Decadence (Bourbon Barrel Edmund Fitzgerald With Cocoa And Raspberries) - Fitger's Brewhouse

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.55/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter. Bottle #95/200.

Appearance - Dark, not quite black. Small khaki head. Some wisps.

Smell - Buckets of raspberries. Holy crap. I get no cocoa nibs. Just some dark malts. A little less caramel than the base. Bourbon is secondary, but still faintly present.

Taste - Straight raspberry and chocolate. Some of the bourbon comes through. Mostly in the finish. Amazing that the bourbon gets cut so much by the raspberry.

Mouthfeel - Astringent fruit flavor thins this out. The base was a bit thin, but this is dry.

Overall - The raspberry detracts from what made Bourbon Ed good. And the chocolate is mostly lost.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 02:27:15 | More by Alieniloquium

ehammond1

California

2.6/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Bottle (2012) (Bottle 193 of 200)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, stig!

Rich, dark black throughout with a moderate, even somewhat large, dark brown head for the style. Leaves streaks and dots of lace down the glass. Appropriate, but this does appear a little bit too highly carbonated.

Dominating aroma of raspberry right from the jump, and they don't die down at all as the beer warms; the raspberry character only gets bigger and more pronounced. Mild roast and hidden chocolate; very minimal barrel character.

The flavor is of sour raspberries, mild roast, minimal barrel character. The flavors don't blend well at all, especially when I was expecting a big, rich, barrel-aged RIS with some raspberry. This is a sour raspberry stout.

The mouthfeel is the beer's ultimate undoing. Huge, prickly, unpleasant carbonation. Particularly inappropriate for the style.

Nobody particularly cared for this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 16:03:24 | More by ehammond1

siradmiralnelson

Iowa

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 750ml corked and caged bottle into globe glass.

A. Pours a great big ol 3 finger tan colored head. Great retention. Decent lacing. Color is black.

S. Chocolate, roasted malt, berries, yeast, coffee, a little mustiness. Sweet fruity and chocolatey is what I get. Smells pretty smooth. Really no trace of an alcohol smell. I like the smell on this one, it hints at a beer that I would like to drink.

T. Holy sour raspberry! Damn puckering sour. In your face blast of tart fruit. Aftertaste is a milk chocolate delight. Almost like two beers mixed together, a tart lambic with a nice imperial chocolate stout. Some of the tartness fades as you drink, and the beer warms but still a pretty sour Imperial Stout. Drinking the whole 750, the taste definitely grew on me and the tartness of the raspberries gave way to a nice milk chocolate roasty stout.

M. Medium/full bodied. Medium carbonation. Lingering tartness.

O. Was expecting something different. The raspberries definitely dominate this beer. I prefer fruit to be an accent to a beer, not the main show. More chocolate flavors comes out as it warms, and that is a really delicous flavor. Would like to see Ed with just the cocoa added. I think that would be an amazing beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 02:07:01 | More by siradmiralnelson

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.43/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle.
105/200

Pours a very nice pure black with a nice 1 inch tan head. The head is quite frothy and dense with some more medium sized bubbles intermingled in there.

Aroma starts off with intense raspberry notes. Pure raspberry jam and fresh raspberries. AMazing nose. SOme slight tartness is perceived but very well balanced with the sugary jam like note. Some nice roast and cocoa notes can be perceived with some mild dark chocolate bitterness as well as some milk chocolate sweetness all with a great fruit background. A bit of coffee can be perceived. Amazing.

Flavor is impressive. Starts off with sweet raspberry notes then some intense roasted notes and then some coffee and back with some more raspberry. It is like an orgy of raspberry jam and a stout and coffee. There is some slight bourbon caramel like sweetness on the back end as well as some mild woody vanilla and spice. But the raspberry notes keep you off-balance. In a good way. The finish has some nice roast and coffee with some dark malts and some raspberry tartness. Interesting finish and body with a very dry and not as oily as expected end.

Very good brew. Interesting and delicious. The raspberry notes are impressive and play well with the roast and the dark malts. The back end has the nice syrupy caramel bourbon that is then once again combined with some fruity raspberry.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 23:22:22 | More by JoEBoBpr

Chriscrundwell12

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle, sharred with Sournotes and Mothamn.

Bottle 56/200

A- Pours a one finger brown head that dissipates to a thin layer around the glass, dark black color, attractive looking beer.
S- The aroma is really nice, love the raspberry fruitiness that comes out right away, cocoa and dark malt come out right after that, roasted notes as well, coffee, the bourbon is nowhere to be seen.
T- Huge raspberry tartness upfront, love the raspberry flavor, love the cocoa and roasted coffee notes that come out as well, the bourbon comes out at the end but very slightly, really impressive.
M- Medium/Big mouth feel, smooth drinking, dry aftertaste, well carbonated, leaves a big roasted aftertaste.
O- Love this beer, a lot going on, raspberry tartness upfront, than the cocoa and roastiness comes out, than the bourbon comes in the finish, a lot of layers, overall I would of preferred less raspberry tartness and more bourbon/barrel characteristics, but still very impressed.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 00:58:28 | More by Chriscrundwell12

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had my cousin pick me up this one! Very happy to have someone near Fitgers!

Bottle 56 of 200

Pours a half finger of tan head. Color is a deep black.

Aroma: The raspberries show up front. Very fresh. Then the cocoa and malts hit. A decent amount of coffee and roast. Very faint bourbon notes with caramel.

Taste: Big fresh raspberry flavor upfront. Real fruit tartness. Then the cocoa hits with malts and a big coffee roast. Caramel and chocolate. The bourbon flavors try and hid but are able to be tasted after the roast.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and roasted. A bit dry. Medium to full bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends roasted.

Overall, this was a really nice beer. The raspberries were spot on. Maybe a bit too much roast and not enough barrel flavors. Solid stuff.

Note: We had some 'dark chocolate with raspberries' and it made this beer outstanding. It toned down the roast and brought out more chocolate. I highly recommend this.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 23:01:21 | More by mothman