Barrel-Aged VJ Black
Atwater Brewery in Detroit, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Rotating Out of Production|
Score
6.83
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willisread (9761) reviewed Barrel-Aged VJ Black from Atwater Brewery 5 years ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Bottle from Livonia Liquor. Pours a deep brown to black with a finger of brown head that dissipates quickly. Dark chocolate, cacao nib, cola and light bourbon aromas on the nose. Some charred malt and slightly astringent flavors on the palate that are kind of off-putting. Roasted cacao nib and more burned coffee with some barrel as it warms.
superspak (10160) reviewed Barrel-Aged VJ Black from Atwater Brewery 7 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 10/2018. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a small fairly dense and fluffy khaki head with solid retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Good appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, fudge, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, nuts, and dark bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, 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/bready malt, vanilla, coffee, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, fudge, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, nuts, and dark bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal, roast, char bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, fudge, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, nuts, dark bread, light molasses/dark fruit, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, coffee, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a great 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. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 11%, with minimal barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barrel aged flavored imperial stout. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, coffee, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV with the mellowly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Great balance of rich malts, vanilla, coffee, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with light fruity yeast and earthy hop balance. Not overly boozy/tannic on barrels, or bitter/charred on malts. A very enjoyable offering, and impressive style example. Very minimal complaints.