8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Acquired from a cellar clearout, date uncertain. Pour is deep brown at the edges, very small ring of foam. Smell has a bit of whiskey, and also some fruit, just a tinge, maybe strawberry. Taste does offer note of coffee and black licorice (fortunately, not a lot of licorice). Mouthfeel is a bit lighter than most BA stouts, probably in line with having less than 10% abv. Other than that, it's yet another great local big stout.

7.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

Sampled from the tap at the brewpub. Pours black with a grayish brown head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma combines dark grains, chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla and bourbon. Flavor is similar with vanilla, bourbon and roasted malts starring.

8.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

22 ounce bottle into snifter, 2017 vintage bottling. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, cherry, date, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Slight booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/black/bready malts, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, cherry, date, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, floral, grassy, peppery, roast, char bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, licorice, dark fruit, roasted nuts, biscuit, dark bread/crust, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/black/bready malts, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 8.6% and barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged imperial stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/black/bready malts, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the ABV, with the mellowly bitter/charred/tannic/drying finish. Fantastic balance of rich malts, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with solid earthy hop presence/balance. Light residual sweetness with lingering bitter/tannic dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example as expected. Feels like an English styled Russian Imperial Stout all the way through.

8

--- Beer merged from original tick of Barrel Aged Shadow of the Moon on 07 Jul 2018 at 21:56 - Score: 8

8.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

Bottle [from trade] @ tasting shared with Dutchdrebus and Caesar. Opaque black color, average sized light brown colored head that lasts for a short while. Aroma is malts, dark malts, lightly heavy bourbon. Taste malts, heavy bourbon, dark malts, raisins. Quite good.

8.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle @ home. Black colour with a small light brown head. Smells sweet, roasty, chocolate. Tastes dark chocolate, coffee, roasty, slightly red fruits. Full body, soft carbo.

7.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Tap at GABF. Pours black with small tan head that diminishes to nothing. The aroma is strong cocoa, licorice, roast, wood, bourbon. Slick body, roast, dark chocolate, licorice, spice, light booze finish, very good.

7.4

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Glass, 4-ounce, draught, on the premise, trip for Dark Lord Day with Luc Bourbonnière, savoured on April 24 2015; eye: black, opaque, no head, no lacing; nose: bourbon, woody, roasted barley, molasses, alcohol, coffee; mouth: bourbon, woody, roasted barley, molasses, alcohol, coffee, bittering hops, alcohol, alcohol warmth, pepper, semi-dry finale in ink with presence of acridness, full body, below-average carbonation, surprisingly bitter, lightly harsh texture; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Verre, 4 onces, en fût, bue sur place, voyage pour Dark Lord Day avec Luc Bourbonnière, savourée le 24 avril 2015; œil : noire, opaque, pas de mousse, pas de dentelle; nez : bourbon, boisé, orge torréfiée, mélasse, alcool, café; bouche : bourbon, boisé, orge torréfiée, mélasse, alcool, café, houblon amérisant, alcool, chaleur d’alcool, poivre, finale semi-sèche en encre avec présence d’âcreté, corsée, carbonatation sous la moyenne, curieusement amère, texture légèrement rugueuse; en résumé : bien

7.2

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

A deep dark stout with almost no head. In aroma, loads of bourbon barrel notes, woody notes, chocolate malt, vanilla, alcohol warmth. In mouth, a sweet fruity chocolate malt with loads of bourbon barrel, alcohol warmth, light licorice, grassy hops, pleasant if a bit too much barrel. On tap at brewery.