You can watch the burn rate of hypestout factories as they go through the expected casking motions. A new brewery will have heavily adjuncted pie filling on draft until that first year clears. Then they can stammer and drop that first barrel aged offering.

The moves thereafter are as predictable as Capricorn malevolence. Next vanilla, and then some fruited version, then a litany of adjuncts that mirrors some dessert, finally the double and triple casking. Classic. Go take a Bourbon County core sample if you need to see how the stout sediment is layered.

Toppling Goliath just moved on from the paleolithic vanilla/bramble/tequila era and now the stouts walk on dry and and use tools in the form of double casked rye. This is Rye to Rye. It seems a bit Ryedundant. However, there is a change in the intensity and saturation unlike the bullshit bourbon world that does multiple casking to make up for the fact that their distillate is dogshit and age statements are pre-K at best.

This was the last beer that I drank in 2022 and it is easily one of the best. I don’t want to tip my hat to the shitlords who went to a NYE dinner just to pad their pockets with these resales. But it’s incredibly good. The 4.9 on Untappd might as well be carnival barker for the Duck Race Razzlers trying to pull six bills still. But it’s insanely tasty.

The bottle is raffle only and $100 so it has to be good. I don’t mean that like in a pleading way, it HAS to be. Assassin has one of the best consistencies and mouthfeel out of any barrel aged stout, it is focused, flawless roast and tollhouse chips. The rye imparts a gingerbread, caramel pecan sandie meets old fashioned heel strike.

The barrel is crushing like Donkey Kong. You have to love that saturated intensity of York peppermint patties, fondant, chocolate turtle cake, and See’s filling. You also have to love the holidays because you get mouth pounded with waves of cinnamon, nutmeg, a zucchini bread aspect and Panettone.

You can get kinda close with something like Firestone Walker Dreamwood but, this is exceptional, unique and immaculately executed. It’s grating that they keep delivering at this level.