good duration here with tons of lingering maple. And this actually has some complexity and nuance. This unfolds with waves of maple up front, but actually drops some nice coffee and bourbon in the mids. The back end drops tons of maple, vanilla, honey, and finishes with lingering bourbon. It's fan-fucking-tastic.

As I sip on this, I'm getting more cofffee, more vanilla, and lots of the base beer. The base beer -- which is full of fudge and brownies and caramel -- plays so well with the maple. I get pancakes from this, fruity undertones that suggest berries and compote, and lots of bourbon. Wood/barrel pops in, but the main character here is vanilla. It is sweet but somehow it works. It is decadent stout maple syrup. This is just a ridiculous, over-the-top-beer. I really hope they brew this again. Rating: Strong Divine Brew (4.75/5.0 Untappd) 

¡La Sorpresa! Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right (2017) - 13% ABV

The ¡La Sorpresa! is/was the most intriguing of the variants for me. I'm a HUUUUGGEEEE fan of spicy, Mexican-chocolate stouts, and this one takes the base beer aged in Heaven Hill barrels and throws in coffee, roasted cacao, vanilla beans, toasted cinnamon, and dried Arbol, New Mexico, & Ancho Chiles. 

Interestingly enough, when I went to the pre-release tasting and tried all these beers, the brewmasters were talking about how they brewed this beer twice (? - I believe, don't quote me) and the second time they brewed it they carefully monitored the level of heat the beer was picking up from the peppers. I think that is an interesting detail because overall, I didn't find this one very spicy? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

¡La Sorpresa! Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right

In fact, ¡La Sorpresa! is pretty subtle. When I had it at the tasting it was the fourth beer I drank, and by then my palate was probably pretty worn. It didn't inspire me at that time. It wasn't until I cracked open my can and really spent some time with the beer that I was able to appreciate what is going on here. So straight up, this beer reminds me of Une Annee/Hubbard Cave's El Zacatón. It also DOESN'T remind me of beers like Imperial Blud. 

So what's the takeaway? Imperial Blud is more balanced towards sweetness, where beers like El Zacatón and ¡La Sorpresa! lean towards that almond flour, dense body. ¡La Sorpresa! is surprisingly dense...it's like drinking blended up churros. There is an awesome fusion of cinnamon, fudge, the amazing base beer and Heavin Hill barrel, and then there is a nice measured, pepper heat. The pepper heat is a subtle addition. There's a lot of coffee and vanilla kicking around with the peppery heat and Mexican chocolate, and it all fuses together nicely. Overall, this beer is a winner for me. I stand by my original comment that they could dial up the heat a bit, but as it stands this is a wonderful display of almond-flour/churro body and cinnamon Mexican chocolate. The base beer is fantastic and fuses effortlessly. Rating: Light Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd) 

Random Thought: After rounding these beers up, I am not at all shocked that the 2016 Double Rye Barrel-Aged Might Meets Right weighed in at #6 on The  Hop Review's "50 Chicago Stouts: Reviewed & Ranked." That is high praise that is probably...well, probably well deserved. I suspect Temperance won't be flying under the radar much longer, for better or worse. Get 'em while you can.