Untitled Art Barrel Aged Exausted Parent Stout 2Pk

Untitled Art Barrel Aged Exhausted Parent Stout 2Pk is a barrel-aged imperial stout brewed with espresso beans, cacao nibs, and milk sugar at 13.7% ABV. Scoring a 92 on BeerAdvocate and holding a 4.3 out of 5 on Untappd across nearly 3,000 ratings, this release has earned a devoted following among dark beer enthusiasts.

Quick Facts: ABV: 13.7%  |  Origin: Waunakee, Wisconsin, USA  |  Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout  |  Brewery: Octopi Brewing

Production & Heritage

Exhausted Parent Stout is a collaboration between Levi Funk of Funk Factory Geuzeria, who provides creative direction on recipes and ingredient sourcing, and Isaac Showaki of Octopi Brewing, who brings large-scale production expertise to the project. Brewed at Octopi's facility in Waunakee, Wisconsin, this imperial stout is produced in small batches of roughly 50 barrels at a time and aged in bourbon barrels, which impart vanilla, oak, and warm spirit character into the dense base beer. The addition of espresso beans and cacao nibs during production builds layers of coffee and dark chocolate, while lactose (milk sugar) contributes a fuller, creamier body that tempers the 13.7% ABV.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Black coffee dominates the nose immediately, followed by waves of dark chocolate and sweet caramel. Underneath, a subtle bourbon warmth and faint vanilla oak round out the aromatics.

Taste: The entry is thick and sweet, coating the palate with chocolate syrup and toffee. Mid-palate shifts toward roasted espresso bean and marshmallow-like sweetness, with caramel threading throughout. A distinct bourbon heat emerges toward the peak, lending structure to the otherwise dessert-forward profile — several reviewers liken the experience to a liquid chocolate-covered caramel bar.

Finish: Long and warming, with lingering dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and a measured bourbon bite. The lactose keeps the texture smooth and creamy through the final moments, preventing the high ABV from turning harsh.

How to Drink Exhausted Parent Stout

Pour this stout into a snifter or tulip glass at cellar temperature (50–55°F) to let the barrel character and adjunct complexity open up fully. Drinking it neat — without ice or dilution — preserves the viscous, creamy mouthfeel that defines the experience. For cocktail-curious drinkers: use it as a float in a Stout Espresso Martini for layered coffee intensity; blend it into a Beer Flip (with egg yolk, simple syrup, and nutmeg) where its sweetness and body stand up to the richness; or incorporate it into a Black Velvet variation with dry sparkling wine to create a striking contrast between effervescence and barrel-aged weight.

Best For

• Sharing between two imperial stout fans on a cold evening (hence the 2-pack format)
• Gifting a craft beer collector who values limited-batch barrel-aged releases
• Pairing alongside a dessert course at a dinner party
• Cellaring for one to two years to see how the barrel character evolves

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Exhausted Parent Stout taste like? It delivers bold flavors of dark chocolate, toffee, roasted espresso, and marshmallow sweetness, with a noticeable bourbon warmth in the background and a creamy, full-bodied texture from the milk sugar.

How does Exhausted Parent Stout compare to Goose Island Bourbon County Stout? Both are bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts, but Exhausted Parent leans more heavily into adjunct sweetness with its espresso, cacao nib, and lactose additions, whereas Bourbon County Brand Stout tends toward a drier, more barrel-forward profile without dairy sugars.

Is Exhausted Parent Stout good for sipping neat? Yes — at 13.7% ABV with a thick, creamy body, it drinks more like a dessert sipper than a standard beer and is best enjoyed slowly from a snifter at cool room temperature.

Where is Exhausted Parent Stout made? It is brewed at Octopi Brewing, located at 1131 Uniek Drive in Waunakee, Wisconsin, a contract and collaboration brewery co-founded by Isaac Showaki that partners with Untitled Art's Levi Funk on recipe development.

What foods pair well with Exhausted Parent Stout? Chocolate lava cake matches its cacao intensity; salted caramel brownies echo the toffee and caramel notes; smoked brisket benefits from the stout's sweetness cutting through fat; aged Gouda mirrors the caramel undertones; and vanilla bean ice cream creates an easy beer float-style dessert pairing.

What sizes does Exhausted Parent Stout come in? This release is packaged as a 2-pack, the standard format for Untitled Art's barrel-aged stout series, making it ideal for sharing or cellaring one while drinking the other.

Is Exhausted Parent Stout worth the price? It positions as a premium craft release — small-batch barrel aging, specialty adjuncts, and limited availability place it in the upper tier of imperial stouts, and a 92-point BeerAdvocate score suggests strong critical support for the quality delivered.

Why Exhausted Parent Stout?

What separates this release from the crowded barrel-aged imperial stout field is the deliberate layering of adjuncts — espresso beans for roast depth, cacao nibs for bittersweet chocolate, and lactose for body — all integrated through bourbon barrel aging in 50-barrel batches. The collaboration between Levi Funk's boundary-pushing recipe design and Octopi Brewing's production capability results in a beer that tastes handcrafted but is executed with consistency. A 92-point BeerAdvocate score across its ratings confirms it delivers on the promise. For drinkers who want a dessert-weight stout with genuine barrel complexity rather than mere sweetness, this 2-pack is a focused, well-made entry from one of Wisconsin's most prolific experimental brewing projects.