Mortalis Brewing Co. Marks 7th Anniversary with Two New Leto Releases

As the fall weather begins to take hold, beer drinkers everywhere are rejoicing as the stage sets for all things strong and malty. Many of us – myself included – feel that it’s always Stout season, Barleywine is Life year-round, and that there is no set time of year for these beloved fall and winter styles. But it doesn’t change the fact that some of the most anticipated releases in craft beer happen during this final stretch of the year, including the latest Leto barrel-aged stouts from Mortalis Brewing Co.

Mortalis is a brewery in particular who we’ve consistently loved to feature and always has exciting events and releases lined up this time of year. Back in August they celebrated 7 years in the business and hosted their always-popular Luau festival. The team in upstate New York spares no expense, and the festivities always see the release of some of Mortalis’s heaviest hitters. The team was generous enough to send us the two most recent releases of Leto to review, and we’re thankful and honored to continue to share what the Goddess of motherhood and modesty has in store for us courtesy of Avon’s finest.

Cheers to 7 Years!

From a Kickstarter passion project to now surging toward a decade in the industry, Mortalis wasted no time making a name for themselves. They’ve not only become a New York staple brewery, but they’re known nationwide, becoming wildly popular for their heavily fruited sours, hazy IPAs, and their continually-growing barrel program. They even launched an offshoot project called Mortalis 8Bit, an opportunity for their brewing team to experiment with new and exciting flavors. Mortalis has always stressed the importance of remembering the origin of these creative concepts, and 8bit allows the brewers to reconnect with their homebrew roots and appreciate more traditional styles that helped get them to where they are today.

It’s always been important for the Avon and Buffalo-based teams to never forget where they came from. Back in 2017 during Mortalis’s original Kickstarter campaign, one of their earliest supporters was Mama Lor’s Café out of Webster, NY. As a thank you to their early contribution toward their dream, one of Mortalis’s first releases was an Imperial Stout treated with Mama Lor’s famous almond cookies, cacao nibs, and almonds. The beer was called Leto, and this year’s 7th anniversary celebration saw the release of two new iterations of the famous Brandy-aged Imperial Stout.

Leto on Leto Barrel-Aged Stouts

Over the years, this always-decadent beer has seen releases aged in single Apple Brandy and Peach Brandy barrels, as well as double-oak-aged treatments and even a few non-BA versions. On August 10, the two newest additions to the growing list of legendary Letos were released. As always, they were packaged in 500ml bottles, and allocations were limited to 1 per person. We owe a huge thank you to the Mortalis team for allowing us to review these two beers and share the experience with our community of readers.

About Cherry Brandy Leto

This is the first time that the Leto base has been aged in Cherry Brandy barrels. It was of course subsequently conditioned on almond cookies, and the bottle was finished with a red metallic wax.

Our Review of Cherry Brandy Leto

The pour on this is straight motor oil – we’re not sure there was even the slightest hint of carbonation buildup as it cascaded into the glass.

The nose is the expected brandy Leto bliss – Funfetti icing and marzipan, but this time that touch of cherry gives all the cherry almond cake vibes you could need. Fresh baked pie, crumbled dessert, whatever your poison is, the aroma is undeniably fantastic.

The palate immediately makes the newcomer brandy known – a punch of sharp, mildly tart cherry leads the way for spiced fruit, a touch of new leather, and toasted almonds on the mid-palate. On the back-end there’s a bit of a luxardo sweetness, rounding out the experience to be much like a kirsch. Dry, almond-forward, tart, and fruity. It’s a profile that we imagine could be a bit much for some, but arguably the best marriage of brandy type and adjuncts they possibly select for this.

The feel of this has good weight and comes on a touch syrupy. It could use a slightly higher carbonation level to help cut the texture. The booze is certainly present, with the finish noticeably warm and carrying great length.

About Pear Brandy Leto

The most familiar variation of Leto, the other release this year spent time aging in small-format Pear Brandy barrels before its conditioning on Mama Lor’s almond cookies. A purple metallic wax sealed the deal on this exciting third batch of Pear Brandy Leto.

Our Review of Pear Brandy Leto

Identical to its Cherry Brandy counterpart, an almost motionless motor oil viscosity cascades into the glass. Small, tight bubbles momentarily circle the beer, but ultimately settles still.

As always, an absolute treat on the nose – marzipan, Funfetti icing, and baked pears. Blindfolded I think many would be hard-pressed to even tell that these aromatics were coming from a beer.

The palate balances with beautiful brandy character, bringing notes of dry, spiced pears, toasted almond, baking cocoa, and a touch of char. There’s a nice viscosity, and great length. In comparison to the other Letos I’ve had, this one is noticeably the most Brandy-forward. While a contrast from the pastry perfection exhibited from past releases, the heavy brandy character does great to bring balance from the nose.

World Pear Day Celebration!
For another look at how Mortalis showcases fruit-forward creativity, check out our piece on Celebrating World Pear Day with Mortalis Brewing.

Dialed In

The most exciting thing we noticed when diving into these beers was just how distinct they are from any previous version of Leto we’ve tried. When we interviewed brewer and co-founder Paul Grenier for our original Barrel Room Spotlight with Mortalis back in 2022, he emphasized how essential it was for the team to always keep tweaking and improving their creations.

These latest iterations of Leto – while not the intensely pastry-forward continuation of earlier vintages – highlight that commitment to refinement. Mortalis knew the pastry-heavy profile was a crowd favorite, yet with these 7th Anniversary releases they doubled down on experimentation, exploring the always-challenging brandy cask to perfect the balance between spirit and adjuncts. The result is their most layered, complex Letos to date – a testament to the growth and talent of this New York brewing team. We can’t wait to see what emerges next from the Mortalis barrel room.