The wood used in the barrel is rich and pitch black and the staves are held fast by 3 oxidized brass bands. Each band is stamped with Quentin's family seal. The pour spout on the cask is a gargoyle's head, made of the same brass as the bands.

Soleras are a way for brewers to continue using the same microbes (or residual magic) for each batch of beer by leaving some beer in the cask before adding fresh material on top. Sometimes, these effects take a long time to mature, as is the case with Quentin's Black Cask Solera Ale. On Morostide, Quentin and a select few friends head down to the cellar and crack open the old gargoyle spigot to drain their ration of tradition from a deeply pigmented cask. The first few measures are placed on the back porch for the ancestors who may not want to say hello, and the remainder are enjoyed while perusing the Pumpkin Patch or chatting with company. After the festivities but before going to bed, Quentin makes sure to leave the ingredients for next year's brew near the cask: one large chunk of fine dark cocoa, ashes from the evening's fire, their favorite novel from the past year, and a candle to provide light for the unseen brewmaster to work on next year's brew.

Brew Details:

Appearance: Pours like silky chocolate with a cratering head that snaps like leaves in the fall air as the foam dissipates.

Aroma: Milk chocolate, worn leather, library tomes, smoke, peat and burnt marshmallow.

Taste: Firm roast with hints of chocolate, leather, a little funk and hint of smoke and oak on the post palate.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with an enjoyable lingering dryness.

Pairs perfectly with rich sweets and laughter.