As promised..
It is about 20 days shy of 1 year old, according to my keg label. I poured a "half pint" as I'm not really in the mood for a 14% RIS tonight, this late, on a weekday.
The beer is substantially smoother, and has a much more melded flavor. The alcohol burn from early on, it's pretty much gone, but the body is still there. This is a thick beer. I move it in the glass expecting it to be like syrup. Slight alcohol on the tounge when you breathe out after the sip.
Smooth and silky from the oats in the mash. The burnt, acrid taste from the tons of black patent and roasted barley are still very fresh. The beer almost taste like a very dark french roast coffee, and I used no coffee anywhere near this beer. Has some solid dark chocolate notes, and some nice fruit/chocolate/vanilla notes in the nose. The nose of the beer is probably the part I like least about the beer, as it's pretty muted.
The head stays pretty well, and gets down to a think cocoa head across the top and leaves some pretty sticky lacing down the glass. I carbed it pretty low, like around 1.7-1.8 volumes I think it was. Has enough to not be cloying, but low enough the beer isn't prickly, and has a smooth feel, with some nice fine bubbles.
Good beer.. Not my favorite I guess, but I'm not in the mood for a big beer all that often.. It's probably a shade heavy on the roast, and despite the smooth vanilla and fruit notes from the wood and the PVW, it's not enough to bring it back to where I expected it. Taste like a fresh Stone RIS would be like edge wise.. Has the body and flavor closer to a bigger Marshal Zhukov, but with some bourbon vanilla notes. I will brew this again for sure, but back down the roast just a shade.