Dark Knight - Barley John's Brew Pub

LittleBreeze

New York

4.7/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2006 vintage on tap at the brewery (7/7/2008)

Small light cocoa head on black.

The smell is fantastic. I think I could enjoy the smell forever. Bourbon. Nice warm vanilla. Chocolate...there is a spice or herb like smell in the background. There is so much going on in this beer. Taste adds roasted coffee, fruits, sweetness and a little bitter bit to the aromatic flavors. Baltic Porter that chews like a RIS. Outstanding mouthfeel.

At over 13%, this beer is smooth. 5 oz pour at a pub is enough. This sipper is smooth and complex...and rich.

If you have an opportunity...try this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2008 03:48:16 | More by LittleBreeze

hopazoid

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I bought a growler back in January and took a chance at transferring it into 750ml bottles. Surprisingly it held up very well. Poured just like it did from the tap.

Dark brown in color.
Nice bourbon chocolate aroma.
Taste of heavy bourbon, oak, caramel and chocolate.
Velvety smooth mouth feel.
Over all one of the best Baltic Porters around.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 05:46:10 | More by hopazoid

will1256

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%

02-22-2013 18:29:40 | More by will1256

DarthGuitarHero

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%

02-06-2013 15:13:58 | More by DarthGuitarHero

Hopstout

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +14.7%

02-03-2013 17:29:22 | More by Hopstout

Hopsiam14

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%

01-31-2013 02:02:53 | More by Hopsiam14

smogfood

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -8.3%

01-19-2013 16:52:14 | More by smogfood

Cooper

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -8.3%

01-18-2013 22:35:02 | More by Cooper

spycow

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%

01-13-2013 22:05:38 | More by spycow

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.44/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the brewpub. Listed as Dark Knight Returns, ABV unknown. Tasted 9 January 2013.

Pours black, thick and viscous; brown at the edges. Poured to the brim, leaving just a bit of room for medium-tan head. Good lacing.

Smell is a near-perfect barrel-aged beer. Velvety smooth soft whiskey, with no bite. Backed by sweet dark malts - molasses, a bit of smoked wood. Great integration of the bourbon and beer aromas.

Taste is sweet, and heavy on the bourbon. Smooth, but it's more divided here than in the smell, more obvious that it's a mix of beer and barrel, rather than one smooth operation. That leaves it a little sharper than the smell. Prunes and tobacco. Slightly woody. Drifts into more pronounced bourbon in the back-end, where it's at its least good.

Feel is big, thick, and chewy, almost fudgy. But just enough carbonation to cut the heaviness.

A darn impressive beer. The first barrel-aged baltic porter I've had, but it far surpasses many barrel-aged imperial stouts. Smooth, rich, and flavorful, with great barrel integration. Yum.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2013 07:14:11 | More by zeledonia

josephwa

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - frothy mocha head, dark brown color, good head retention.
S - bourbon, roast, chocolate, sugar, oak.
T - roasted malt, bourbon, strong whiskey after taste!
M - very bubbly, light medium body.
O - overall really tasty, almost tastes like half whiskey, half Baltic porter.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2013 16:36:10 | More by josephwa

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to FooFaa for bringing this growler to our gathering. Poured into a snifter, the brew appears black in color with a brown head sitting atop. Some spotty lace sticks to the glassware.

The aroma is toasted coconut mixed with a perfume-like amount of sticky sweet smelling vanilla. A bit of toasty oak barrel and alcohol emerge as it warms. Plenty of chocolate roasted grain inclusion to keep things interesting.

The taste is bitter coffee and chocolate grain flavoring. A rich fruity alcohol aspect blends midpalate before finishing with the previously described perfume vanilla and toasty coconut aspects. The overall flavor profile of this beer is like 5% beer and 95% barrel aging character.

Lighter to medium bodied with a smooth light level of carbonation. As preiously stated, this beer is pretty darn good with nothing bad or off about it (except for the unreasonably high price in my opinion.) My only gripe is that this beer's character is totally dominated by the barrel presence and doesnt leave much room for the beer's base to come through. If the opportunity presented itself i would certainly drink this again but not at $70+ a growler.

Serving type: growler

12-04-2012 18:35:02 | More by stakem

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -14%

11-27-2012 18:32:52 | More by coreyfmcdonald

THECPJ

Delaware

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%

11-26-2012 17:44:35 | More by THECPJ

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%

11-26-2012 17:24:32 | More by orangesol

warnerry

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%

11-10-2012 02:18:11 | More by warnerry

Beerdregs

Minnesota

4.88/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the dark knight returns halloween bash.

A: Served in a small tulip glass. Poured a black, no light passing through with a half finger of espresso brown head.

S: Wonderful bourbon aroma with mingling of dark fruits, charred oak and chocolate. The aroma is letting me know there is a lot coming up on the taste.

T: Bourbon, chocolate, dried fruit and some mocha like sweetness that I haven't tasted before from a non-coffee stout. Sweet, but balanced perfectly between the bourbon and alc. burn.

M: Slick/oily mouthfeel with mild carbonation. Dries fairly quickly in the mouth as the alc. dissipates the flavors and aromas up into the nose.

O: This is an excellent big bourbon stout. Unsurprisingly Barley John's has another peerless beer in their line up. The only downside is the price at over 9 dollars for a small tulip! Was worth it though.

Serving type: on-tap

11-01-2012 02:07:00 | More by Beerdregs

Cyclone8

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%

10-31-2012 19:18:01 | More by Cyclone8

theCoder

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%

10-25-2012 23:18:05 | More by theCoder

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -8.3%

08-20-2012 03:17:07 | More by t0rin0

bsuedekum

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%

07-28-2012 05:38:55 | More by bsuedekum

eawolff99

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%

06-12-2012 20:08:53 | More by eawolff99

sbricker

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%

04-22-2012 14:23:21 | More by sbricker

bhayle

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +14.7%

03-06-2012 03:17:53 | More by bhayle

afksports

New York

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

An absolutely fantastic beer, that presented dark as night, rich and thick. Had a fantastic bourbon aroma, that was slightly subdued. It was big and sweet, but not too big, and not as cloying as some of the sweeter stouts that are the trend now. It had a roastiness to it, and a serious roundness from the barrel. Clean finish, and delicious combination of malts on the palate.

Thanks for the hook up on the growler, Mike!

Serving type: growler

02-24-2012 20:42:40 | More by afksports