Peaks & Pints’ staff knows February’s a struggle with cold rain and wind in the South Sound, and that’s why we make it rain stouts every day this month. First, stouts are one of our favorite craft beer styles, and second, it’s cool to sip a single style from several brewers side-by-side. Not all stouts — a style marked using roasted malts and barley — are created equal, though, with alcohol levels, recipes, flavorings, and textures running the gamut. From the traditional stouts that emerged after porter rose to popularity in England in the 1800s to today’s pastry stouts, the characteristics found within the category are myriad. Today, we kick off our February Stout Month big with a flight of barrel-aged stouts called Peaks and Pints February Stout Month 2025: Boozy Stouts.

Peaks and Pints February Stout Month 2025: Boozy Stouts

Lumberbeard Barrel Aged Campfire Snack

12.7% ABV

Lumberbeard Brewing in downtown Spokane collaborated with Humble Abode Brewing on this bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, which has notes of peanut butter and s’more goodness, plus added bourbon notes from spending over a year in barrels.

Lagunitas Willettized Coffee Stout

12.7% ABV

Kentucky’s Willett Distillery uses one kind of barrel: wood. It also puts two things in it: bourbon and rye. Lagunitas Brewing Co. grabbed a few used Willett rye barrels and filled them with their Imperial Stout and coffee. Expect lots of creamed coffee aroma and flavor, plus bits of brown sugar and alcohol at the fringes. Diving deeper results in a chocolate, roast, fruity flavor with a restrained sweetness. We also get spicy, earthy, woody vanilla from the barrel.

Oakshire Eighteen

13% ABV

Brewed for Oakshire Brewing’s 18th anniversary, this imperial rye stout base is conditioned in Evan Williams High-Rye Whiskey Barrels for 22 months. Eighteen blends chocolate and spice flavors with a depth of character worth celebrating.

Alesong Oak & Ember

13.2% ABV

Although Alesong Brewing & Blending is probably best known for its Rhino Suit series of imperial milk stouts, with this beer, they aimed to strike a balance of boldness and dark chocolate richness without the added sweetness of lactose, allowing the base malts to shine. Maturation in Henry McKenna 10-year bourbon barrels infuses the beer with delightful bourbon nuances and a silky veil of vanilla to balance the robust roast character of the underlying malts.

 Matchless Thurston County 2023

13.5% ABV

Matchless Brewing’s annual release and tribute to Goose Island’s bourbon barrel-aged stout, we pulled out our cellared 2023 version of Thurston County whiskey-aged imperial stout. Last year’s version is a culmination of two different stouts — Russian and Oatmeal imperial — the bulk of which aged in whiskey barrels from Westward Whiskey and the remainder aged in stainless for notes of molasses, chocolate, roast, dark fruit, subtle vanilla, and booze. While this one might not be coming straight from Bourbon County, they still get thirsty in Thurston County and Pierce County.

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