So after spending a weird couple hours at Side Project’s 2-year anniversary party in the brewery’s taproom, I took my girls to Perennial. You can read about what happened at Side Project in my last blog post here. Perennial has become my go to brewery in St. Louis. They make the best stouts in the city, in my opinion, and their staff is not as pretentious as some of the other breweries. Perennial’s hazy IPA’s are coming up in the world. Their mouthfeel is softer than anything Narrow Gauge produces, but they don’t get the accolades that the Florissant brewery does for their juicy brews. Don’t get me wrong, I like Narrow Gauge’s IPA’s but I like Perennial’s better.

Brimley is a barrel aged stout brewed for a wedding party at the brewery. So this was a leftover keg. According to Perennial, “this stout was aged 11 months in a bourbon barrel with almonds, cacao nibs, and Madagascar vanilla beans.”

Brimley pours opaque dark brown with a dark caramel head that dissipates quickly, leaving a slight ring around the inside edge of the glass.

Aroma is marshmallow, vanilla and slight notes of barrel. This is a monster of a sweet stout on the nose. Tons of chocolate and marshmallow on the tongue. Wow, I’m loving this one! It’s not as thick as some of the other Perennial stouts but it’s still a medium-bodied beast. It’s heavy but doesn’t drink heavy. So many flavors on this one…it’s sinful, decadent, sticky and just plain yummy. It’s the epitome of a barrel aged sweet stout. The barrel perfectly compliments the adjuncts to create a sweet, flavorful stout. Perennial wins again. I suggested to the bartenders that they need to brew this again and they said they’d pass it along to the brewer. Man, I hope so. This beer is amazing.

So, finally after a weird day and the disappointment of Side Project, I get some stouts I can get behind. I love this brewery, and it’s the one I’m going to miss when I’m in Florida. I closed on my house today, so come the first week of January I’m heading south for good. It’s time. I’m over Illinois and this crap weather. But, man, Perennial…we need to trade. Do I have a volunteer to mule some Perennial for me? Hook me up, people!

Cheers!

Beer Stats

• ABV:  11.5%
• Untappd Rating:  4.59

Helpful Links

• Perennial Artisan Ales
• Narrow Gauge Brewing
• EyeAmBaldman on Untappd (add me!)
• Buteiful.beer on Instagram