8.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
16.9 oz. bottle. My mother got my four bottle allocation as my birthday present since I was hunting BCBS. Mom, you rock!!! Pitch black with almost no head, tan bubbles. Aroma is a steady, lingering rye spice from the bourbon.
The flavor is nice mellow spicy rye bourbon with the base R.I.S still very mellow and with warming, the alcohol is totally hidden and just a tad in the finish that leads to a warming sensation after the swallow. Carbonation is very soft. Really a smooth mouthfeel with bourbon present throughout the sip. Overall a very finely brewed imperial stout that was for sure enhanced by the bourbon treatment.
The flavor is nice mellow spicy rye bourbon with the base R.I.S still very mellow and with warming, the alcohol is totally hidden and just a tad in the finish that leads to a warming sensation after the swallow. Carbonation is very soft. Really a smooth mouthfeel with bourbon present throughout the sip. Overall a very finely brewed imperial stout that was for sure enhanced by the bourbon treatment.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Dec 2015
at 16:17
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Draught at Barley House, 11/28/15.
Light haziness to the brassy-gold body and a firm white head atop.
Can smell the stuff practically as it’s comin off the tap. Tons of floral and grassy hops intertwined with lemon and tangerine citrus character. Fresh yeast adds more fruitiness, with just a smattering of white bread and crackers. No alcohol or flaws.
Dry, bitter and with a full, round mouthfeel. Cracker and biscuit-like malts dont quite scratch at the palate, but theres little comforting maltiness to be had in the face of the heavily grassy, rather lemony hops. Clean, with moderate carbonation and a crisp finish. Very hoppy yet also very drinkable.
Light haziness to the brassy-gold body and a firm white head atop.
Can smell the stuff practically as it’s comin off the tap. Tons of floral and grassy hops intertwined with lemon and tangerine citrus character. Fresh yeast adds more fruitiness, with just a smattering of white bread and crackers. No alcohol or flaws.
Dry, bitter and with a full, round mouthfeel. Cracker and biscuit-like malts dont quite scratch at the palate, but theres little comforting maltiness to be had in the face of the heavily grassy, rather lemony hops. Clean, with moderate carbonation and a crisp finish. Very hoppy yet also very drinkable.
Tried
from Can
on 28 Nov 2015
at 11:39
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle, undated, from Ball Square liquors (shelf), drunk 11/19/15.
Copper body has plentiful white head atop and good clarity. Strong retention.
Well damn is this a tropical paradise or what? Pineapple, coconut, cherry, kiwi, mango...however you want to score it. It smells kind of like one of those fruit cocktails with coconut shreds, maraschino cherry and mandarin oranges, though minus the artificiality or syrupy sweetness. Really, really, really aromatic and just bursting with juiciness. Very light pinch of pine and a hint of scallion, I guess.
Flavor is equally juicy, tropical and delightful. Cherry notes find proper bitterness and citrus and pineapple grow towards the finish. Pale malts are dripping with honey but balance nicely while providing a very comforting texture. Some light pine and a bit of earthiness knock the brightness down a few notches from what it is in the nose, but this is still amazing. Given how great the IPA was, I’m not too surprised. Yes.
Copper body has plentiful white head atop and good clarity. Strong retention.
Well damn is this a tropical paradise or what? Pineapple, coconut, cherry, kiwi, mango...however you want to score it. It smells kind of like one of those fruit cocktails with coconut shreds, maraschino cherry and mandarin oranges, though minus the artificiality or syrupy sweetness. Really, really, really aromatic and just bursting with juiciness. Very light pinch of pine and a hint of scallion, I guess.
Flavor is equally juicy, tropical and delightful. Cherry notes find proper bitterness and citrus and pineapple grow towards the finish. Pale malts are dripping with honey but balance nicely while providing a very comforting texture. Some light pine and a bit of earthiness knock the brightness down a few notches from what it is in the nose, but this is still amazing. Given how great the IPA was, I’m not too surprised. Yes.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Nov 2015
at 15:46
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draught at Deep Ellum, 11/17/15.
Dark black, of indeterminable clarity with a tan head that is medium-sized and slowly fades to cover.
"Dry" in the nose. I realize you can’t really perceive sweet/dry in an aroma, but it still dosent have a fudgey-chocolatey character as much as it does have a crunchy, earthy, coffee bean and treacle character. Very light vanilla, some peanut brittle. Conveys a lot of the character of coffee, minus the actual coffee character itself, if that makes any sense, which it probably dosent.
Medium-bodied, actually quite a bit more watery and drinkable than expected, with soft, fudge accents and light vanilla through the middle as more roast builds and climaxes on the end. Nicely dry with a touch of saltiness. Nothing mind-blowing/ground-breaking here, but I love the relative restraint on the abv (seems like there’s a big porter abv creep, just as there is with IPAs) and the flavors are all enjoyable.
Dark black, of indeterminable clarity with a tan head that is medium-sized and slowly fades to cover.
"Dry" in the nose. I realize you can’t really perceive sweet/dry in an aroma, but it still dosent have a fudgey-chocolatey character as much as it does have a crunchy, earthy, coffee bean and treacle character. Very light vanilla, some peanut brittle. Conveys a lot of the character of coffee, minus the actual coffee character itself, if that makes any sense, which it probably dosent.
Medium-bodied, actually quite a bit more watery and drinkable than expected, with soft, fudge accents and light vanilla through the middle as more roast builds and climaxes on the end. Nicely dry with a touch of saltiness. Nothing mind-blowing/ground-breaking here, but I love the relative restraint on the abv (seems like there’s a big porter abv creep, just as there is with IPAs) and the flavors are all enjoyable.
Tried
from Can
on 25 Nov 2015
at 14:38
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Pours deep clear gold into a tulip. White head with good retention recedes leaving spot lacing. Tropical fruit and resin aromas. Sharp to medium bodied with sweet mango and pineapple upfront turning to resin before the lasting pith finish.
Tried
on 07 Nov 2015
at 19:31
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Pours light gold into a tulip. Bright white head with good retention recedes leaving spot lacing. Tropical fruit and resin aromas. Medium bodied with grapefruit pith upfront turning to citrus marshmallows before the lasting resin finish. Pretty big for a session - coming in at almost 6 - I’m not sure why it’s called that style...
Tried
on 05 Nov 2015
at 19:07
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Pours deep brown into an English pint. Mocha head with excellent retention recedes leaving spot lacing. Dark chocolate and charred espresso aromas. Medium bodied with dark caramel and chocolate upfront turning to smoky espresso in the lasting finish. Solid.
Tried
on 02 Nov 2015
at 17:19
7.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Keg pour at NH Brewfest. Appearance is yellow pour without sparkle with finger-width white foamy head and nice lacing. Aroma is dominant mild spruce over pine hops. Taste is light corn, mainly spruce/pine, moderately bitter. Palate is light-to-medium bodied with average texture, average to lively carbonation with bitter spruce finish. Overall, bitter hops is definitely the theme here but not in an obnoxious way and not so dominant that you don’t get flavor.
Tried
on 24 Oct 2015
at 21:24
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Mix review of taster pour at NH Brewfest and can pour into nonic pint glass. Appearance is opaque black with trace sparkle at the sides of the glass, two-finger width foamy light brown head with poor retention and no lacing. Aroma is roasted malts and cocoa, cardboard. Taste is roasted malts, chocolate and light coffee. Palate is light-to-medium bodied with thin, smooth texture, soft carbonation but a little sting to the tip of the tongue and mostly sweet with light bitter balanced finish. Overall, a really enjoyable beer with nice roasted character and decent balance for the style.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Oct 2015
at 22:59
9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Keg pour at NH Brewfest. Appearance is opaque black pour with small off-white head and fair lacing. Aroma is deeply roasted malt with hints of coffee and chocolate. Taste is same as aroma--more medium roasted sweet maltiness with mild coffee/chocolate. Palate is medium bodied with average to lively carbonation with pleasant bitter finish. Overall, this fires on all cylinders.
Tried
on 20 Oct 2015
at 23:09