Parabola - Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

ncketchum

Wisconsin

4.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2012 vintage, served cellar temp in a Chimay chalice

A - pours an opaque black, viscous, chocolate head which fades to nothing

S - chocolate, dark roasted malt, oak, vanilla

T - good amount of whiskey, dark chocolate, oatmeal, little bit of dark fruit, finish with some bitter hops

M - thick, alcohol is present but not overpowering, quite smooth

O - happy to get my hands on this, thanks to Aman, definitely a top-tier barrel aged stout

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 02:48:38 | More by ncketchum

SkeeterBoganski

Colorado

4.54/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 batch

A - viscous but liquidy pour with a subtle tan head that leaves quickly; the carbonation is active and the lacing non existent

S - bourbon, toffee, dark chocolate, cherries, mocha, booze...this beer also captures some sweet oak/wood

T - caramel and chocolate; fudge; roasted oats; tobacco; dark cherry pipe smoke; boozy; wood; a hint of toffee

M - surprisingly, this beer isn't sweetly cloying; it's smooth, nuanced, balanced, a little under carbonated; tasty up front with a little burn going down

O - just an awesome barrel aged imperial stout; the chocolate cherry oak sweetness is a bit smoky and a lot tasty and packs a punch without any palate destroying astringency; knock out beer

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 01:07:56 | More by SkeeterBoganski

writerLJBerg

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle split. 2012 vintage.

A: Black as the heart of the devil with a sparse mocha foam for a head. Good legs, and this has a solid inky outlook.

N: Lots of licorice, chocolate, tobacco, and dark chocolate candies. Fudge and there's noticeable oak. Vanilla and caramel act as a backdrop. There's a touch of raisin and prune as well as coffee.

T: Roasted coffee, fudge, dark chocolate, coffee, lots of smoke and tobacco over the top of the sweet base. However, it adds bitterness rather than ashtray. I enjoy how it has two distinguishable tiers. There's a light licorice flavor, and the oak also adds a lot of chippiness to the proceedings. Leans towards astringency by the end.

M: Oily and slick. Very full texture. Alcohol is expertly hidden.

O: This vintage is doing very well, though there's definitely a lot of oak so be prepared for the grain. However, for being such a behemoth, it never loses its presence by hiding behind a cloying underattentuation. Props to this one. I'll have another.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 03:06:36 | More by writerLJBerg

cquinn17

Illinois

4.59/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 vintage. 22 oz poured into a wine glass. Tasted on 1/2/13, just now putting in my review.

A- Dark as night with a very thin mocha head, tiny bubbles on the head.

S- Strong vanilla, oak, toffee, chocolate and alcohol. Not much coffee, maybe a hint.

T- Big vanilla, bourbon, toffee chocolate and surprisingly a lot of coffee-like bitterness. Bitter, dry finish.

M- Thick, oily mouthfeel. Very heavy bodied.

O- Right up there with all of the best BBA Stouts. Really nice flavors and light enough in ABV to finish a bomber. Seek this out and buy a few if you can. Also interested to see how this holds up with a year of age on it.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 07:40:34 | More by cquinn17

DenverLogan

Colorado

4.39/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

From 2012 bottle...No 003...poured in a Chimay chalice.
Pours black with small brown head...leaves a tiny bit of lace with time.
Aroma of dark roasted malts, vanilla, sweet malts.
Modest carbonation and powerful mouthfeel.
Flavors of burnt roasted malts, dark and bitter chocolate...there's a mouth puckering bitterness...let me give it 5 minutes...
OK...with a few minutes the head is nearly gone, aroma is big of barrel bourbon, dark malts...flavors are big with bourbon barrel, raisins, dark chocolate, bitter hops (82 IBU), vanilla. This is a big boy with complexity and strength...might have been wise to age it another 6 - 12 months, possibly more, but I couldn't resist. I've had this on many occasions over the years, probably most often on draft in Southern California. Damn fine and tasty treat.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 04:45:12 | More by DenverLogan

spoony

Colorado

4.64/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

From a 650 ml bottle (2012 batch, March 14, 2012 printed on the bottle) into a snifter.

A-The brew is nearly black with only a small glimmer of brown letting light through at the edges of the glass. The dark brown head drops from about a finger to a patchy cap of foam almost immediately, which is not surprising given the ABV. Some ultra-fine carbonation is visible against the glass.

S-This is a great smelling stout (if you like bourbon). I smell a lot of oak, vanilla, and boozy heat., with a touch of caramel in there, too. But the smell is also full of dark, sweet fruit (mostly raisins), herbal black licorice, and lightly bitter malts that give off a baker's chocolate smell. It is very complex and intense, but also quite balanced for being a big booze bomb.

T-The taste mostly follows the smell. This is a high-octane blend of vanilla and oaky bourbon flavors mixing with licorice, booze-soaked dark fruit, and dark chocolate malts. There is a little touch of oats in there that really seems to balance out the heat and character of the bourbon flavors.

M-The feel is medium to light for the style. I think the high ABV actually comes through here and gives it a somewhat thin feeling on the palate. The finish is warm to hot.

O-This beer mostly lived up to its reputation. I sipped it slowly over the course of the evening and enjoyed every drop. The complexity of flavors and mixture between the oaky bourbon and the more traditional RIS flavors like chocolatey malts are really fantastic. This is not a beer for the timid with its 12.5% ABV and prominent booze feel and taste, but for those who like that sort of thing, drink up.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 00:10:03 | More by spoony

lordofstarside

Nevada

4.89/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2012 bottle, batch #003 into a snifter. Bottled on 3/13/12

Pours pitch black with no transparency on any side of the glass. A finger of dark mocha tinged foam sports some good retention as well as lacing. No real carbonation present, though I can see a few bubbles amassing on the side. Near perfect look, really want to give it a 5 but need to see some better retention.

Was able to smell the beer as soon as I cracked the cap, solid sign that good things are coming my way. Lots going on here- coffee, hops, chocolate, oak, toffee, vanilla, butterscotch, whiskey, alcohol, and a sweet malt. One of the more complex smelling beers I've had in a while

Taste is spot on with the nose- coffee, toffee, bourbon, chocolate, cherry, vanilla, oak, oatmeal, and a touch of alcohol. Flavor is just as complex as the aroma. Quite a lot going on, everything comes together flawlessly

Feel is consistent also, bitter, sticky, and dry. Most all the alcohol is concealed (still a touch of heat), yet this stuff still quite rich has to be sipped to be enjoyed.

Overall this is one of the best beers I've had in quite a while. FW really hits this one out of the park, much of the hype surrounding this beer is justified by how many dimensions it has. Well worth $15 a bottle, I can't wait to age some of these

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 08:23:03 | More by lordofstarside

laituegonflable

Australia

4.25/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark brown colour; head is a bit whispier than I'd like. Nice pale beige colour, specks of lace. Looks OK, but thick.

Smells solventy, belying a strong, sweet malt base, with touches of roast underneath that. Peanut, marzipan and a touch of cranberry. Intriguing.

Taste is dark fruit; sweeter & complex with raisins, lots of vanilla and oak, currants, figs and dates with dry spicing - nutmeg, cumin and pepper as well as liquorice. Dark, roasty but with a lot of complex sugars, glaze and spice esters. Very, very nice indeed.

Thick and boozey on the mouthfeel, as you'd expect. Yeah, it definitely feels like 12.5%.

Lots to explore here; I really like that in a beer. When I started out on this particular journey of discovery, I felt disappointed and a bit nonplussed. I wish they'd given me more of a precursor on the look or the smell, because the anticipation and excitement is half of the fun. This doesn't look or smell nearly as good as it is.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 03:58:54 | More by laituegonflable

BrownNut

Florida

4.19/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 3/14/2012. Drunk almost a year later on 2/25/2013. Served just north of room temperature in a tulip.

A - 4.0 - Pours root beer brown. Black in the glass except at the edges. Finger of surprisingly fizzy tan head that dissipates in 30 seconds. Come back, head. Come back. Be creamy and enduring, why don't you.

S - 4.0 - Bready chocolate pastry. Somewhat worryingly, something approaching a hint of metal but not quite getting there. As it warms, more alcohol comes forward, in a good way.

T - 4.25 - Malty chocolate of moderate sweetness. Notes of chocolate covered cherry and that liquor/syrup you get in those. More complex than some, less complex than expected/desired. Round, not sharp, and seemingly a bit weak in terms of flavor intensity. Somewhat dry finish with a fairly sweet, slightly bitter chocolate syrup aftertaste. Very pleasantly warm booze fumes wafting up the throat after swallowing.

M - 4.25 - Not as thick as expected. Pleasantly heavy and creamy yet not somehow not dense, I suppose thanks to the carbonation. Manages to be velvety without being necessarily viscous. A little sticky after a while.

O - 4.25 - Very good, but unfortunately I let the hype mislead me. I was expecting one of the best instead of one of the very very good. Whatever this overall flavor is, it's really very nice. There's more than one thing happening, but not much more. That's good but more would be better. A bit thicker, a bit richer, maybe some more black malt char to stiffen it. A bit of coffee or something else. Never had it fresh so not sure how it compares. I really like the alcohol level. Nice and warm. It's almost liqueur-like in sweetness and strength. I would definitely buy it again if I had local access but would not trade for it again. At the end of the bottle I'll say this is a beer that made me work and made me think and improved over the course of the bottle, which is saying something.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 03:42:42 | More by BrownNut

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.21/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a nice large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of black chocolate with some light vanilla notes and some light dry roasted malt. Taste is dominated by loads of black chocolate notes with some light dry roasted malt and some vanilla and light bourbon notes. Taste is definitely quite complex and not as dry as expected with quite a bit of residual sugar coming through. Body is full with a really nice creamy texture and some good carbonation with no apparent alcohol. I can’t find many fault in this beer except that that bourbon could bit a bit more pronounced.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 21:32:26 | More by Phyl21ca

RumHam

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 bottle poured into a tulip glass.

A- pitch black in color with a tan head that quickly disappears.

S- it smells of oak, coffee, chocolate, hints of vanilla, and bourbon. Definitely not as strong of a bourbon smell as some of the other big stouts.

T- strong flavor, mild bourbon aftertaste. Very good beer and very drinkable for a big stout.

M- lightly carbonated, and smooth. Very smooth. Firestone Walker did an incredible job with this one.

O- overall it's just an incredible beer. I wish it were easier to locate on the east coast but it definitely makes the few times I have it much more memorable.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 20:37:17 | More by RumHam

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.56/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Parabola (2011) pours flat black with a small tan head on top. The foam disappears quickly leaving only a couple spots of lace on the glass.

The aroma is oaky and sweet. Vanilla, oak, dark fruit (cherry), chocolate, and alcohol.

Each sip of this full bodied brew is smooth and slightly oily with mild carbonation. The flavor is rich, malty and sweet. It begins with oak, bourbon, and vanilla. In the middle notes of dark fruit (cherry, raisin) blend with chocolate and a touch of roast malt. It finishes with an earthy nuttiness, alcohol and some grassy bitterness. Once gone the oak, chocolate and dark fruit lingers on the palate.

This beer was cellar aged for a year and it's still great. It could go another year to smooth out some of the alcohol. Lots of flavor that comes out as it warms. My only negative is the flat appearance, but that's not a priority for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 23:31:07 | More by WanderingFool

Brandywine

Washington

4.65/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2012 Vintage poured into a tulip.

Appearance: Black with a feint hint of deep brown around the rim. Poured half a finger of a beautiful mocha brown head. Big bubbles. Big sticky alcohol legs. Thick lacing. Shows deep glints of red as it gets lower in the glass.

Smell: Dark fruit, maybe cherry, rich bourbon, sweet malt, brown sugar, no booze at all, vanilla sweetness, rich sweet dark chocolate.

Taste: Tip of the tongue is bourbon, oak and vanilla. Middle of the mouth is espresso mocha cream. After taste is roasted malts and sweetness. As it warms up the rich vanilla becomes more prominent, balanced against the roast and oak, all against the consistent backdrop of bourbon. Bourbon is followed by a tannic quality (that must come from the oak or wine) that squeezes the taste buds and moves the sweetness along. As it nears room temperature it picks up a sweet red wine or vinous character mixed with bourbon.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied. Sticks to the palate even after it's gone without ever being cloying.

Overall: I could've used more complexity on the nose. However, this beer displays a layered complexity that allows you to appreciate all of its various qualities without them becoming muddled. Super smooth and delicious, this is a must try world class stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 05:05:22 | More by Brandywine

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Reserve series #003. 12.5%abv. 2012 vintage.

A: Dark hersey chocolate pour is a pitch black in the vessel accompanied by golden micro-beads of carbonation slowly rising to build up the creamy, dark khaki head that sits stubbonly about with no where to go. Decent lace coverage.

S: Nice wiff of whiskey upon first uncapping gives you a good indication for what follows on the nose. Whiskey laced smooth chocolate malts appear with a slight smoky and charred nature of woodiness. Burnt licorice and burbon soaked dark fruit are always welcomed with roasted barley and a scorched toffee sweetness that balances just right.

T: The flavor is even more endearing. Whiskey heavy with bitter dark chocolate and licorice first pops out. Flashes of sweet scorched toffee offers balance and sweetness with a soothing campfire minerality of burnt grains and currant. Burbon touch of dark fruitiness comes about while the alcohol still is shy, feeling much lower then its advertised 12.5%abv which is just fine with me, it just shows how well and clean as smooth this beer really is on the next level. Smooth earthy and silty bitterness follows the swallow along with some freshly brewed french roast.

M: Luscious mouthful, silky thick and creamy from the oats with a warming of whisky and vanilla coffee bean ease. Amazing bite of earthy dark bitterness covers the tongue.

O: Overall this beer is certainly on a level above most others and a 1% by style. For such a dark and high abv beer this comes off amazingly smooth, refined, balanced and is so deliciously inviting i feel i can continue much longer then the bomber should allow me to. Was literally awestruck from the first sip to the last, kept my attention and excitment thoughout with vocal explanations thrown around as to its heavenly nature. I dont hand out 5's to often but really couldnt find much else i would rather see here that could make this any more enjoyable except for another bottle in hand. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 22:58:09 | More by beerthulhu

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.76/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A-deep black color with a decent light brown head and some lacing

S-bourbon, coffee, chocolate, dark malt, vanilla

T-dark roasted malt and coffee with chocolate and hint of vanilla enrobed in bourbon, slight bitterness in the finish

F-medium body with light to moderate carbonation, smooth and rich with great balance and blending so that alcohol well-incorporated

O-a delicious RIS with great flavor and balance, one of the best of the style

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 17:17:18 | More by MDDMD

Immortale25

Florida

4.86/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a Due South Brewing Co. snifter. Label says 2012.

A- Pours a dense black color with a 1/2 inch dark tan head that retains a bit before falling down to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a half sheet of surface foam. Jagged ring of semi-resilient lacing.

S- Heavy molasses and brown sugar aroma with heavily roasted malt. Some oak and a nice kick of alcohol. Also notes of dark chocolate, caramel and vanilla.

T- Strong but smooth rush of dark roasted malt with chocolate, vanilla, oak, smoke and molasses all firing off at once in a firm but harmonious cavalcade of flavor. Alcohol is definitely pleasant but fits in with all the other pieces of this complex puzzle. Dangerously drinkable. The oak from barrel-aging comes through more and more as it warms.

M- Chewy, creamy and sticky with medium-low carbonation and a good amount of sharpness from the booze. Thick, full body.

O- Hallelujah. This deceivingly potent concoction just muscled its way into my top 5 RIS's of all time. A must-try.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 01:30:42 | More by Immortale25

jeonseh

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured in a FFF snifter

A - Dark, almost black, brown with a tan colored head that poured one finger tall. Settles down to a light layer of almost bog like foam sitting on top.

S - Nice, complex stout nose with chocolate, roasted malts, sweet caramel, slight bitter coffee, and oak. The chocolate and caramel are the dominant parts of the nose while the other bits are more subtle. It has good strong flavors that make themselves known while still allowing everything to blend together well.

T - Sweet vanilla, caramel and chocolate up front. As the beer goes on, there is chocolate, dark prunes, and light espresso. Finish is slight warming bourbon and oak which linger on in the finish.

MF - Silky, smooth beer with light carbonation. Light alcoholic kick and oak in the finish but otherwise a superb mouthfeel

O - This beer shows why Firestone Walker is known as a great blender and barrel ager. It has great flavors, is silky smooth and no rough edges. I was really impressed by this one and surprised how much it stood out from some of the other RIS's I've had lately.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 04:11:31 | More by jeonseh

PsilohsaiBiN

New York

4.41/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

2012 bottle:

Appearance: Black as the ace of spades with a small, tan had that eventually fades to the perimeter only.

Smell: Oak barrel, chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, coffee, caramel. F'in delicious smelling, very similar to BCBS.

Taste: Immense barrel character, wow. A great blend of bourbon, dark chocolate and coffee give way to a spicy, tobacco like ending, with lingering dark chocolate bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Thicker than WWS, but not quite in the viscous territory of BCBS.

Overall: Definitely glad I was able to try this. Not a bad brew by any means, but I'm just not thrilled about the spicy notes of this(similar to what I thought about that element in Sucaba)although it does lend to the complexity. This is also a little boozy on the back end of the drink. Aside from that, Firestone Walker makes a lot of good beer and I will continue to imbibe, I just personally like their IPAs better.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 02:34:12 | More by PsilohsaiBiN

hreb

Washington

4.36/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle with foil cap and presented in a cardboard box. 2012 Firestone Walker Parabola. Aged 12 months in a "combination of barrels" and additionally personally cellared several months by me. Served at cellar temperature (mid to high 50°s, F). Beer pours opaque black with nearly zero head. Intense aroma of brandy, apricot, and prunes.

The first sip is both sharp / finely carbonated and rich with big, dark fruit flavors and alcohol warmth. The middle of the beer is deceptively light on the tongue. The beer concludes with a gentle bitter edge, though I'd never have guessed anywhere close to the DIPA-worthy 82 IBUs the label claims. A little bit of treacle / bitter molasses in the end. For an imperial stout this beer is just super mellow; the barrel aging and oak flavors do it really well. Oh, except for the heavy alcohol of course. For a stout there really aren't a lot of roasty, nutty, chocolate or coffee flavors, either. But there are layers of bourbon, fruit and brandy

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 04:22:21 | More by hreb

Topher78

California

4.78/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pours black as used motor oil with little to no head and abundant alcohol legs. The aroma is enveloping and consists of vanilla, bourbon and espresso. The taste brings plenty of of roasted malt, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla and coffee. The mouth feel is reminiscent of syrup, in that it coats your whole mouth and slides across your palate.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 04:07:23 | More by Topher78

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

650mL bottle, shared at a recent tasting. Cheers, Brad!

2012 vintage. Poured into a goblet. Dark chestnut, about a half inch of tan head that recedes into a thin ring.

Smells terrific. Nice rich caramel, sugar, vanilla, a touch of bourbon, light coffee and chocolate. Very nice.

This is one tasty brew. Sweet caramalized sugar, coffee, peat, bourbon, oak, bitter finish. Reminds me a great deal of some of the big high ABV bombs out there, but with a more reasonable ABV. This is great stuff. Thicker bodied, carbonation provides a light bite.

As far as I'm concerned, Firestone Walker can't miss. This is a terrific brew. Despite being nearly 13%, this is surprisingly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 03:28:41 | More by JohnnyBarman

bump8628

Oklahoma

4.53/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

2012 vintage. Yeah, it's a big American double stout and it looks the part, black as night with a big-bubbled tan froth that builds fast before falling to a thin cap under the heft of the 12.5% ethyl alcohol. Again, it's a powerful American stout and we all know what the best taste like (and this is one of the best) - rich espresso, raw cocoa, burnt sugars, toffee, and a punch of herbal hoppiness all layered with a smooth bourbon whiskey flavor on top of an oak foundation. Smoooth. The barrel aging has rounded out the rough spots and left the alcohol nigh undetectable. Firestone Walker brews excellent beer and this is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 22:10:06 | More by bump8628

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.56/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2011 Vintage

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with some very dark amber highlights and a very light amount of visible carbonation. The beer has a quarter finger tall dark tan to mocha head that quickly reduces to a small patch of very thin film and a very thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Strong aromas of bourbon, oak, and vanilla along with some light to moderate notes of chocolate. There are some very light hints of alcohol in the aroma as well.

T: Upfront there is a strong flavor of chocolate, caramel, and coffee - the chocolate is more of a dark chocolate, a bittersweet chocolate. There is a moderate to strong flavor of bourbon, vanilla, and oak with just a hint of coconut towards the finish. There are light notes of roasted malts and vinous notes. Light to moderate amounts of bitterness in the finish.

M: Just shy of full bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Velvety smooth with a light amount of alcohol heat in the finish.

O: This beer is very enjoyable with a great amount of complexity to both the taste and the smell - this makes it a great sipping beer that is best slowly enjoyed... The beer smells much stronger than it tastes but the alcohol is not overly present in the flavor. The beer continues to smooth out as it warms and the complexity increases.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 02:01:06 | More by dbrauneis

Spectre

California

4.24/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A. Black body with a small light brown head.

S. Bourbon with a light coco in the aroma.

T. Flavor is coffee and chocolaty but has more bourbon in the scent.

M. Goes Down smooth. Not meant to be consumed quickly but very possible if reckless.

Overall a great stout, better with age.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 22:05:10 | More by Spectre

BierJager89

California

4.86/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Poured from a bomber into a snifter

A: Pours a beautiful black with a brown head that fades to a ring

S: Nose is complex and full of vanilla with notes of earthy chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, coconut and oak. It begs the tongue to taste.

T: Chocolate, coconut and caramel up front, followed by big bourbon character, vanilla, caramel, oak and alcohol in the middle and finish. Aftertaste is delicious chocolate, bourbon and roasted malt. Just a touch short of perfection. Too much alcohol.

M: Full bodied, I'm sure, but I've forgotten the other details. I was too lost in the gloriousness of the beer.

O: Taste is what matters most. I'd say 99 out of 100, just a bit too much alcohol. I'll try it again and make a better review when 2013 comes out.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 02:59:06 | More by BierJager89