Black Gold Imperial Stout - Bourbon Barrel Aged (Brewmaster Reserve) - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

portia99

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz (2011 Brewmaster Reserve) gold foiled bottle courtesy of Wasatch - Thanks John!...poured into a Brooklyn snifter.

A - Pours an almost pitch black color with a thin film of dark tan, slightly fizzy foam that falls quickly to leave behind a thin collar.

S - Thick, sweet vanilla and caramelized sugar up front, bourbon, buttery. The barrel treatment covers much of the base beer's aroma. Really don't pick up much of anything for roasty or otherwise "stout-y" aromas...more or less bourbon and barrel.

T - Roast does come out in the flavor, thankfully. Some coffee, dark roasted grains, a bit of burnt bitterness. Bourbon comes in on top of the roast, a bit boozy tho I wouldn't call this hot. Lots of oak, vanilla and caramelized, burnt sugar - creme brulee topping-like. Really rich barrel flavors here - the vanilla is most dominant, but sweet and sugary flavors abound as well.

M - Quite thick and full bodied. Carbonation is rather low, not quite still, but barely kicking. Feel is soft, creamy and a bit syrupy. Alcohol adds some warmth in the swallow. Vanilla lingers past the swallow to the point that every exhale gives another taste of vanilla. The mouthfeel might be the highlight of this beer...so, so smooth.

O - Wish there was a bit more balance between the stout and the barrel. The bourbon adds a lot to this beer, but really overpowers the base. Seems more like drinking a bourbon that's been cut to reduce its alcohol, but doesn't add anything to it. Enjoyable, but would be so much better if a higher level of roasty, coffee, chocolatey, dark fruit existed...any or all of these would make this much more well rounded.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 00:26:29 | More by portia99

strongaf

Washington

4/5  rDev +0.3%

06-17-2013 04:35:32 | More by strongaf

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

2013 Vintage.

Pours a quite dark colored foamy head that barely covers the beer and fades fairly quickly, spots of lacing, over pitch black thick beer with decent legs too.

NOse brings tons of chocolate, dark chocolate, powdered cocoa, melting Belgian creamy chocolate, then into barrel with lots of nice vanilla, little caramelized oak sugars, and even some straight up bourbon, with a bit of dark caramel and sweet characters, faint hint of booze.

Taste brings more nice bourbon stout characters, starting with a nice mellow bourbon actually, smooth and oaky bourbon with plenty of vanilla again. Then the malts take over, nice chocolate and cocoa powder, baker's choc, a bit of a creamy dark melting chocolate, light roast and coffee but not really acrid. Woody esters come through behind the malt wave, as well as a creamy thick almost nougat like taste, some caramel, and a bit of warming booze as well. Powdered slightly chalky cocoa taste too and a bit of minerality. Finish is drier but a bit sticky, bit more hot booze warmth, more powdered chalky cocoa and some caramel, but also a nice bourbon flavor and bit of vanilla barrel as well as bit of wood flavors all lingering in a complex finish.

Mouth is fuller bodied, lighter but decent carb, thick and creamy with a milky feel, bit of warming booze.

Overall not bad, a nice bourbon barrel character, nice chocolate malt characters, light roast but not a lot, a bit of booze warmth but expected, carbonation could be a little more, but overall decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 02:18:46 | More by jlindros

Musineer

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%

06-15-2013 20:06:55 | More by Musineer

bonkers

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

06-14-2013 00:35:52 | More by bonkers

djre4orm

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

06-13-2013 18:16:47 | More by djre4orm

meatyard

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -6%

06-11-2013 01:47:46 | More by meatyard

Hellmeh

Texas

4/5  rDev +0.3%

06-08-2013 19:48:33 | More by Hellmeh

dsn1600

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

06-06-2013 01:22:30 | More by dsn1600

jkane101

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +0.3%

06-05-2013 23:05:43 | More by jkane101

Chugs13

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +0.3%

06-03-2013 00:12:51 | More by Chugs13

Brewasaurus

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A: Very dark, no light getting through. Kind of a weak pour, but a very thin, dark brown head, which recedes quickly.

S: Smells sweet of bourbon, but not very overpowering. I can't really detect any other scents.

T: Initial hint of sweetness that builds over time, but it seems to have a little bit of sourness. Not much roasted malt flavors, but some caramel and chocolate, but not overly prominent. Finishes with a nice bit of bourbon.

M: Quite nice, very thick mouthfeel, with a small amount of carbonation.

O: Overall I wasn't thrilled with it, but it was above average. If not for the sour-like flavor, I'd rate it a bit higher. Not bad for the style, but definitely not a top-tier BBA stout. I'd get it in a pinch, but it wouldn't be on my 'must buy' list.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 23:28:13 | More by Brewasaurus

tchipharveyslake

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -6%

05-31-2013 17:56:10 | More by tchipharveyslake

emceecue

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%

05-31-2013 03:14:30 | More by emceecue

CaptDavyJones

New York

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

05-26-2013 01:29:40 | More by CaptDavyJones

LSx

California

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

05-23-2013 02:39:01 | More by LSx

Screper

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%

05-22-2013 01:10:19 | More by Screper

valkyre65

Texas

4/5  rDev +0.3%

05-21-2013 10:29:08 | More by valkyre65

Pjev11

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -18.5%

05-20-2013 15:51:04 | More by Pjev11

smccann

New Hampshire

4.75/5  rDev +19%

05-20-2013 12:39:36 | More by smccann

baybassboy

California

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%

05-14-2013 04:47:16 | More by baybassboy

ShemRahBoo

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +0.3%

05-09-2013 21:47:33 | More by ShemRahBoo

Greywulfken

New York

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2013 bottling

A: into a large snifter, ink black body with slim milk chocolate-colored head; sparse motes of lace left behind

S: bourbon whiskey, chocolatey malts and vanilla

T: bourbon soaked bittersweet cocoa, airs of vanilla and oak; cold, semi-sweet espresso coffee and hints of anise. Big on the bourbon.

M: slippery and relatively thin for an Imperial stout, reasonably dry, not too sticky; smooth - no astringence or alcohol burn of any sort.

O: a well-delivered bourbon barrel-aged stout - nothing ground-breaking, but completely enjoyable, even if not in the big leagues. Warms nicely, and makes for a very relaxing drinking experience. Definitely worth a buy for all BAs and fans of the style and barrel-aging in general.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 21:42:11 | More by Greywulfken

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Full Sail Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (2013 release, 9.6% ABV) opens to a rich, smoky, complex, chocolaty, bourbon-laced aroma that is instantly appealing. Bourbon-soaked chocolate bon-bons are perhaps the closest confection in aroma, with their rich, thick milk chocolate and smoky vanilla bourbon notes, but add to that layers of coffee and ash, tobacco and heavy cream, as well as caramel and touches of molasses, and that served with a thick, heavily-toasted slice of rich yeasty brown bread, and you’re getting close. The beer is very nicely balanced, despite the enormity and variation in the aromas, each note playing well off the others. The sugars are especially nice, with fig, date raisin, and lychee fruit esters, lending a port-like quality to the aromas that meshes nicely with the bourbon. In fact, in a blind smelling test, this beer might easily be mistaken for port, especially after it has sat open for a few minutes and the initial heavy bourbon and ash shock has wafted away. As a whole, this smells fantastic.

On the tongue, the beer is very alcoholic, bourbon and port trouncing the tastebuds almost immediately, followed by chocolate liqueur candies, the stout tasting very much like a cognac-filled chocolate treat. Late in the mouthful a few measures of ash and tobacco come through, as well as dollops of brown bread, but it’s mainly the chocolate liqueur candy that dominates, being fairly sweet and containing heavy alcohol vapors. The mouthfeel is, however, strangely light, a watery medium-light at best, making the beer seem like the bourbon barrel aging is responsible for much of the taste in here, and that without it, the stout would only be semi-decent. Aftertaste is ash and tobacco, with lingering sugars and bourbon.

Overall, while the aromas in here were fantastic, the beer didn’t quite live up to its initial promises, and the heavy reliance on bourbon barrel notes ends up making the underlying stout seem weak and watery.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 17:36:57 | More by jondeelee

JayAre46

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

04-27-2013 05:28:53 | More by JayAre46