Singularity - Driftwood Brewery

flagmantho

Washington

4.43/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 22oz waxed bomber into a tulip.

Appearance: entirely black, allowing no light through the body. Hed is a finger of dense, creamy dark-tan foam. Very attractive, but head retention is not great and the lace isn't as beautiful as I want it.

Smell: strong aroma of roasted malt, rich, ripe, dark fruits (date, plum, black cherry), a fruity, aromatic alcohol character and a tannic woody bite. Complex and engaging.

Taste: surprisingly light (in a good way), despite the masively dark appearance and sky-high alcoholic content. The fruitiness is right at the fore, with plums and cherries and apples and pears; yes, even lighter fruits make it in here. I'm guessing this thing is pretty highly attenuated, lightening up the body and adding in more alcoholic complexity. I like it very much.

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body with a good level of carbonation and a very silky smooth texture. Not as bodaciously creamy as I'd hoped, but good nonetheless.

Overall: this is a very tasty Imperial stout which isn't cloyingly sweet and overly thick. For a beer of this flavor profile and alcoholic content, it is dangerously drinkable. Great!

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 21:38:31 | More by flagmantho

TheEarl

Washington

3.56/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a black waxed bottle into two snifters on May 7, 2013.

Appearance: Black with thin dark mocha head. Residual foam lace looks a bit like a dark brown nebula. Pretty!

Aroma: Alcohol is the most apparent aroma but it fades to a dark and bitter chocolate note. There is significant wood/barrel as well.

Taste: Cocoa, sugar, bourbon, and vanilla open up into some hop bitterness and a vegetal note that is a bit off-putting.

Mouthfeel: Slick, viscous, and a bit thin.

Overall: This is a decent barrel-aged stout but I wouldn't seek it out or buy it again. The booze was poorly balanced/blended with the base beer and an unpleasant vegetal flavor seems to have developed.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 22:39:30 | More by TheEarl

KStark

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev -6.8%

05-10-2013 14:48:24 | More by KStark

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.49/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: It has a nice jet black color to it. It has a nice thick tan head that dies down moderately and leaves very little lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, bourbon, woody oak and some dark fruit.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a some sweet and roasty chocolate, some coffee, vanilla, bourbon, a touch of oak and some sweet dark fruit. Very nice balance.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a very nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with great flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 20:08:01 | More by SebD

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Another brew that I was holding out on to celebrate the birth of our daughter. Enjoyed via a FaceTime review with my buddy Devin who was also the one to hook me up with this gem.

2012 Edition

A - Pours pitch black, thumb of dark mocha head, some retention and some nice sporadic lacing.

S - Rich mocha, dark cocoa, sweet booziness, bourbon and oak notes come through alongside a touch of tobacco and leather.

T - The rich cocoa notes dominate, molasses and toffee, burnt sugar and caramel, hints of oak, burnt tobacco, sugary bourbon, and leafy green hop notes.

M - Medium bodied, insanely smooth and a little sticky on the finish.

O - Well worth the wait and deserving of the title of one Canada's top rated RIS's. Incredibly worthy of such a celebration and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to try it. Flavour profile is incredibly complex, yet the ABV is insanely well hidden and smooth drinking. So glad I had the chance to share this brew with my buddy and definitely worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 23:33:52 | More by andrenaline

maximum12

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Many thanks to Rutager for knocking off a flock of my top Canadian wants in one big, beautiful blast. To further the motif, I'm watching Alanis Morisette on Guitar Center Sessions. OK, only for a minute. 2013 batch, 22 oz. bottle, split with my wife. I like the bottle art, too.

First, there's the David vs. the Goliath fight with the earth's crust, er. wax on the bottle. Six minutes later, I'm through, no blood shed, nothing splled or broken. The actual beer is very black, almost as still. Barrel rolls out as soon as the Red Sea of wax parts, but retreats fairly quickly. Big, bloody dark fruits are dominant, mild sweetness, barrel, & vanilla in the backseat.

Singularity tastes like a bourbon aged in imperial stout barrels. Vanilla & straight-shot bourbon are prominent but not overwhelming in the opening bars, but own the afterburn. Numbs the gums like a good bourbon, & there's a healthy alcohol sting. Lots of dark fruit which I'm normally not fond of in this quantity in a stout, but it works here, playing off the alchohoool/bourbonity. Chocolate, scorched forest, licorice, more flame-licked wood. Light bitterness on the aftertaste. That licorice aftertaste - black licorice, unfortunately - is the only slightly unpleasant note. Tummy. Warming. Slowly. Trying. Drink.

This is so close - so close - to being Gyff, instead it's Ruskin. It's also the rare beer that actually goes a bit downhill as it warms & the licorice begins to wrestle control from the barrel. Nonetheless, a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 02:43:44 | More by maximum12

CheapBeerBuzz

California

4/5  rDev -6.8%

03-26-2013 03:05:15 | More by CheapBeerBuzz

scooby_steve

4.75/5  rDev +10.7%

03-01-2013 01:16:06 | More by scooby_steve

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2012 vintage.

Pours pitch black with a one finger beige head that quickly settles into a lasting ring.  Streaks of soapy lacing are left behind.

Smokey roasted malt aroma with a nice barrel character that makes itself know without overpowering everything else.  Grassy and piney hops along with dry, toasted oak, coconut, vanilla and spicy bourbon but the roasted malts and dark chocolate really stand out.  

Thinner bodied than expected with soft carbonation and a decent amount of boozy bourbon but the barrel character is nicely integrated throughout.  Some toasted oak and vanilla bean followed by a prominent bourbon presence that lingers over the sweet and roasted malt backbone into a slightly dry finish.  Underneath the barrel notes, there is more sweetness than roast with hints of silky chocolate, toffee and caramel along followed by some oatmeal, burnt malt and roasted coffee bean.  Well balanced and complex with subtle heat in the finish but the high abv is well masked making this strong beer easier to drink than expected.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 01:13:15 | More by corby112

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

02-15-2013 02:26:30 | More by SpdKilz

FondueVoodoo

British Columbia (Canada)

4.69/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

*** 2012 Vintage ***

A: Pours jet black with 1 finger of tan head which dissapates to a thin rim with very minimal lacing.

S: Initial scent of sweet dark chocolate and espresso together with bourbon and oak. Background notes of minerals, dried cherries and smokiness.

T: Dark chocolate mocha with hints of vanilla and bourbon boziness. End notes of tobacco smoke and dried cherries. Flavours are well integrated and balanced and results in an extremely smooth finish.

M: Medium level of carbonation gives a slight buzz on the tongue and leaves a hint of mineral finish. Smooth oily coating covers the entire mouth. Like sippin silk sheets.

O: This is one of the best RIS's we've had along with Peche Mortel. The flavours meld together beautifully and result in a complex and increadibly integreted smooth brew. Alcohol is extremely well hidden, only noticed with a slight warmth of alcohol esters. I could see drinking a couple of these provided I don't try and stand up.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 04:45:38 | More by FondueVoodoo

smekermann

British Columbia (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

02-08-2013 08:07:55 | More by smekermann

mdaschaf

Washington

4.24/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Had on tap at Brouwers during Big Wood. Review from notes.

A: Totally black with tight capped tan head on top with nice retention, slowly reducing in size. Lacing is very thin and fades quickly after forming.

S: Strong chocolaty aroma upfront, a little bit of dark fruit, some coffee and a little bit of bourbon and vanilla.

T: Again, quite a bit of chocolate and fruit upfront, mostly raisin and cherry. There is some coffee along with vanilla and caramel.

M: Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Extremely smooth with abv well hidden.

O: A very solid RIS. If the bottles were a little less expensive I would certainly be grabbing them up.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2013 23:54:06 | More by mdaschaf

largadeer

California

4.38/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2013 vintage. Thanks, Vlad.

Appearance: Pitch black body with a clinging tan head and oily leggings. A small but lasting head forms, and never completely dissipates.

Smell: The aroma is led by burnt sugar, with a bit of dark fruit sweetness buried beneath. Roasted malts are moderate - reigned-in enough to balance the sweetness. Bourbon barrel is evident, but it isn't dominant - it brings notes of vanilla and caramel.

Palate: Rich brown sugar, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate. Heavy on the barrel, but without much heat. The body is viscous, almost oily. This leans more toward the sweet and rich side than the roasty and bitter, and it's quite impressive in small quantities.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 12:46:26 | More by largadeer

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

4.14/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a black wax-dipped 650ml bottle. Pours a light-absorbing blackened-brown colour. Thick. Nose offers little more than rich grain notes (like the darkest rye you can imagine) with some vanilla notes. This was aged in Maker's Mark barrels and the imparted booze matches well with a perfectly brewed RIS. It's sweet with dark cherry and vanilla bourbon notes that pair well with the big brew's ample smoky and bitter notes. Super-complex and very drinkable for high double-digits.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 03:41:59 | More by CookstLiquor

thefullpython

4.75/5  rDev +10.7%

01-17-2013 08:18:20 | More by thefullpython

spycow

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

01-14-2013 01:08:19 | More by spycow

CanisMajor

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

01-14-2013 00:27:31 | More by CanisMajor

JonnyBeers

British Columbia (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +10.7%

01-11-2013 18:44:51 | More by JonnyBeers

hannydawg

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.8%

01-10-2013 02:09:55 | More by hannydawg

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Sweetwater mini-snifter.

But I could've sworn a singularity was nigh-impossible...? Anyway, this stuff pours a deep black-brown topped by a finger of sandy tan foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, mild cocoa, and very light vanilla bean. The taste brings in more of the same, along with some bitter dark chocolate. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, a solid stout, nothing overtly special, but I'd definitely drink another were one offered me.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 00:57:02 | More by TMoney2591

Florida9

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

01-06-2013 02:12:21 | More by Florida9

KalanM

British Columbia (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

11-29-2012 02:13:44 | More by KalanM

twelveinches

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

11-24-2012 06:38:50 | More by twelveinches

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of medium bourbon notes with some woody notes and light vanilla with some medium dry roasted malt with light dry notes. Taste is a mix between some bourbon notes with some light vanilla and dry roasted malt with dry black chocolate notes. Body is quite full with a nice creamy texture and good carbonation. Not the most complex beer out there and not enough vanilla and woody notes to satisfy me but still very enjoyable nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 20:35:58 | More by Phyl21ca