Dark Hollow
Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton, Virginia, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Regular|
Score
7.57
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Dark Hollow blends the miracle of two crafts--brewing and distillation--to create a work greater than the sum of its parts. An Imperial Stout has been aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels still dripping with uncut whiskey. For 100 days the young beer patiently breathes in and out of the wood, gaining complexity, character, and serious attitude. This ale is always bottle conditioned and can be enjoyed immediately upon its release from the brewery...or five years later, when you dust off the last vintage bottle from your cellar to share with good company.…
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8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle @ weekly tasting. Opaque pitch black color, medium sized brown head. Aroma is malts, walnut, bourbon, hazelnut, a touch of caramel, lightly sweet. Taste malts, chocolate, bourbon, slightly sweet, a nice liquor bitter finish. A bit thin texture for a 10% ABV beer, but a decent body and suitable carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Aug 2014
at 15:25
8.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle @ benzai. Pitch black with a medium sized light brown head. Smells bourbon, sweet, walnut, hazelnut, roasty, chocolate. Tastes too sweet, raisins, bourbon, caramel, malts, brown sugar. Full body, a bit too much carbo for this style.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Aug 2014
at 14:58
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Sampled on draft at Hou Thou this beer poured a black color with a small foamy beige head that faded quickly and left minimal lacing. The aroma was malty marzipan, cream, chocolate and vanilla. The flavor was strong cream, marzipan, bourbon, anise, faint chocolate and vanilla. A bit woody and boozy underneath. Long finish. Full bodied but undercarbonated. Interesting.
Tried
from Draft
on 16 Aug 2014
at 16:38
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle, 75cl corked. A clear looking next to black beer with a finger-thick, dense, light tan head. There’s a light boozy touch in the aroma, with roasted malts, coffee and dark chocolate. A bit one dimensional perhaps, but still nice. Croquant notes and some licorice hints. It’s full-bodied, yet feeling a bit thin, with a nice carbonation level and alcohol warmth. Bourbon, vanilla, coffee, dark sugars, dark chocolate and a little sweetness, with caramel sauce. Lasting finish. Sure a nice one, although not my preferred imp stout. Sort of boring, in a strange way. 140808
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Aug 2014
at 14:04
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle 750ml @ Geokkjer
Pours black with a tan head. Aroma has notes of roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, oak, licorice, coffee and alcohol. Taste is medium to heavy sweet and light to medium bitter with a long warm, vanilla, chocolate, coffee and oak finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Pours black with a tan head. Aroma has notes of roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, oak, licorice, coffee and alcohol. Taste is medium to heavy sweet and light to medium bitter with a long warm, vanilla, chocolate, coffee and oak finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Aug 2014
at 13:57
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
750 ml bottle into snifter, best before 10/2015. Pours pitch black color with a 1-2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, roasted malt, caramel, toast, vanilla, bourbon, toffee, oak, light coconut, light char, and roast/oak earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt and bourbon barrel notes; with good strength. Taste of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, roasted malt, caramel, toast, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, oak, light coconut, light char, and roast/oak earthiness. Slight roast/oak bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, roasted malt, caramel, toast, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, oak, light coconut, light char, and roast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, balance, and robustness of dark/roasted malt and bourbon barrel flavors; with an great malt/barrel balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy, and lightly slick/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barrel aged imperial stout. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted malt and bourbon barrel flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Jul 2014
at 19:53
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 6
Overall 8
On tap poured into a glass. Pours dark brown with light brown head. Taste is chocolate, bourbon, and some oak. Like the flavor and amount of bourbon and oak.
Tried
from Draft
on 19 Jul 2014
at 18:31
7.5/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle at Craig’s. Pours black, quite sweet vanilla and toffee, bitter, wee bit oxidised.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Jun 2014
at 12:05
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Last offering at the fourth Shrewsbury beer swap on 28th April 2014. A great beer to finish on. A 0.75 litre cork and caged beauty. Pours black with a good head of tanned foam. The beer is all about the over roasted malts and what they’ve done while resting in those barrels. Burnt, smooth yet bitter in nature, it packs a host of malty flavours, dark chocolate being the lead: add the woody notes and some Bourbon hints too. Very drinkable and warming, rich and filling. fortified me for the train journey and walk home.
Tried
on 29 Apr 2014
at 16:32
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
[April 17, 2014] Sample at Ale Alpharetta. Pours black, with a filmy tan head. The aroma is dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, coriander, and oak. Sweet, with a bitterness that grows the more you drink. Heavy body, sticky, and smooth. This is a good, but not great, barrel aged stout. [December 22, 2021] 22 oz. bottle, best by 2017. Rich dark chocolate, vanilla, almonds, walnuts, and sherry. Smooth, balanced, and delicious. Worth the wait!
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Apr 2014
at 19:21