Chocolate Raspberry Brett Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Lagunitas Brewing Company

Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Lagunitas Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
13%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.63 | pDev: 12.12%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
20
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 21, 2016
Added:
Nov 20, 2009
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  0
Brett beer with chocolate and raspberries aged in bourbon barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by scottfrie:
Photo of scottfrie
Reviewed by scottfrie from California

4.01/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Sampled at the 5th Annual West Coast Barrel Aged Beer Festival. Poured into a tulip. Reviewed from notes.

A: Poured the standard almost black dark brown with a light creamy brown head. A thin film of head lasted the whole beer through and had great retention and left great lace.
S: Notes of tart fruit and funky brett with sharp raspberries at first that give way to sweet malt and alcohol vapor. Not especially bourbony, but it's there. I pick up faint, almost peachy notes as well.
T: Light tart fruits, sweet raspberries and a little bit of funk followed by notes of dark chocolate and malt. A light sourness holds on through to the finish, and holds its own against the dark stout base of chocolate and coffee flavors. Well integrated.
M: Medium-full body, light chewiness and a lingering finish. The sourness adds a refreshing cleanness to the brew. The alcohol is masked well on the palate with no warmth or burn.
D: I loved the idea of this chocolate raspberry beer. Not a big barrel aged monster, but I thought it was done quite well. One of the better pleasant surprises at the festival.
Nov 15, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.72/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Lagunitas barrel aged stuff often comes out dark brown, this one is no different. Aroma dropped the brett notes with authority.

Taste imparted sweetness. Once again, the bourbon notes are extremely minimal. Raspberry didn't pop on this one. Raspberry Eclipse is vastly better than this. Some tart like sour note integrated with this beer, probably a 2 on a 1-10 scale. I enjoyed it, but its far from a first tier bourbon barrel beer or bretted beer or fruit beer etc. . .
Apr 21, 2016
 
Rated: 2.75 by spycow from Illinois

Nov 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by t0rin0 from California

Oct 20, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by mdfb79 from New York

Feb 27, 2012
Photo of mikechance
Reviewed by mikechance from California

4.3/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Tasted at brewery on February 19th

A --- dark and smokey

S --- malts, fruits, earthiness

T --- slightly sour with hints of cherry/tart flavors. Lots of wine characteristics.

M --- lightly carbonated, smooth, not heavy but full bodied

O --- This is a very unique and excellent beer! I couldn't drink more than one at a sitting but something to sit and savior. It's very complex and every tasting would lead to more discoveries.
Feb 21, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Feb 20, 2012
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Keg @ EBF.

Mostly dark brown beer almost black with no real light seen clearly, creamy head.

Nose has some darker malts, bit of roast, hint of cocoa, light funk, brett, hint of rasp, hint of coffee muted by the Brett funk, dark malts, and fruit.

Taste is similar, mostly creamy stout with darker malts, little choc and coffee, light caramel, then Brett funk which comes on strong through the malts, a slight barnyard funk but not super funky just nice Brett flavors, then slight raspberries with a touch of fruitiness overall, a bit of bitter earthy flavors and some warming slightly tingly booze, and a hint of bourbon barrel later on the taste. Finishes drier with a bit more oak, long funk flavor and a bit more coffee and roast, and some bitterness.

Mouth is a bit heavier bodied, decent kick of booze, and decent carb.

Overall a nice beer, interesting combination and something I could see sipping on for a while and having a few glasses (not back to back). WIsh I could get more of this as well.
Feb 13, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by nmann08 from Virginia

Feb 07, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by xnicknj from Pennsylvania

Feb 06, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Feb 06, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by nickhiller from Texas

Feb 05, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by acurtis from New Jersey

Feb 05, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by claspada from New Jersey

Feb 04, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by spamages from Michigan

Dec 29, 2011
 
Rated: 3.5 by kdown from California

Dec 24, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by waiting4lunch from Massachusetts

Nov 18, 2011
Photo of homebrew311
Reviewed by homebrew311 from Illinois

2.87/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
On-tap at FoBAB.

A: appears thin and lifeless, zero head to speak of, dark purple hue

S: Brett comes in first and big with some barnyard funk, raspberry is pretty prominent as well, not getting much chocolate on the nose, can't really pick out any notes that resemble an imperial stout

T: very rustic flavors with notes of leather, barnyard, this is followed by a deep bitter chocolate, finish is sweet and fruit. The flavors seem to be competing, too much going on. The barrel aging character is lost in the mix. The brett steals the show and hides what might be a tasty BA chocolate raspberry imperial stout (wow thats a lot of descriptors!)

MF: thin body, very low carbonation

O: pretty disappointed by this one. Its not repulsive by any means, but since I am reviewing to style, it is hard to give this one good marks for being an imperial stouts. Perhaps it would be better classified as an American Wild Ale, but that is obviously not the intention of the brewer.
Nov 15, 2011
Photo of Beerandraiderfan
Reviewed by Beerandraiderfan from Nevada

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Another brown Lagunitas bal with tan head. A funkier aroma than expected.

Taste was surprisingly sweet, lacked just about any bourbon heat, kinda thin again for the abv and style, raspberries did not shine at all in this, just the slightest edge to it with a lot more chocolate dominance. Good, but it just didn't seem to have the imperial stout thickness and chewiness I was looking for. A tiny bit of the bretty taste, that came out more in the aroma.

One of the easiest drinking big abv beers out there. I guess the sour and sweet really did meld well, I just wanted the raspberries to be more pronounced, but when you're up against bourbon aged imperial stout, its easy to see how the fruit flavor could be nothing more than minorly complimentary at best. Still, a good beer.
Nov 25, 2010
Photo of nickd717
Reviewed by nickd717 from California

3.92/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On tap at the Bistro Barrel Aged Fest. This beer sounds like a joke satirizing how ridiculous brewers are getting these days, doesn't it? I mean an imperial stout, bourbon barrel aged, with brett and raspberries? Man that's intense. Sign of the times I guess.

Anyway, the zeitgeist pours a darkest brown color with a small but well-retained tan head.

Aroma is raspberry, oak, roastiness, chocolate, and bourbon. Not too much bourbon in this one relatively speaking.

Flavor is very good, slightly tart with a bretty character that reminds me of the blanket placed between a horse and its saddle (mmm...). Also some roasty and chocolate notes that you expect in the style, and some oak, bourbon, and raspberry.

Medium body for an imperial stout with soft carbonation and the 13% ABV hiding itself very well.

Drinkability is great for the ABV. Overall this is good, but did not quite live up to the lofty expectations its name and description set. Oh also, more beers should use the verb "chuck" in their descriptions. Very underrated verb.
Nov 20, 2009
Chocolate Raspberry Brett Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout from Lagunitas Brewing Company
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 20 ratings