Big Black Voodoo Daddy

Pours black with a tan head that lingers some and then dies down leaving minimal lacing on my glass
Smell is first of roast, dark fruit, coffee, chocolate, and some molasses.
Taste is lots of roasted dark malts, chocolate, some bitterness, molasses and some vanilla. Flavors go together pretty well.
Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with light carbonation
Drinkability is good, this beer goes down nice and easy and I could drink another bottle once I finished the first.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-15-2010 02:29:26 | id: 1127900

This is from the first release going back to early 2009. Deuane was kind enough to grab me a couple of bottles. Thanks, man!

The pour is gorgeous, jet black with dark brown highlights, capped with a dense brown head with excellent retention and lacing. A very attractive imperial stout.

The nose is great, layers of dark chocolate, coffee, roasted barley and a noticeable oak character with a blend of raw wood and vanilla. Some brown sugar is noticeable, but the blend is mostly some roast and chocolate. Alcohol is noticeable, but I wouldn't peg it at 12.5% ABV. Dark fruit character is noticeable with some raisins. Very well balanced, I do get a slight ashy aroma every few whiffs. However, it never really gets distracting.

The palate opens big with a blend of roasted barley character with a mild grainy sweetness before big flavors of unsweetened cocoa, a mellow coffee, but mostly, this is dominated by the flavors of roasted barley. Mild brown sugar character is noticeable mid-palate along with a rather raw oak character counterbalanced by vanilla. The mellow fruit notes with ripe plums helps balance out the sweetness. Finishing with a blend of roasted malt bitterness, a touch of tannins and a mild sweetness, this is quite excellently balanced. Full in body with a soft carbonation, the mouthfeel is quite excellent. However, the bitterness does get to be a bit much after a while. Very impressive. I'm going to enjoy sipping this for the next couple of hours.

I previously consumed this beer at a tasting, and I wasn't particularly impressed. The subtlety and balance was lost on me at the time

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-15-2010 00:23:38 | id: 1127759

Poured into a snifter it appears black in color with brown hues around the edges when held up to the light. Presents 2 fingers of darkly tanned head that has decent retension and a bunch of lace sticks along the glass. Nose is dark burnt grain with a bit of some yeasty notes, chocolate, coffee and rounded out with smokey character blended throughout. This aroma is nothing shy of world class, honestly brilliant and quite complex. No single part of the nose dominates the other aspects. Taste is bitter chocolate, strong coffee, oak/smokiness and alcohol both in warmth and in taste. Finishes a little malty sweet but mostly bitter. Feel is quite light and moderate to highly carbonated. Very enjoyable and super drinkable. There is a lingering taste of chocolate and coffee left in the mouth along with a bit of breadiness that comes through somehow despite all the other bold flavors.

This is really a top quality Imperial Stout. I would love to see what some more age would do to this. If you are a fan of bold, full flavored stout you absolutely need to see this out.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-12-2010 01:02:22 | id: 1125450

Another big thanks goes out to imperialking for this beer.

A: The pour is incredibly dark brown/black with a thin tan head on top.

S: The nose is heavy on the roast with some nice coffee and dark fruit notes along with some sweet vanilla and molasses.

T: The flavor opens up very similarly to the nose with plenty of roast. The chocolate comes through more here along with some good coffee and a light bitterness. Again, dark fruits and vanilla find their way onto the palate.

M: The body is medium to full with a fairly high level of carbonation for an imperial stout.

D: Despite a huge ABV, this one is very easy to drink. I didn't notice any alcohol at all and found the beer delicious and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-11-2010 22:54:21 | id: 1125351

Thyanks to some wonderful BA for trading this one - unfortunately, I forgot who it was!
Large capped bottle poured into a snifter.

Not quite pitch black, this one show reddish brown highlights on its edges. Light brown head, limited retention and lacing.
This is the first batch, so well over one year in my cellar now.
The aroma lets a faint hint of oxydation, so if you have a first batch, it might be time to part ways with your possession. Despite that faint oxydation, the aroma is just great; chocolate holds its space above and beyond all, but some fruits, toffee, coffee, molasses make it interesting.
Nearly full bodied, the flavor is mostly sweet, although the after flavor in the mouth is bitter. Lots of chocolate, some coffee, roastiness, light dark fruits. Very flavorful, very easy to drink.
This one is ready, and it is very good.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-08-2010 00:23:08 | id: 1122611

Acquired this beer in a trade with fogdog (as an extra!). Thanks a lot Kevin! Split amongst friends at a recent gathering.

Poured into a Cigar City snifter (also given to me by fogdog).

Appearance: Pours out extremely dark and thick. Looks like black paint in my snifter. Essentially no head on this one - a hair-thin halo is all I see. Each swirl leaves an oily coating on the walls of the glass. Spotty lacing.

Smell: Molasses, roasted malt, hickory, barbecue, and floral hops. I get a lot of English influence in this one.

Taste: Molasses, roasted malt, floral hops, barbecue smoke, chocolate, and charred oak. Very robust. Reminds me of Old Viscosity. Alcohol is hidden extremely well, and it's done so without making this beer cloyingly sweet.

Mouthfeel: Really thick and syrupy. Sticky and gritty, too. Carbonation is low. Body is heavy. Lots of roastiness in the aftertaste. Spot on for an imperial stout.

Drinkability: A solid imperial stout, but nothing more. None of us weren't wowed by this one, but we all enjoyed it nonetheless. Went down pretty quickly given the really heavy body and high ABV.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-07-2010 20:56:08 | id: 1122400

This is a beer that I had a number of times last winter and this is my first bottle of the season. Poured from bottle into a Sam Smith Imp. pint glass. Poured dark as used motor oil with about 3 inches of dark tan head. Thats leaves a thick lacing on the glass.
Strong roasted scents of nuts, chocolate and even a slight woodlike smell. Very aromatic. The taste is very wild and smooth very malt forward and chocolate flavors. But the hops peak through. Creamy, smooth mouthfeel. Very drinkable beer. Alcohol is well hidden jus a faint boozy nature, which is not offensive.
Paired great with some homeade Chicken Bruschetta Pasta.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-07-2010 02:20:03 | id: 1121767

50th review! Hooray for meaningless checkpoints! Snifter. Black as night, maybe even as black as... a voodoo daddy. Brown head, milky lacing.

Smells super roasted. A lot of malt and a lot of chocolate and A LOT OF MALT. Also some cherries, alcohol and barley. Even a nice sprinkle of hops find their way into the mix.

Tastes of the same. A buttload of malt and a truckload of chocolate. A lot of fruit in the background - cherries, dates, figs. Alcohol gives it a warming quality. Also, a bit of vanilla in the way back.

Mouthfeel is medium thickness. Real smooth, not much carbonation.

BBVD is a damn good stout. I think what gives it such character is the roasty, malty stuff. Glad to get a hold of this Big Black beer. Can't wait to put a little age on my second one and see what happens.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-05-2010 05:10:28 | id: 1120448

Poured into a snifter. 2009 vintage (came out in 2010).

A: Jet black color. Just less than two fingers of creamy brown head that retains well and leaves the glass covered in lacing.

S: One of the best smelling beers out there. In one sentence, it smells like a shot of mocha espresso served in a tiny wooden cup. Thus, espresso, oak, and to a small extent vanilla. There's quite a bit of roastiness going on with lots of roasted barley and dark crystal malts. Lastly, we can't forget the healthy punch of milk chocolate. Not much hop character going on in the nose, at least none that isn't covered up by the malts.

T: More bitter than the nose would suggest, the hops finally flex. As in the nose, this one is complex in the taste. Quite a bit of roastiness again: roasted barley, dark roasted coffee, some burnt flavors, and a touch of smoke. The milk chocolate in the nose becomes semi-sweet chocolate in the taste. Crystal malts add some sweetness to balance out the roasted flavors and the hop bitterness. The 12.5% ABV is very well hidden, so much that I almost forgot to comment on it. Bottle-conditioned gives a touch of mostly neutral yeastiness.

M: Medium body. Good carbonation. Smooth with a pleasant roasted coffee aftertaste. No problems, but I prefer a thicker body on my impy stouts.

D: Damn good brew that gets better as you get to the bottom of the glass. This would definitely be a 5 if the mouthfeel was a bit thicker.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-03-2010 23:25:14 | id: 1119410

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a Perfect Pint glass. Formed a two finger, dark sandy colored head that slowly dissipated down to a thin layer on the body. Tons of lace coated the sides of the glass during the recession. The body is thick, dense and black. I think someone actually painted the inside of my glass with high gloss onyx enamel.

The nose is very roasty...lots of malts up front with dark coffee and chocolate undertones. The background offers a smoky aroma...very faint, but you can dig for it.

Wow...the flavors keep on coming with this stout! Starts off semi-sweet and roasted (like a cup of flavored coffee) and turns more bitter toward the finish. Gets a little boozy at the end, but I am not sure where the end is...the flavors keep coming long after the liquid hits your gut! Amazing!!

The mouth feel medium-thick with a creamy, chewy feel and mild carbonation.

Man...this is a great stout that would get a 5 in drinkability if the booziness was hidden a little better. Can't wait to taste this one a year from now!

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-01-2010 19:30:55 | id: 1117928