Retribution - DuClaw Brewing Company

russwbeck

Virginia

2.85/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A: The beer pours out like motor oil, but only yields about a finger of fizzy brown head. The head doesn't lace at all, nor does it stick around for all that long. 2

S: The aroma is pretty boozy, but chocolate and vanilla also play large roles. The bourbon is there, but isn't as prominent as I would like. It smell like the taste is going to be very sweet if it wasn't for the booze. 3

T: The taste is very boozy, but the sweetness that I thought would take over, doesn't. The booze is cut by a nice amount of chocolate and vanilla. The bourbon and some oak come out at the end. Overall, the taste is good, but doesn't stand out in the style. 3

MF: The body is a bit too thin and undercarbonated for my tastes. The balance is good, but it's missing an aspect to make it stand out. 2

O: I wanted this to be great, but the flavors just aren't robust enough. The beer hints at being great, but isn't there yet. I enjoyed it, but not for a style that boasts some of the best beers I've ever had. 3

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 22:20:38 | More by russwbeck

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.21/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

22oz, Bottled 9/21/13
5oz mini snifter

A: Pours out a deep reddish brown. After having all 3 Speedways before this, it's certainly thinner than them. Not a ton if carbonation. Not a lot of lacing, but still a good looking stout.

S: Cocoa puffs. Vanilla. Oak. Definitely nice bourbon character coming through on the nose. Seems likes it's meshed in there nicely.

T: Dark chocolate bitterness on the tip of the tongue. Then that integrates nicely with the vanilla from the barreling in the mid-palate, giving you a sort of cocoa puff like flavor (delicious though). Taste a hind of charred wood and roasted malts along with that deep chocolate flavor. Dry finish with lingering barrel character.

M: Full bodied.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 14:26:40 | More by inlimbo77

bum732

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

S: Bold bourbon with strong coffee notes. Sweet oak, some cherry, vanilla.

L: Thick, black as night. Tan head that dissipates quickly.

T: Sweet chocolate-like malt with lots of bourbon sweetness. Alcohol-like bitterness with some bitter coffee-notes. Finishes with some rich chocolate along with some alcohol. Some earthy cocoa as it warms.

M: Medium full bodied, somewhat chewy. Alcohol definitely present, but not too overwhelming. Medium low carbonation.

Really solid, similar profile to BCBS, but a touch sweeter and boozier. Heavy on the chocolate and bourbon sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 01:57:44 | More by bum732

tehawful

Maryland

3.46/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

DuClaw's Retribution is an imperial stout aged in Kentucky white oak barrels. My particular bomber was taken out of the barrel (after the standard 6 month stay) on 9/21/12.

Retribution pours pitch black, with a fizzy, dark mocha head that leaves significant lacing. The smell is very sweet, with high notes of dark berries, chocolate and espresso, and a low note of alcohol. The smell is pleasant, though a little scattered.

As the smell suggests, the sweet notes of espresso, chocolate, dark berries, vanilla and caramel create an (overly) sweetened chaos upfront...though the charred barrels carry the bourbon taste to even out the back end. What I really appreciate here is the fact that the bourbon is infused into the beer...as opposed to an artificial taste on either end. Mouthfeel is extremely rich and smooth.

While Retribution is incredibly more sweet than I would prefer in an imperial stout, I appreciate the craftsmanship that was evident, as it is usually lacking in DuClaw bottle offerings. I'm not sure I would by it off the shelf again, but it was an interesting experience nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 03:22:04 | More by tehawful

Satchboogie

New Hampshire

2.98/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

22oz bomber, bottled in 2011 (bottle states 9% ABV)

A: Pours pitch black with 2-3 fingers of mocha brown head. Good head retention.

S: Balance of barrel character (sweet bourbon, charred oak) and sweet stout notes: lots of coffee and chocolate, a little dark fruits. Very sweet nose.

T: Extremely sweet, cloyingly. As with the nose, there is a lot of flavor going on and the barrel treatment was done fairly well (contributes to the base beer without overpowering it). Sweet milky chocolate, coffee, bourbon, oak, and slight dark fruits. A little bit of alcohol is present, but nothing offensive. The sweetness, however, is. It's sweeter sweet. Kahlua is what one friend called it.

M: Full, sticky sweet body. Light carbonation. Sweet finish. More carbonation would likely help cutting through the sweetness.

O: While I did like the flavors in this one and thought it was an example of good barrel aging, the overwhelming sweetness was a huge turnoff that led me to a drain-pour of most of my glass and others mixing with Vodka to make it more drinkable. A lot of potential for this one, but unfortunately it's just not drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 15:19:08 | More by Satchboogie

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.21/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Presentation: 22 oz. bottle chilled and poured into a Cigar City tulip glass. Bottled on date of 9/21/2012 from Barrel # 12.

Appearance: Dark brown to black in color. Medium brown head that recedes into a nice thin layer of lacing. Leaves a nice sticky lacing around the glass.

Aroma: Cocoa powder, rich milk chocolate and some really strong bourbon tones. Lots of burn from the bourbon. Really nice coffee and caramel tones as well. Some nice vanilla is present as well. As this warms, the bourbon really comes through, both with the sweetness and moreso with the alcohol heat.

Taste: Roasted coffee beans, cocoa nibs, and some strong bourbon heat. As the bourbon heat fades, some really nice caramel, milk chocolate and vanilla bean tones really start to shine through. There's also a surprisingly black pepper tones that counters the sweetness with a bit of burn. The bourbon tones are still not completely integrated into the beer and sometimes the bourbon overwhelms the beer instead of completely integrating into it.

Mouthfeel: Chewy and sticky. Plenty of body. Creamy throughout.

Overall, a really tasty, sweet bourbon barrel stout. My biggest complaint is that I don't feel the bourbon completely integrates into the base beer and sometimes it comes off like a shot of bourbon in an imperial stout. I like the counter of the char of the barrel that gives almost a black pepper quality to counter the sweetness. Definitely enjoyed this and would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 01:09:32 | More by Gosox8787

smakawhat

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass. Barreled 03/21/2012, released 09/21/2012, Barrel No 15 of 15. Really nice labeling, love the color, and this craft be cherished rules be damned bottle cap.

Body color pours, very dark, a classic walnut black, but virtually no head at all made, barely a millimeter pencil collar of light tan and hardly anything for a top. Slightly filmy. Very opaque. A little more suds, and this would look real impressive.

Nose brings lots of chocolate sensations. A little hint of roasted grains, but a big whipped up mocha that dominates. Very inviting, a faint fruit hits behind but it's not big enough to distinguish. Pretty solid and impressive.

Palate though gets a bit fleeting. There's a distinct distracting fizzy carbonation on this, that gets into sharp club soda which distracts quite a bit. Fleeting palate, with a front palate drying sensation. Lots of deep roast character and charring, but also quite a bit of hint of wet.

Overall I can't get past this soda character, it's taking away too many of the possible good qualities of this brew. There's potential here though, I think this has the possibility to just be tweaked a bit to be made a little better, and hit the mark. It's ok.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 00:22:56 | More by smakawhat

sbrotschul

New Jersey

4.58/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Given a bottle of Retribution by a colleague, as it was recommended by the store. Living near Bel Air, MD, it is nice to know that a local brewer is putting out a good product. (A far cry from Iron City in Pittsburgh!)

Appearance (4.25). Out of the bottle pours another dark black beauty. Little to no head leaves lines on the glass like little chocolate fingers.

Smell (4.5). A mild smell -- not as strong as some, but thankfully missing any type of smell of syrup. Coffee and chocolate at first, but as it warms, the bourbon smell coates the nose which in turn warms the heart.

Taste (4.75). The first mouthful is of coffee roast & bourbon. It hits all areas of the tongue and the mouth, coating it in liquid goodness. A chocolate-vanilla taste competes with the alchohol -- a great battle.

Mouthefeel (4.25) Wonderful feel -- flat no carbonation makes the beer lack punch -- but you don't buy a beer like this for the bubbles.

Overall (4.5). I'll pick up a few more bottles to see how they cellar ... but I first picked up a bottle of Retribution (and a few Imperial Eclipse Stouts) to give to my brother.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 20:54:43 | More by sbrotschul

browniewithnuts

Pennsylvania

4.69/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

My First Review!

A: A deep dark black appearance. A thin brown lacing that dissipates pretty quickly with only a thin brown circle remaining.

S: Strong bourbon notes up front followed by dark chocolate and a hit of vanilla

T: Bourbon right up front dominates the palate. The burnt malts come through strong up front as well and lingers throughout. The roast flavor stays with you well after the sip. There is a hint of dark chocolate and vanilla as well but the bourbon and malt flavors dominate the sip.

M: It is thick but not overly thick or syrupy. It has a flavor that lingers in the mouth well after the sip. Though not overly thick, the flavor coats the mouth and throat. A great after meal drink.

O: Very solid value for a Barrel Aged Stout. The chocolate notes don’t dominate and the other flavors really distinguish it from a lot of bigger stouts.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 22:23:48 | More by browniewithnuts

nickthetick

Maryland

4.6/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

First time reviewing on here in quite a while, very excited!

A: pours a glossy, and almost oily, opaque black into an American pint with a thin skim of brown bubbles for a head ( may have been a result of a well meaning bartender wanting to pour a full glass). As it sits it leaves no lacing and nice fingers running down the glass. Looks like a pretty heavy beer and not one to be toyed with.

S: a huge hit of bourbon and slight hints of dark chocolate mingle well and are right out in the front followed closely by a dark roasted and burnt malt note that makes me remember this is a beer.

T: as soon as it hits the tongue there is a moment of bitter burnt bread that is quickly swished away by a subtle dark chocolate which is in turn swept away by the larger bourbon notes. Things get complicated with some soft caramel and vanilla hints and an even more quiet mossy quality give the lingering flavor of a scotch on the tongue. It keeps you wanting so much more just to see what flavor you will pick up next. And through all of that, there remains a hint of that dark burnt bread.

M: I always laugh at people that say all dark beers are like 10-W30 motor oil; but if that is there true interpretation of stouts this beer is surly where it came from. Viscous and heavy, I think I'll have a light dinner now. It is warm through the whole ride and at the end almost leaves your tongue tired.

O: all the good attributes I have reviewed, time for some of the bad. The Bourbon can get a little overpowering. I like stouts and especially ones aged in/with or infused with a little bourbon or scotch, don't get me wrong. I also like this beer but wouldn't want more than one or two on a lazy cold night but drinkability isn't an issue because I would like another shot at this a couple, maybe 10, years down the road. Overpowering bourbon aside this is a good beer that I didn't expect to be drinking tonight ( the bartender suggested it) but I'm glad I came across it. A good beer but too soon to tell if its one in a million or one of a million.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2012 22:16:09 | More by nickthetick

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a perfect pint. Into the barrel on 3/11/2011 and out of the barrel on 9/19/2011. Barrel #19 of 20.

3.5 A: Black color. A little over one finger of light brown, frothy/creamy head. Retention is about what you'd expect from a beer this big and just a tiny ring of lacing is left.

4.0 S: Really wonderful nose on this. The barrel aging is done to perfection. Smooth leathery bourbon with mineral, apple, wood dust, and cantelope aromas. Underneath there is a supple roastiness, chocolate, molasses, toffee, caramel, and a hearty neutral malt sweetness. If you dig even deeper, you may find a note or two of coffee. Sweet overall, but with good balance.

3.5 T: The taste is an amplification of the nose. This is a sticky, sweet stout. It's a bit cloying for sure. Lots of toffee, molasses, and caramel. Roastiness, chocolate, coffee are underneath all that. Big neutral sweetness. A good bit of leathery bourbon with vanilla, oak, apple, and nondescript light fruitiness. It's a tasty beer, but it's too sweet to drink a whole bomber of (which I plan to do).

3.5 M: Heavy body. I like heavy bodies on imperials, but the problem is that it's also too chewy, which results from the sugar overload. It causes some moderate amylase clumping in the back of the mouth. Otherwise, it'd have a good creaminess.

3.5 D: Not a terrible beer, but it has the sweetness of BT without the crazy booziness, so I'd bet that many out there would like this.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 23:39:23 | More by DavoleBomb

BirdFlu

New Jersey

4.48/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I'm surprised this beer's rating isn't higher... It comes off almost more similar to other barrel-aged strong ales, but certainly borders the line for a stout... Flavor is more similar to an Angel's Share or such.. very sweet.. good body for a stout, though, and good sweet aroma.. If nothing else, could almost see it requiring a little more ABV to bring the burn up to a BCBS level..If you have a very sweet tooth certainly seek this out. If not, look out..

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 03:05:10 | More by BirdFlu

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cask offering with jalapeno and chocolate. Served in a nonic via the hand pump at Als of Hampden. The brew appears a rich black color with a creamy finger of mocha colored head. A full wall of lace sticks to the glass.

The nose is heavy on roast and chocolate. A hint of sweetness almost like vanilla pokes its way through with a mild tingle of alcohol and a bit of earthy to mineral inclusion.

The taste is super roasty and bitter. Jalapeno makes itself known with some mild spice across the back of the throat that increases with each sip. Along with the jalapeno is some earthen element almost more like black pepper. A mild alcohol bite helps to push forward the flavor of the jalapeno. Once warm a little bit more of chocolate and vanilla sweetness becomes evident.

This is a medium bodied brew with a light level of carbonation from the cask delivery. As more sips are taken, it gets more spicy but the alcohol is very well hidden. Quite a pleasant inclusion of spice, it wasnt overdone in a way that distracted from the base. I would drink this again.

Serving type: cask

08-09-2012 14:11:32 | More by stakem

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On cask at Al's. With chocolate and jalapenos.

A: The stout is pitch black, an eggshell white head blanketing the top. Not much in the way of lacing.

S: The bourbon barrel is present, not intense though, more of a blended stout/barrel combination. Plenty of chocolate but the jalapenos are nowhere to be found. The result is chocolate on top of light bourbon, plenty of sweetness without a balancing bite.

T: Again, the chocolate and stout elements, along with the barrel, stand out at the expense of the jalapeno. The chocolate is very sweet and milky, standing out against the roasted malt base. The bourbon barrel, a blend I'm thinking, adds a bit of wood and vanilla but not the normal blast of bourbon. I keep looking for the peppers but just can't coax them out of the chocolate morass.

M: A good drink even without the jalapenos - chocolate is liquid and sweet, at home within the sweetness of the barrel. The stout side is strong but not forboding.

Serving type: cask

08-05-2012 19:11:26 | More by akorsak

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.78/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to IrishColonial for this bottle...

A: Pours a deep syrupy black with brown hues around the edges. There is minimal head as it pours and absolutely no lacing as it drinks. Tons of legs to this beer though. It stain the glass with every sip.

S: The nose is dark chocolate, sweet plums, raisins, brown sugar and booze. The boozy heat isn't huge, but this beer is definitely sweet.

T: Right away I'm hit with massive sweetness. Caramel, raisins, plums, chocolate, a touch of burnt toast. It gets a little funk in the middle, and the finish is a mix of sweet and bitter with some alcohol burn.

M: Full bodied beer. It's sweet and bold right away and the flavors linger on the palate for quite some time.

O: I'm not a huge fan of this beer. It's too sweet for my liking, too fruit forward, and the alcohol is noticeable. I'm happy to have tried this, but won't seek it out in the future.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 18:06:37 | More by trxxpaxxs

ckollias

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Pours a dark black hue with a thick dark brown 2-finger head that quickly dissipates and leaves a wispy lace.

S: Strong malty aroma with a big bourbon scent with hints of chocolate and coffee in the background.

T: Dark sweet flavor with a roasted malt bitter bourbon backbone. Strong chocolate and coffee overtones and finishes a little on the dry side.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Excellent imperial stout. Enjoyed this with some of my home-brewing friends and we all agreed it was something we would grab again.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 01:51:29 | More by ckollias

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.28/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Split a bomber of this with some friends. Had an interesting timeline on the bottle with date into the barrel and date out of the barrel. Very strong alcohol smell on this one, oh boy. Taste is thick, lots of vanilla and bourbon notes, with the burning alcohol taste. Finishes somewhat smooth, decent mouthfeel. Some decent chocolate notes as well. Definitely not one for the weak, a very strong in your face beer.. but has a pretty good flavor profile. Glad I tried it... but the booziness brings it down a notch.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 01:18:36 | More by marlinsfan4

cosmicevan

New York

4.48/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

321jeff coming through. poured into a southampton irs snifter.

barrel 7 of 20
date in barrel 3/11/2011
date out barrel 9/19/2011
date into my belly 3/25/2012

a - brew poured black as night with a thin milky creamy head that was gone quick leaving spotty lacing on the glass. looks rich.

s - VERY nice big chocolate with a hint of dark fruit and a glaze of woody bourbon. rich and satisfying...decadent. some nice caramel in the background. the booziness tickles my nostrils with a mentholated tingle.

t - YUM. just as decadent as the nose suggested. BIG roasty chocolate. kind of like someone squirted some hershey syrup into my beer.

m - thick and rich. the booze coats my mouth leaving my mouth tingling.

o - overall, i had heard that this was good, but i think it is great. really well done. somewhat under the radar. real pleasant surprise. well worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 01:12:36 | More by cosmicevan

b3shine

Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle to oversized tulip (thanks to ksurkin for this one). Looks decent; black with nice lacing. Smells okay; VERY boozy (but cheap booze). Taste and mouthfeel are very pedestrian - it's hot and boozy, and I'm curious to know what bottomfeeder in the bourbon market they got their barrels from. Overall, an okay beer, but it's a good thing it's a limited release...because it would collect dust on shelves if it weren't.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 22:40:13 | More by b3shine

ao125

Virginia

4.58/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Overall, this is one of my favorite beers period.

Intense chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, sugar, and roast - all at once. It tastes exactly like a bourbon barrel imperial stout should taste, with zero compromises.

This is the perfect beer to pair with cheesecake, fruit tarts, chocolate, cannolis, or dessert cheese plates.

It's fantastic - and even better is the fact that I don't have to go on wild goose chases for it, from beer stores that only get one case, if they're lucky.

Try it - you won't be able to stop drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 00:06:16 | More by ao125

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Barrel 2 of 20.

The beer is opaque and near black with a towering beige head that lingers for several minutes, plastering the glass with sticky lacing as it recedes.

The aroma brings big scents of bourbon, detectable from a few feet away. Secondary smells include chocolate, oak, roast.

A bit of vanilla emerges in the flavor, and perhaps a touch of coconut. However, this beer is all about the chocolate and bourbon. Nicely done, and on the verge of attaining the next flavor score. A bit sweet, but I had no problem finishing the bottle solo.

Medium bodied with appropriate carbonation. Lingering flavors of sweet, roasted malt and a bit of booze.

Overall, a nice offering from a local brewery. There seems to be some deviation in the various batches. I look forward to revisiting this beer, and perhaps sampling a different batch.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 03:51:28 | More by Huhzubendah

elNopalero

Texas

4.48/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a ruddy dark brown with thin lacing and just this oh so wonderfully big aroma. Lots of bourbon notes, most noticeably toffee and vanilla. Tastes sweet with a vanilla forward flavor and an obvious bit of alcohol without running hot. This is a good one. I’d love another.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 21:19:36 | More by elNopalero

billab914

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my CBS snifter. It poured black in color with a thin tan head scattered across the top of the beer. Nice lacing as I drank it.

The aroma has a sweeter, milk chocolaty flavor mixing with some woody oak, vanilla, brown sugar and light bourbon. It's very sweet, but the bourbon is pretty nice in it.

The taste has a very sweet, almost sugary flavor to it right up front. I get some chocolate and brown sugar to it as well as a little caramel. The finish shows some good bourbon barrel flavors to it, but it's not enough to completely overcome the cloying sweetness.

The mouthfeel is a little thin for the style with carbonation being moderate. Overall it was a pretty good beer of the style, but not a great one. The underlying beer was a little overly sweet and sugary to me, while the barrel aged character in it was pretty good. A little more balance in it and it could be a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 02:52:26 | More by billab914

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 01/15/12 notes. Thanks to BigSexy410 for sharing this one, been wanting to try it.

a - Pours a dark mahogany brown color with one inch of tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of bourbon, roasted malts, chocolate, burnt malts, and light vanilla.

t - Tastes of bourbon, vanilla, roasted malts, chocolate, caramel malts, toffee, sugar, oak, light alcohol. More vanilla in the taste than the nose; a step up for me.

m - Medium to full body and moderate carbonation. Smooth and creamy and not too hot.

o - Overall I thought this was a really good beer from DuClaw; i think after the Oak Aged Black Jack this is their second best beer that I've had. I thought the taste was really nice and balanced. Would definitely like to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 21:27:25 | More by mdfb79

stephenjmoore

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Very dark with a light tan head. Head stays around with not a whole lot of lacing.

S- Bourbon right off the bat, I could smell it before I started pouring. Dark malts come through as well along with some light chocolate.

T- Chocolate malt and bourbon come through during the entire taste. Very good blend as neither dominates the other.

M- Syrupy with almost no carbonation coming through. Definitely a sipper, but expected for the style.

O- Very good barrell aged imperial stout. The flavors all combine to make an extremely complex beer that is very enjoyable. I have one more bottle and will probably age it for about a year to let it mellow slightly.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 19:34:04 | More by stephenjmoore