Baracus
Revolution Brewing

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From:
Revolution Brewing
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
11%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.13 | pDev: 7.26%
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
11
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 10, 2013
Added:
Jan 04, 2011
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.25 by spycow from Illinois

Mar 10, 2013
Photo of Sean9689
Reviewed by Sean9689 from Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-tap at Rev Brewery Grand Opening Party.

A - Pours black, tan-colored head, thin ring.

S - Dark chocolate, brownies, roast, and toffee. Sweet, but the roast notes really help balance this beer from being overly sweet.

T - Dark chocolate, fudge, caramel, roast, and chocolate cake. The booze is really smooth and well-hidden. Again, sweet without having you go into cardiac arrest. Finish is chocolate and booze.

M - Full body, light carbonation, rich & smooth, creamy finish.

O - A really nice RIS from Rev, who continues to kill it around here in Chicago. Not too sweet, not too boozy, just right. I would drink this any chance I could get, but would end up paying at 11%. Recommend.
Jun 25, 2012
Photo of jegross2
Reviewed by jegross2 from Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Reviewing the Baracus from Revolution Brewing Company.
Score: 89

12 oz tap pour served in a plastic cup (the far left cup) at the grand opening of Revolution's new brewing/canning facility and enjoyed on 05/25/12. Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Black bodied with reddish brown highlights at both the top and bottom of the glass when held up to light. Served with a creamy layer of khaki-colored head that settles completely. Good lacing and retention. 4/5

Smell: Sweet milk chocolate, dark grainy malt, caramel and a bit of stainless steel. Cocoa and brown sugar too. The stainless steel flavor is a bit off-putting, and several other people waiting in line for the Sodom concurred to it's existence. This is one of the first beers I got at the party, so maybe the stainless steel aroma had something to do with the "fresh" tap lines. At least the stainless steel aroma was not too pronounced to ruin the other pleasant stout aromas. 3.5/5

Taste: Bittersweet chocolate, brown sugar and a bit of roasty coffee. Dark chocolate, a little caramel, and a touch of earthy hops too. None of the stainless steel aroma on the palate, though there are subtle notes of "dark cherry" on the tongue. A bit sweet overall with more "in your face" bold flavors than balanced complexity, but still smooth and dangerously drinkable for the ABV. There is a little warming effect on the tongue as the beer warms, but it's not what I would call "boozy." 4/5

Mouthfeel: Full-medium bodied, minimal carbonation. Modestly sweet finish and a bit dry. 4/5

Overall: A tasty imperial stout that hints at much promise for barrel treatment given it's high ABV and chocolatey sweetness. I am quite excited to finally try the barrel-aged version when it taps later in the evening.

Recommendation: Order a glass of this if it is on tap. Baracus is one of Revolution's better non-barrel aged dark beers.

Pairings: Chocolate cake.

Cost: $4 for a 12 oz pour at the Revolution grand opening party.
May 26, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by FullObs from Illinois

Jan 10, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by moju from Illinois

Dec 16, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by THEOPTIMATOR88 from Illinois

Dec 02, 2011
 
Rated: 4.25 by brandoman63 from Illinois

Nov 29, 2011
Photo of MasterSki
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)

4.05/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
I've had this at the pub, and tried it again at GI Stoufest yesterday. Served in a taster glass.

A - Pours with a half-finger of tan foam that settles to a thin ring and some wisps of bubbles. The body is black, with some raisin highlights at the periphery.

S - Roasted malts, dark bread, molasses, cocoa, some faded hops, and light alcohol. Not a ton of maple or coffee, even though these were mentioned in the description. Very earthy as it warms up.

T - Roasted malts, cocoa, caramel, and surprisingly high residual hop bitterness (from the Warrior hops I guess?). Contrary to Jason's earlier review (and my experiences at the pub), this seems to have lost some of its sweetness. There's a decent amount of espresso bitterness mingling with the sweet flavors.

M - Big, chewy, sticky, and syrupy, but with sufficient bubble tingle. It definitely supports the alcohol and lives up to its namesake.

D - I enjoyed my pour, but there are a number of other Revolution stouts I'd reach for before I went back to this one. Still, I didn't realize it was 11% until I looked it up.
Mar 13, 2011
Photo of ChugginOil
Reviewed by ChugginOil from Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Settles pitch black in glass with a fingers worth of tan head that leaves legs as it dissipates.

S- Some heavy oak and vanilla scents come through first, followed by some chocolate and caramel.

T- A sweet, almost bourbon taste smacks my mouth first, followed by an array of chocolate, oak, molasses, and vanilla. A nice blend to say the least.

M- Very smooth given the ABV. Low carbonation and creamy texture have me coming back for more.

D- Smooth and delicious, this is a tasty stout and I cant wait to try the barrel aged version.
Mar 12, 2011
Photo of cadaugherty
Reviewed by cadaugherty from Illinois

4.17/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On Tap at the pub- served in a snifter

Appearance- Dark black with 2 fingers of tan head. Decent lacing.

Aroma- Sweet Chocolate malt, a touch of booze and a hint of roast coffee.

Taste- Sweet chocolate right upfront. The alcohol is well hidden in the taste. Could use more bitterness or roast for balance, but overall a very enjoyable flavor.

Mouth- Thank god it is thick. After BA Mad Cow (which was a bit thin) I was concerned that this would not be full enough to hold the heft but it does.

Drink- For an 11% stout this is dangerously drinkable. I went through 2 snifters without issue.

Throw this guy in a barrel and lets see what happens. This is another strong effort for Rev in their big beer lineup. Congrats on the 2nd brewery and the start of bottling in the near future.
Jan 04, 2011
Photo of jrallen34
Reviewed by jrallen34 from Illinois

3.97/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On tap at Revolution into a snifter...Dark black pour, but on the fringe its dark brown, strange for such a dark beer. The head comes to about two full fingers of medium tan, that is creamy and looks great, at first. The head falls really fast, too fast, ok lacing...The aroma is appealing but way to sweet. Lots of sweet chocolate and syrup with a touch of coffee on the finish...The taste is still out of balance, oh what a little more coffee could have done to this beer! Very sweet, lots of chocolate syrup, with bakers chocolate and a little coffee on the finish...The feel is nice, viscous with bite, nice warming sensation...This didn't take me long to drink but I wouldn't call it crushable.

A decent stout but out of balance. Next time around hopefully this is fixed. This is going to be barrel aged, but can't imagine this getting any sweeter. If you like sweet stouts get this, but then you might as well be drinking the Mad Cow which is better.
Jan 04, 2011
Baracus from Revolution Brewing
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 11 ratings