Dark Knight - Barley John's Brew Pub

hopazoid

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +14.9%
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

aerozeppl

New York

4.65/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: Black. No light at all. Not even a little. Minimal mocha colored head.

S: Whiskey and then chocolate. The smell made me afraid to taste this beer. Really wonderful nose. Another beer I had that reminds me of this is the 30 year Old Dubh.

T: Starts off with oak and whiskey. Then it goes into a bitterness and finishes with a blast of chocolate. It also picked up some hints of coffee as it warmed.

M: Lighter than you would think. Probably still a heavy body but from the nose and the taste I wanted this to be tar.

D: Somehow really drinkable. The smell scares you but once you dive in it is a really nice treat. Awesome beer with an awesome name.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2008 17:11:46 | More by aerozeppl

Bierguy5

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Hand bottled, not sure if from a growler or at the brewery. Black as the depths of outer space. A very thin tan head disappears immediately.

Big bourbon barrel aroma, oak, vanilla, and alcohol. A few dark fruits in the background. Hints of chocolate and roasty malt finish things out in the nose.

Very boozy and warming. Good amount of oak character, but not quite overdone. Very sweet, almost cloying. A bit thin in the body for such a beast. Nicy roasty component. Some fruit as it warms. Ends up pretty nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2007 15:14:42 | More by Bierguy5

mcallister

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hand bottle from a trade. Pours a oily, viscous black color. Almost like sludge it may have even splashed on the pour. Poured with no head at all and no signs of carbonation.

I'm curious as to if this is really a Bourbon County Stout with the lable just taken off:)? Sweet vanilla laced oak, toasty and full of bourbon. Boozy and complex, cascading layers of wood, dark fruit, more wood, and sweet bourbon notes. Black cherry and black berry with a mollasses aroma. Dark chocolate covered fudge as well. An amazing aroma to say the least.

Huge amounts of residual sugar in this brew. Slightly cloying and sticky. Very oily viscous mouthfeel just as it poured in the glass. Only a thimble of carbonation, not sure if this is a culprit of the hand bottle. Very sweet concentrated vanilla flavors. Bourbony with a stomach turning type alcohol or it could be from the overly sweet elixir. However the beer is very good and desserty. Dark chocolatey ver dark fruits and brown sugar/mollasses. Creme freche. Thin and oily, and too sweet to drink many of.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2007 20:33:28 | More by mcallister

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

2.63/5  rDev -39.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Hand bottle courtesy of Stine: Poured a pitch-black color porter with a small dirty brown foamy head. Aroma of bourbon is quite overpowering with some sweet malt notes also noticeable. Taste is overpowered by bourbon and I had a hard time picking-up other flavour. Body is quite full with alcohol from the barrel really coming out. I was a bit surprised as I was not expecting so much bourbon to come out in such fashion and I am probably not the biggest bourbon fan around.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2007 00:31:52 | More by Phyl21ca

Jredner

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It’s nice when you get a whiff of a highly rated beer and know instantly it isn’t all hype. Rich milk and dark chocolate, blueberry, coffee, cream,fudge brownies, molasses, caramel and vanilla. The chocolate/fudge and coffee elements are strongest, but the blueberry fruity notes make a decent showing. There is a slightly dusty note in the tail end of the aroma. Quite varied and concentrated though. The body is deep black and holds a slowly diminishing thumb thick mocha head that compresses to nickel thickness. Slightly hot boozy notes in the first sip followed by burnt/bitter roast and coffee notes. Unsweetened baker’s chocolate, low sweetness dark fruits, very light bourbon notes. The mouthfeel is actually very porter-y despite the massive un-porter 13% abv. which you’d think might make it more an Imperial stout in thickness. The finish is vanilla, sweet cream, brown sugar and some more dark fruit notes this time lucious grape, raisin and prune. Doesn’t dissapoint. Great range. Seems to dip slightly in inteisity through the middle ranges, but the finish is very enjoyable and it drinks damn easy for a 13% abv beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2006 21:49:06 | More by Jredner

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4.47/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hand bottled at the brewery.
Dated 2/7/05 on a computer label.

Pours opaque, shimmering, black.
Subdued beige head attempted fullness, but fell as quick as it rose.
Crescent edging of large to medium bubbles remain, along with dotted legs on the chalice.
Huge bourbon in the nose, vanilla beans, and dark chocolates.
Buffalo Trace drizzled fresh brownies with vanilla ice cream on the side.
Aromatics finish with lingering whiskey heat and black forest cake batter.
Medium body, oily and fusel laden.
Loads of bourbon on the pallet- a prelude to bitter chocolates, espresso, burnt caramel, and charred oak.
Extremely warming as it finishes, with the alcohols thinning out the thick, chewy profile a bit.
The bourbon slowly fades revealing a faint vanilla note.
Without a doubt, the most bourbon I have ever had in a beer, and it works very well with such a well made baltic.
Boo-yea.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2006 01:19:14 | More by brewandbbq

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.44/5  rDev +2.1%
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 +14.9%
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 -5.7%
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

Beerdregs

Minnesota

4.88/5  rDev +12.2%
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

afksports

New York

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
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

drowland

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Great Taste of the Midwest. Pitch black pour with a small brown head that fades quickly. Awesome aroma of bourbon, vanilla, oak, and more. Amazing flavor of wood, chocolate, coconut, and lingering roast coffee. Awesome flavors and perfect balance. Stellar.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2012 22:02:58 | More by drowland

baconsausage

Vermont

4.6/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 release
Pours a very dark brown with a minimal amour of tan carbonation. Smells is dripping with bourbon and chocolate. Taste is more of the same, with light carbonation. Smooth with a little dark fruit in the mix. Really good. Thanks liquor barrel!

Serving type: growler

10-25-2011 04:02:49 | More by baconsausage

ottovon

Arizona

4.03/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

thanks to phelps for sharing this at the last tasting.

A: pours out of the week old growler thick, dark, and with almost no head. the head that did pop up was brown.

S: tons of bourbon. there is vanilla and some oak. chocolate, molasses, toffee, and hints of smoke and coffee. there is a touch of sweetness, and a bit of soy sauce.

T: lots of bourbon. vanilla and oak. i get chocolate, toffee and it finishes quite bitter. there is a bit of smoke nd some soy. as it warms more dark fruit comes out with some raisin aromas.

M: thick and low carb.

O: this is a good beer. I assume it lost some carb in the growler.

Serving type: growler

09-12-2011 03:49:15 | More by ottovon

HopHead84

California

4.25/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

8/27/2011

Growler shared by Ross at Woodshop Classix. Thanks for the long time want.

A: Black and viscous with a fast fading head.

S: Fudge with huge vanilla and brown sugar notes. Bourbon is powerful and excellent. A moderate roasted malt presence accompanies oak and molasses.

T: Rich dark chocolate with oak and bourbon. Molasses is evident and there's a lot of booze. Malt is moderately roasted and there's some cocoa.

M: Full in body with upper moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is sticky and chewy.

Overall: A bit boozy in the flavor, but still excellent stuff. I don't understand why this is so expensive.

Serving type: growler

08-30-2011 14:41:25 | More by HopHead84

Phelps

Arizona

4.03/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed at the Barley John’s brewpub inside a 5.5-ounce wine glass. According to our server, this particular batch was aged in Heaven Hill barrels.

Murky, inky and thick like molasses, the beer’s a deep black-brown. There’s zero head, but I didn’t expect much when the server told me this was around 18 percent ABV. A stain from this would never come out.

I can smell the bourbon from a foot away. When I get closer, booze permeates the senses: deep, sweet butterscotch, cocoa nibs, molasses, vanilla, oak. Maybe some prunes, hints of anise and smoke way down below, but this is overpowered by bourbon. As it warms, I do get more cocoa.

Hot Damn! The underlying smoky porter comes through just enough in the flavor, lending bittersweet dark chocolate and hints of smoke to the still-powerful barrels. From those, I get oodles of bourbon, toffee, vanilla extract and molasses. It’s sweet, but there’s just enough bitterness to keep it from being cloying. When it reaches room temperature, I find marshmallow!

The server from earlier must be high — there’s no way this is above 16 percent ABV. I’d be inclined to say it’s under ten, it’s so well-hidden behind the mountains of flavor. The buttery medium-full body is a velvety delight, the carbonation is lightly prickly, and there’s zero harshness at the swallow. So smooth.

Dark Knight just gets better and better as I go through the glass, but there could be more balance and a better show of porter flavors. Tone back the bourbon just a bit and we're in business.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2011 23:16:33 | More by Phelps

seeswo

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2 pours enjoyed at the GTotMW.

Looks dark with a very light dark brown head. The nose is big roast and bourbon, cocoa, chocolate, oak. Yum. Smells really good. The taste is huge, roasty malts, sweet bourbon and maybe just a hint of booze. Really big beer that is somehow only slightly boozy in spite of its obvious size. Impressively put together. Creamy and smooth, lower carbonation. This is a pretty great beer that is unfortunately is a hard one to get. Not perfect, but very enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2011 02:04:32 | More by seeswo

jera1350

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a 5 oz. piece of stemware. Pure black with a mere trace of bubbles as a ring around the glass. Not really any lacing.

Rich smell of molasses, toffee and bourbon. Sweet and boozy smelling.

The taste packs a big flavor punch. Not a lot of sweetness like I was expecting. Lightly so, with notes of molasses, vanilla and burnt toffee. Oh yeah, there is some bourbon too. Actually, there is a lot of oaky bourbon. A touch hot, but not overwhelmingly so. It's like drinking fresh Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. Like it, Dark Knight would be even better after a couple years of aging.

Very dry with a slick feel. Full bodied for sure.

So glad I got to try this. This is one big brew. After five ounces, I was feeling it. According to the bartender, this could weigh in anywhere from 13% abv and up. I believe it. A very good beer that is worth a try for sure, but not worth the $70 a growler price tag in my opinion. That is unless you can split it up amongst several friends. Believe me, you will need to share this high octane beast.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2011 16:15:55 | More by jera1350

mdfb79

New York

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From 07/08/11 notes. HUGE thanks to Thorpe429 for saving me a few oz's of this; thanks a lot Mike! Poured into my Foothills taster glass.

a - Pours a very dark brown, almost black color, with a few bubbles of dark tan head and moderate carbonation still evident. Looks pretty heavy and thick.

s - Smells of bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, roasted malts, and dark fruits. Heavy bourbon in the nose, which I love. Smells pretty great.

t - Tastes of bourbon, dark fruits, chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla, and alcohol. Some heat in the taste, which brings it down a bit, but still very good.

m - Thick motor oil like full body and low carbonation. Creamy body and some definite heat, but not too bad considering abv.

o - Overall this is a great barrel aged porter. There is some definite heat to it, but the nose is fantastic. Would certainly love to have this one again some day.

Serving type: growler

07-11-2011 20:22:20 | More by mdfb79

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.53/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Growler shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike!

The beer appears nearly black, with a small, mocha colored head that hangs out for a bit, leaving random traces of lacing on the glass. The aroma is fantastic, with delectable bourbon, oak, roast, and chocolate. The beer is so smooth and well balanced. Hints of brown sugar with a healthy malt, bourbon, and roast presence. Delicious! The beer is medium to full bodied and creamy. Silky smooth on the palate, with alcohol hidden extremely well. Carbonation is light, but present. Overall, an outstanding beer. Highly recommended.

***
Had several pours of a growler shared by Brad. Again, fantastic stuff. Would love to have this again.

Serving type: growler

07-11-2011 18:03:23 | More by Huhzubendah

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.58/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Growler generously shared by ygtbsm. Thanks again Brad!

Pours a viscous dark brown that appears almost pitch black in the glass with a one finger mocha head that settles into a thin ring.  Spotty lacing left behind but this beer has amazing legs.  

Sweet boozy aroma with lots of dark malt, sweet bourbon, earthy oak, chocolate, toffee and oatmeal.  The malt aromas are evident but are overpowered by the strong bourbon character.  

Viscous body with lots of boozy heat and bourbon flavor.  Way too hot with lots of burning alcohol that overpowers the other flavors and tons of warmth/burning in the finish.  Underneath the strong barrel/spirit presence there is some chocolate, toffee and toast.  Way too much bourbon and alcohol sweetness resulting in a one dimensional beer that isn't very interesting.  Thick and viscous mouthfeel helps things a bit but there is no depth or complexity.

Serving type: growler

07-09-2011 06:32:23 | More by corby112

AgentZero

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Riddle me this! Thanks to spycow for hooking this up.

A - Dark as knight, er night. Black beer with a little tan head that didn't leave much on the sides. Quite opaque.

S - Lots of chocolate, little dark fruit, some roasted and slightly charred malts. The barrel aging comes through nicely, with oak, vanilla, mellow bourbon. Good stuff.

T - Lots of chocolate, roast, bourbon, oak, vanilla. Not really sure what more you could ask for. Booze and roast are a little stronger than I would have thought for 12%, actually thought this was a stout with higher ABV.

M - Full bodied, lower carbonation. This beer is really thick and almost chewey at times.

O - Good beer, it was a bit much at times, and can really only do it in small doses, but I liked it and as far as imperial BA porters, this is about as good as it gets.

Serving type: growler

07-09-2011 04:05:18 | More by AgentZero

scottfrie

California

4.2/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing, Jeff.

A: Pours a super dark brown, almost black, with a thin dark brown film of a head.
S: The bourbon definitely dominates but I can pick out scents of sweet raisins and caramel or molasses along with light oak and vanilla.
T: Bourbon, dark fruits, sweet caramel, molasses and chocolate, with a few hints of vanillay oak and roasted malt.
M: Big full body, super booze and thick mouthfeel, soft carbonation.
O: A powerful bourbon filled sipper that I enjoyed and would have no problem drinking again. Thanks again, Jeff.

Serving type: growler

06-25-2011 15:16:57 | More by scottfrie

womencantsail

California

4.33/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to Jeff for sharing this one.

A: The beer pours pitch black in color with a thin layer of tan foam.

S: Just an amazingly smooth aroma. The bourbon provides an excellent sweet vanilla scent and goes quite well with plenty of dark chocolate and roasted malts. Sweet burnt sugar and a bit of molasses.

T: The bourbon and chocolate flavors are just awesome. Fairly sweet, but not cloying. Dark chocolate, molasses, and vanilla give this beer a very intense richness. Just a little bit of dark fruits.

M: Full in body with a smooth, low carbonation.

O: This one lived up to expectations for me. Just an awesome beer.

Serving type: growler

06-23-2011 04:42:51 | More by womencantsail