Berserker Imperial Stout - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.88/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A big thanks to Frank for sending this one my way. I have waited to try this one for literally forever. Served chilled to about 55 and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 04/11/2009.

The pour was fantastic. Rich dark brown, nearly black with a huge tan head that rose up nearly three inches over the top and only slightly settled down as the session passed Tons of rich foam swirling around the glass coated everything in sight with a rich chocolate haze. Intense looking for sure. The aroma was equally as impressive. Tons of molasses, rich roasted malts steeped in coffee. As it warms a load of cocoa just rises up and sucks you in. This one is as intense as it gets for me. I go in for the taste and I am floored. Such a rich, smooth, full bodied explosion of flavor, I am unsure how to even describe it. Chocolate and coffe melded seemlessly together in a huge milkshake like consitency. This is one of the best tasting stouts I have had. Roasted malts just fluttering through and huge notes of molasses and woody like flavors as it fades away leaving vanilla infused coffee notes along my tongue. Soo good. I almost did not want to finish this one it was soo good. Alcohol a mere afterthought as the smoothness of this blows everything out of the water.

I have had nearly every big, bad stout out there, but this one is easily in my top 5. Just such a sweet flavor and smooth feel to it, I really did not think it was going to be this good. Needless to say I am impressed.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 15:25:43 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.1/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Roland for this bottle. The bottle leaked a little bit during shipping so to be safe rather than sorry, I decided to put this one on ice and drink it right away.

A: The pour is a fairly viscous and black one with a mild tan head forming.

S: The nose is fairly complex with plenty of dark chocolate and molasses coming out right away. The oak and vanilla notes are a bit more subtle and the roast and coffee are not quite as in your face as in many stouts.

T: A pronounced licorice character comes through on the palate that I did not expect from the nose. Again, plenty of molasses and chocolate going on with a fair amount of oakiness. A moderate bitterness is present as well.

M: The body is medium, not quite to the full range, with a smooth carbonation that eventually ended up dying out as I went back for my subsequent pours from the bottle.

D: For a 10% imperial stout, this is quite drinkable, I will say. Not necessarily amazing, but still enjoyable and definitely different.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 06:29:49 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed at a recent tasting, alongside continuous streaming of the Berserker scene from Clerks. Thanks, Ben!

A: Poured near black with a very dark head. Appeared nice and viscous.

S: Very rich all around. Not getting too much of the maple and probably wouldn't know it was there if I wasn't told, but the there is definitely some molasses and a bit of dark fruit alongside roasted malt and chocolate.

T: Similar to the nose but with the addition of some black licorice and a bit of oak, adding in a touch of vanilla. Very nice taste and quite complex.

M: Nice and full without too much of an alcohol kick to it.

D: Very good. Midnight Sun always impresses, and this is no exception. Especially drinkable alongside the aforementioned Clerks scene, which will forever give me very fond memories of drinking this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 17:58:29 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4.9/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2009 bottling

Appearance: Black as midnight with a very modest mocha head that fritters away to a ringlet in short order, while leaving a streak of lacing

Smell: Rich and velvety dark chocolate, dark fruit, tobacco and molasses

Taste: Rich dark chocolate tones, up front, joined by a hint of maple and a vinous fruity character that morphs by adding a touch of bourbon at mid-palate; the alcohol also adds character and there is a tobacco-esque hoppy element, as well; the finish is lengthy and smooth

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation; subtle heat in the finish

Overall: A superb beverage that is as good as any RIS I have tasted

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 00:51:18 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to MaxStout for sharing this one at NoSignsOfPain's birthday bottleshare hosted by mrbubbler.

Pours an opaque, thick black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, raisins/dark fruit, cocoa, wood, and alcohol. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a medium amount of roasty bitterness with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and sticky mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer with some great aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 06:26:29 | More by UCLABrewN84

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Recently making it a priority to try more Midnight Sun beers has certainly paid off with this serious Stout. If sweet, roasty, and fruity are what you're after-- search over.

Berserker begins with a silky and viscous pour, not un-like motor oil. About as dark brown as it can get without becomming black. Completely opaque. The deep tan head is short-lived, probably because of the heavy sugars and alcohols inhibit such structure. Ink-stained legging clings to the glass while forgoing any lacing. The beer falls still half-way through the glass.

The typical aromas of espresso, heavy charred grains, and deep syrups attack the olfactories. What is surprising is the complex fruitiness of red wines, plumbs, and currants. These fruity aromas give this Russian Imperial Stout a healthy dose of English Olde Ales and red wine barrels.

Flavors once again favor the roast with the bold coffee, cocoa, and acrid charred grains. Heavy sweetness of molassas, maple syrups, and malt sugars make a dramatic impact on taste but surprisingly carry away in a well-attenuated fashion in the end. Deep flavors of ripe stone fruits (grapes, plubs, berries, and currants) give an unexpected variety to the stout, but is well received- keeping the beer from suffering a one-dimentional dullness. Bourbon and rum alcohols come to mind as the sweetness and roast fall, taking the beer into a bitter and alcoholic finish.

Very rich, full, and robust up front- this is one big beer! But the low carbonation helps the beer to go from full and chewy to fleeting and drinkable in the end. Perhaps a bit astringent and vinous in the finish but the complexity and roast character is more than enough to compensate for barrel-aged tannins.

Berserker is a wonderful beer for the finale of any session. It's balance of sweet, roast, fruit, and more sweet reminds me a lot of New Holland's Night Tripper. Many thanks go out to BrewsB4Shrews for sharing this beer!

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 02:32:09 | More by BEERchitect

drabmuh

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beer shared by someone at a recent tasting. Poured into a snifter. Beer is black but brown at the edges and forms moderate and broken head of small bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass. Overall the carbonation appears low.

The aroma is mostly sweet with only a hint of alcohol.

Beer is medium bodied and has a combination of chocolate and sweetness in the front half, a slight tinge of alcohol and overall a mild bitterness from chocolate and roast. Beer finishes slightly dry that accents the bitterness of the beer overall. It is very drinkable though, the bitterness does not overpower the more delicate flavors in the front, there is no real aftertaste, if it were drier I believe there would be a problem with this much bitter, but it seems well composed.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2010 21:07:52 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this beer.

Pours black with a dark brown head. Very attractive. The aroma is toasted malt with some chocolate and coffee. You also get some vanilla. The flavor is strong on the oak aging, with oak and vanilla being prominent. You get a little bit of bitterness as well. Medium mouthfeel and no detectable alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 22:28:52 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

4.35/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer is absolutely jet black in color. It poured with a thin ring of reddish mocha bubbles around the edge of the glass that quickly died down, leaving only a faint collar.
S: Strong aromas of dark malts and bourbon are present in the nose, along with some hints of molasses.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, but a little more complex with additional flavors of dark malts and chocolate.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and viscous on the palate with a low to moderate amount of carbonation. A little warming from the alcohol is noticeable in the finish.
O: The flavors of this beer are well integrated and balanced, particularly the bourbon, which does not overpower the beer and overshadow the other flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 01:29:08 | More by metter98

MasterSki

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got to try the '08 and '09 vintages back-to-back. Thanks to rudylaw and eyebrews for these two I think. This was the last thing I could coherently review at the December 5th Bad Apple tasting event (seems my limit is four beers in an evening). Served in the same mini-pint taster glass thing.

A - Two fingers of dark mocha foam that eventually dissipates to a ring and leaves some decent lacing, especially for such a high gravity brew. My notes say BLACK - I guess it was black?

S - Maple syrup, dark fruits, chocolate, light booze and vanilla, a touch of tobacco and leather. The barrel-aged element is a little understated, which I suppose isn't surprising considering this is a blend of bourbon barrel and wine barrel-aged elements, as opposed to 100% bourbon barrel-aged. Reminds me a little of what Dark Lord used to be like back when it was awesome.

T - Roasted caramel malts, maple, vanilla, bourbon, dark fruits. Not much subtlety here, although the roasty and tannic elements keep this from turning into a sugar bomb. I suppose I shouldn't expect subtlety from a beer called Berserker. There's the slightest sour and earthy element - perhaps from the wine barrel? Nice bitter and oaky finish.

M- Chewy, viscous full-body, light carbonation. Alcohol is present, but not indicative of the full 12.7% listed. Again, a little reminiscent of Dark Lord, but not quite as sludgy.

D - The thick texture and high ABV slow things down a bit, but it still more drinkable than your average 13% brew.

For all you Dark Lord lovers who have been underwhelmed by the most recent releases, seek this one out instead. It has a lot of similar elements, but also the nice twists of the light barrel aging (in both bourbon and wine barrels no less).

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2009 20:10:44 | More by MasterSki

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 vintage

A: Poured a deep, deep brown, good carbonation and a nice brown head.

S: Nose is deep roasted malts, coffee, cocoa and alcohol.

T: Taste is alcohol and roasted malt upfront, midway through to the end is coffee, cocoa.
M: Mouthfeel is coating and pretty thick and hefty.

O: good and really glad I got to finally try this.
///

2012 vintage

A: Poured extremely deep brown near black with a big brown cap, light lacing and a little brown ring after a few sips

S: A big roastiness, milk chocolate, maple and molasses, sweetness, booze sting and some moderate bourbon

T: Initial creaminess, Dark Lord like soy sauce with a big sweetness, milk chocolate transition into a lingering maple, light bourbon and molasses, faint wood and vanilla. Finish is a burning like spepperness, sweet sugar, bourbon, chocolate and maple

M: Big body, boozey, creamy and decadent

O: Very good. More like a bbn, chocolate covered maple bar!

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 00:15:47 | More by barleywinefiend

mdfb79

New York

4.18/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

From 11/27/11 notes. HUGE thanks to the Chicago group for sending this one in the Group BIF; this has been a huge Want of mine for a couple years. 2009 vintage, unsure of the ABV. Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a tulip.

a - Pours a pitch black color with light carbonation evident and one finger of dark tan head. Leaves some spotty lacing on the glass and head lasts for a few minutes.

s - Smells of molasses, roasted malts, sweet dark fruits, chocolate, raisins, wood, and very light cofee. Nose is a little sweet, but I really like it. Not getting much bourbon at all, but a reaqlly nice mix of molasses, fruit, and chocolate.

t - Tastes of chocolate, molasses and sweet dark fruits, roasted malts, some vanilla, light sweet syrup, light smokey malts, and light wood. A little sweet again but a bit of a step done from the nose.

m - Pretty light body and low carbonation. Pretty smooth and easy to drink, but would have liked a thicker body for a big stout and a tiny bit more carbonation. Someone at the tasting mentioned they found the 2011 version thicker, but it was pretty thin in the 09 vintage.

o - Overall I thought this was a very good stout. It looked great and I loved the nose. I would have liked more bourbon in the nose and taste, and would have liked a thicker body and more carbonation, but it was still a great beer. Would like to have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 23:39:51 | More by mdfb79

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Much thanks to hopdog for sharing this beauty. 2007 version...
Appears black with caramel brown edges and a dark tan head. Scattered streaks of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of raisins, cocoa, vanilla, mocha, and oak.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a peanut flavor that is also standing out in the complex flavors.
Mouthfeel is smooth, chewy, raisiny, bourbony, and outright beautiful. This one is a winner. Seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2007 19:59:12 | More by weeare138

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle into a tulip glass. Many thanks go to Bubba83 for surprising me with this in a recent trade of ours. You da' man Kevin!

Vintage 2010 12.7% ABV

This literally looks like motor oil going into the glass, with a black and viscous pour that yields a rigid finger of dark and burnt mocha head that is bordering on chocolate colored at times. By the time this finally settles down, you have a creamy ½ finger that stays rich and angry looking, and just drenches the glass with spotty froth and gooey brown oils that slowly ooze down the sides. Quite the fierce look here! The aroma is heavy with molasses, as well as notes of dark fruit, smoke, leafy tobacco, vanilla, cocoa powder; moderate warming bourbon, and some spicy alcohol. Light woodiness is present but is not jumping out, instead working with that dark fruit character to impart a bit of a wine like feel to the nose. Whew! There's a lot of complexity here but all of those flavors never seem to ground each other and were all easily identifiable in their own way. Just fantastic!

The taste has a thick sticky base to it of sugary molasses, vanilla, chocolate cake, and vinous dark fruit character that run the whole way through the profile. Things get taken to the next level with the addition of brown sugar and a bitter roastiness that hangs on the edges and then pulls together into a burnt back-end that lingers with leftover sugars and then finally dry notes of earthy tobacco and wood. The mouthfeel is full bodied, with a tight and sharp chewiness that fills the palate up with all of those rich flavors. As this sits in the mouth and the carbonation starts to lessen, this achieves much more of a viscous feel that really accentuates all of that rich sweetness in the profile. This definitely has some beefy power to it but the alcohol is mostly confined to the flavors and this is overall VERY smooth for a near 13% beer. Man, the alcohol and wood really dry the finish out on this!

Wow, this was completely satisfying. Powerful, decadent, and complex, with such a smooth feel for size of it, this Midnight Sun offering just pushed all of the right buttons for me. Man, I need to find another one of these for the cellar. This beer rocked!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 20:23:53 | More by Kegatron

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2010 vintage generously shared by shadowane.

Pours pitch black and completely opaque without a hint of lighter color when held to a light and a 1.5 finger frothy dark mocha head with good retention, slowly fading into a lasting ring. Sporadic splotches and chunks of lacing left behind.

Sweet, slightly roasted aroma with hints of roasted coffee bean, silky chocolate, honey, molasses, bittersweet dark chocolate, tobacco and cedar. Slightly leathery with some earthy oak tannis as well as some faint vanilla. The barrel character is evident but not over powering in the nose letting the other scents shine through.

Chewy medium body that's on the fuller end with a slightly dry, bitter hop presence and a very roasted malt character. Deep roasted flavor up front with silky bittersweet dark chocolate, coffee/espresso bean and oatmeal. This is countered by a nice creamy lactic presence, that along with the molasses and honey, adds complexity and fullness to the palate. This gives this beer it's viscosity and sweetness and compliments the earthy oak very nicely. The ABV is excellently masked with little to no heat making it incredibly quaffable. There is subtle heat and warmth in the finish but it's very faint. It's unbelievable that this beer is 12.7%. would have guessed under ten percent. Insanely drinkable at this strength.

Overall, I was very impressed with this beer and thought that it was much more complex, flavorful and drinkable than the 09 Kate the Great which was also opened tonight. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 05:46:32 | More by corby112

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Was lucky enough to pick up a bottle at Belmont Station last time out west.

The beer pours a viscuous, blackish brown color with pretty good head retention and lacing. The head on this beer is a rich coffee color, which is typically the sign of an intensely flavored RIS. Likewise, the beer smells pretty good, with an aroma profile consisting of coffee, chocolate, molasses and prunes. Good as this beer smells, the flavor profile is flatout amazing. I get chocolate, coffee, molasses, maple syrup, dark fruits and some light licorise. Nothing is overdone in this moderately sweet RIS, and the restrained carbonation is perfect for the style. Mouthfeel is rich and plush in this lovely beer, and there's a mouthfilling consistency that is just wonderful. The beer has a long, drawn out finish, and drinkability is amazing. You can tell this is a big beer of course, but it's not at all boozy, and I was startled when I saw the 12.7% abv. on the label. Talk about a beer that carries its alcohol very well.

This is an exceptionally well made and delicious RIS. Yummy stuff!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2009 20:11:04 | More by johnmichaelsen

DoubleJ

California

4.2/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A big thanks to gford217 for providing me with this beer. The time is now to drink this supposed beauty. 2009 Vintage, on to the beer:

Pours thick into my snifter. Black is the color of the now, dark tanned head which dissapears quickly....only a ring of lace remains. The aroma isn't as intense as expected. Very mellow. I can smell the maple syrup in this beer, and I should because I was trained in Quebec* to use real maple syrup on whatever I ate (*sort of). A little dark chocolate underneath those maple tones, also a little alcohol.

Mellow flavor for such a big beer style, yet still tasty. Actually, I like the taste a lot. I can taste a little oak and fruit, along with the sweet maple syrup. Unsweetened chocolate...mmmm. Touch of vanilla. Toasted marshmallow. Tobacco. Very little alcohol is tasted on the palate. 12.7% ABV? Hogwash! Medium-hevay in feel with little carbonation, just a touch light in feel for the style. There is some satisfying tobacco in the aftertaste.

Delicious! Complex, yet from a more mellow Imperial Stout. Don't hesitate to go for this if the opportunity is there.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 06:14:00 | More by DoubleJ

HopHead84

California

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

2008 Vintage.Pours black with a two finger, brown, thick head. Retention is good, as is the lacing. The aroma is of dark chocolate, molasses, and coffee. Some oak is noticeable and the alcohol is apparent.

Flavor is very rich bitter chocolate, roasted malt, and some coffee. Also, boozy molasses and oak with mild whisky notes. The long finish is bitter chocolate, coffee, and lingering alcohol.

Berserker is full bodied with great carbonation. Mouth feel is creamy.

2005 Vintage consumed on 7/25/2009. Thanks a lot Stephen!

I'm boosting the nose and drinkability on this one by .5. The whisky is very pronounced and some time has done wonders for this beer. The vanilla and oak are also more apparent in the nose. This beer is fantastic and I'd drink the hell out of it.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2008 17:32:03 | More by HopHead84

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Been wanting to try this one for quite some time. Thanks to Orangesol for busting it out at a recent tasting. Poured into a sampler glass, this brew appears black in color with a dark tan head across the top. As it fades, spots of lace stick to the glass and a light swirl revives a finger of strength back to the surface.

The smell of this brew is all over the dark brew spectrum. Notes of dark fruity quality like raisins or plums bring out the focus on alcohol while some deeper earthy noted are also evident. Licorice and tobacco come out more as the brew warms up.

The taste is dark and fruity with more indications of raisins and plums or prunes focusing on the alcohol side of things. More sips reveal more flavoring that is dark and roast grain. A bit of licorice and earthy tobacco follow through into the aftertaste.

This is a medium to full bodies brew with a light level of carbonation that really exaggerates the feel. It is well balanced and enjoyable for it's strength and something I wouldn't mind having again. While I'm not the biggest fan of dark fruity character in RIS brews, this one packed enough depth another character to not let it get distracting. Thanks again Nate for sharing.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 17:58:33 | More by stakem

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

09 Version

Poured into large tripel karmetiet (sp) glass.

Pours about 1/4 finger of burnt orange/red tan head. Color is oil black. Very nice looking beer. Very great head retention.

Aroma: Damn, this is smelling fine. Grapes, chocolate, raspberries, cherries, roasted malts, caramel, vanilla, toffee, oak. Just awesome.

Taste: Wow, the -bal aging has done wonders here. Chocolate, roasted malts, grapes, cherries, coffee, vanilla, and oak. Everything goes together so well.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, and rich. Full bodied. Nice and chewy. A fine amount of carbonation. Ends with a roasted malt feel that brings out a touch of heat.

Overall, a sipper, but a fine sipper at that. This beer is simply amazing. Different with the barrels that were used, but I couldn't get enough of this. I highly recommend this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2009 02:42:46 | More by mothman

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.45/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

'09 bottle that Buckeyeboy busted out recently... I also shared one with SAS too about the same time period... thanks homies.

Dark brown 2 finger head... viscous looking black brew... fantastic retention and lacing.

Nose is a long "sniffer"... takes a while to wrap my mind around the massive complex aromas.... nothing is overdone and everything including the barrels is well integrated. Deep dark malts with no char.. just dark chocolate and slight whaffs of vanilla and bourbon.. caramel/burnt sugar..

Flavor has a touch more actual "oak" than the nose and some dark cherry cordial plays well with the big stout notes.. bits of French Roast and something that I can only describe as brewers licorice .. plush body and a lite carbonation.

Very yummy... top shelf. Awesome that we've been getting these into Boise. Thanks to Jeremy, Steven, and Rick for helping me out.

4.5/5/4.5/4/4

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2010 05:57:29 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to marine1975 for sharing this one during the ORF '11 release. 2010 Vintage! Served from bottle into a sampler snifter. Poured pitch black with a minimal tan head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, wood, and sweet alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, wood, and subtle dark chocolate. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. The mouthfeel on this one was a bit of a letdown for me as it felt really thin for the style. I know this is nit-picking, but it definitely didn't make it more enjoyable for me. The aroma was pretty nice on this one, but the flavor was a little muted. Not sure what was going on, but I have a feeling they missed the mark on what they were ultimately shooting for. Still a nice brew that I would be happy to try again given the opportunity though.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 11:32:37 | More by thagr81us

largadeer

California

4.53/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bomber shared by dyan. Thanks!

Appearance: Completely pitch black with a beautiful reverse-cascading chocolate-colored head. Remarkable.

Smell: A melange of whiskey, cacao and oak. Earthy, rich, but almost subtle in aroma. Restrained sweetness.

Taste & mouthfeel: Bittersweet chocolate icecream with whiskey drizzle. Medium-full body, I'd never guess that this is over 12% ABV. Carbonation is firm, crisp, and sweetness is fairly reigned-in for the style - a very soft beer overall. Bitterness likewise is perfectly balanced. Semi-dry in the finish, with a lingering trace of chocolate. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2009 09:16:50 | More by largadeer

gford217

Georgia

4.58/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2008 bottle courtesy of alaskajoe and NoonanDBarbarian poured into a snifter.

Pours about as beautiful as I've seen in a stout, with a pitch black body and big two-finger mocha head that hangs around as cap for ages and leaves great lacing. Gorgeous.

The aroma is a mixture of sweetness and dark roasted malts. The sweetness takes the form of chocolate, licorice, dark fruits and hints of vanilla. There is a bit of roasted coffee in the nose as well, but the sweetness is dominant.

The big dark roasted malts really come to play in the taste and underpin everything else. There is the sweetness of the dark fruits with vanilla, caramel and lots of chocolate. The finish has the roasted coffee bitterness with a very, very slight woody character.

The mouthfeel is decadent - thick and creamy like a rich chocolate dessert. Sticks all over the palate.

This is one fantastic stout and one of the best beers I've had in quite a while. For such a massive beer, it's very drinkable and the ABV was hardly noticeable. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2008 03:18:28 | More by gford217

jrallen34

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this at dld. Appearance is black, not much to note. The aroma is a little light some coffee, vanilla a little wood. Tasting it its very hard to tell it was barrel aged, there is a little wood to it but I think its muted by using of red wine barrels too. This is a good stout, not great, probably not worth searching out.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 22:44:48 | More by jrallen34