Black Butte XXIX

Porters always make me want a stout but this one is quite complex and thick, cinnamon and coconut upfront, spice in the back. Damn smooth.

From a bomber. Pours a clear dark cola with a tan head. Aroma of caramel, toffee and cocoa. Cinnmon and cayenne kicks in later, but is not overwhelming. Bitter roast finish. Delicious.

It pours like any other of the Anniversary Black Buttes, black, reasonable head of tan foam. Consistent.

Smells of cocoa, alcohol, maple syrup, vanilla, and I can sense a bit of heat.

Taste follows nose with that heat I mentioned rearing its not so ugly head on my throat during the swallow. Nice.
Not really sweet, not really bitter, it's roasty with the right amount of side flavours to keep me interested. Could do with less of the alcohol but that's where I reckon some cellaring would come into play.

Great mouthfeel.

Gawd, the price is up to $17.50 this year. Oh well, I'm a fan of the series.

My 100th Imperial Porter rating! 22 oz bottle shared by a friend, thanks Tyler! Bottled 6/12/2017. Dark brownish black with light tan head. Aromas of dark chocolate, caramel, cocoa, whiskey. Tastes of dark chocolate, cocoa, spices, light peppers, light bitter oak and rum. Medium-full body with a dry finish.

5700th review! 22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 6/12/2017. Pours nearly opaque very dark brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with awesome retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, bourbon, rum, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, raisin, plum, fig, date, licorice, anise, smoke, char, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, spices, bourbon/rum barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, bourbon, rum, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, raisin, plum, fig, date, licorice, anise, smoke, char, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/roast/char bitterness and pepper/cinnamon spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, bourbon, rum, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, molasses, dark fruit, anise, smoke, char, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, spices, bourbon/rum barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet and pepper/cinnamon spiciness balance; with zero acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from hop/char bitterness and pepper/cinnamon spiciness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and lightly silky/sticky/chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is well hidden; a light-moderate increasing warmth, with very slight booziness lingering after the finish. Mildly increasing cayenne/cinnamon heat through the glass. Overall this is a fantastic imperial porter style! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, spices, bourbon/rum barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV with the mildly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Amazing balance and integration of all flavors, with great barrel presence for only being a 50% blend. Perfectly balanced between bourbon and rum. Nice complimenting spice presence without going overboard. Very rich/complex malts, underlying fruity yeast complexity, and just enough hops to balance and bring it all together. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.