Four String Brewing is turning four years old in a few days, and what better way to celebrate than with new beer. Specifically, their 2015 Imperial Stout aged in OYO Bourbon Barrels (or try it on draft, if 22oz of this stuff seems too daunting). A word of warning, this beer has a kick. Not even my epic beard could prepare me for the ferocity that lingered just beneath the cap. Tasty, but violent, like that one episode of Hell’s Kitchen where Gordon Ramsay stabbed a dude with a swordfish. (Ok, that probably didn’t happen, but wouldn’t that shit be epic?)

On the nose, the bourbon shows up huge, bringing massive notes of booze, along with the barrel vibes of vanilla, brown sugar, coconut, and baking spices such as cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. Seriously, the bourbon presence is massive in this aroma, and it makes sure that you understand this by infiltrating deep within your olfactory passages until your sinuses tingle. After a few moments, once the vaporous haze of OYO booze has regulated itself, stoutish aromas of cocoa powder and dark malts arrive. Bread crust and toast add a bit of “light” backbone, before notes of coffee and bitter roast take over. A slight herbalness lingers at the back of each breath, before being swept away by one last bourbon wave.

Like the aroma, the taste is all about that bourbon. Big barrel flavors show up first, with vanilla, burnt sugars, and coconut showcasing. The oak presence is strong as well, adding a mild, earthy kick. Booziness begins heavy, but fades as your tongue acclimates until the malts begin to take over. Notes of bitter cocoa and rich dark fruits (specifically plums and dates) create complex layers, while hints of currants create an almost sherry-like tang at the back of the mouth. The base roast n’ toast of the malts sets up beneath everything, obscured here and there by the complexity brought about by the barrel, but providing plenty of richness to keep the beer from dissolving into total bourbon-mode. Every now and then, faint vibes of cherries and even some dark-roast coffee arrive at the sides of mouth, promoting the drinking of this beer at a snail’s pace. Plan to devote quite the sit-down in order to fully enjoy this beer. Drink it too fast, and you’ll end up with a numb tongue and blurred vision in a matter of minutes. If you happen to pick up a bottle of this, you’ll need a friend along for the ride, because consuming an entire thing by yourself will likely be an all day event.

Bottles of Four String Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout will be released this Saturday beginning at noon at the brewery’s taproom, located at 985 W. 6th Ave.