12oz bottle. Opaque black body, thin creamy beige head. Medium to full bodied, drinks really clean and smooth for the style, which tend to be on the booze bomb side of the equation these days. This one however, is really nice. Don’t get me wrong, this is a barrel bomb, huge barrel notes, the whiskey creeps in more every sip, really shining, but balanced by the creamy chocolate notes. Displays a mellow body and refined depth that I find lacking in most extreme beers. Tobacco, licorice, chocolate, leather. Quite tasty and unique.

Pours a hazed dark reddish-brown color with a medium beige head that burns away steadily. Partial rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malt, subtle oak and a bit of fruit. Medium body with flavors of roasted coffee and malt, slight bourbon and dark fruit. The finish is slightly boozy with a malt aftertaste. Not as robust as I hoped, decent overall.
Earlier Rating: 9/17/2009 Total Score: 3.9
Sample at the North Market Microbrew Festival on 09/12/2009. The beer pours black with a medium light brown head that disappears quickly. Spotty lacing on the glass. Bourbon aroma with notes of malt and coffee. Full body with flavors of oak, malt, dark fruit and mild coffee. The finish is oaky bourbon and a dark malt flavor that lingers. Pretty good overall.