2020 has tested our collective patience in many ways. In times like these, when the world seems dark and bitter we turn inward to question our existence and look for hope. Heavy times call for heavy remedies. Back in good old 2019, an Imperial Stout recipe was created. This stout was designed to rest in oak barrels for over a year. This stout changed the way we think about barrel aging and has ushered in a new program of brewing and aging for UNION. We call it the Workshop. It’s a place and a way of thinking about the crossroads of human expression through beer making and time, space, and magic. The Workshop is a physical space with metaphysical properties. It’s a place we go to lose control and let the universe take over. After resting for thirteen months and two weeks in 30-year-old French oak casks that previously held cognac and rye whiskey, we heard the whisper that this one was ready to come out. Dark Spot Imperial Stout pours a viscous and oily black with thin wisps of chestnut brown foam. The aroma is heady with rye spirits, earthy oak character, and pipe tobacco with distinctly fruity background notes – fig, black cherry, and blackstrap molasses. Heavy on the palate with bitter dark chocolate upfront followed by Irish coffee, burnt marshmallow, walnut, and leather, with red wine and espresso riding shotgun. The body is thick and chewy, leaving behind a lasting impression of raisin, anise, and wood smoke. 12.5% ABV.