Churchill's Finest Hour (2010)
Port Brewing

Churchill's Finest Hour (2010)Churchill's Finest Hour (2010)
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From:
Port Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
11%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 17.01%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
37
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 14, 2015
Added:
Mar 06, 2010
Wants:
  72
Gots:
  3
Gold wax.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Jwale73
Reviewed by Jwale73 from Rhode Island

3.84/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours an inky black with no head. Great nose - toffee and caramelized sugar. Taste predominantly expresses a soy sauce quality, dark malts and notes of cinnamon. Mouthfeel is light in body with a carbonation falling just shy of lively. Overall, a decent English Barleywine that is a bit past its prime but has still held up quite well, despite its age.
May 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Nov 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by dmsohyea from California

Jul 04, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by beernads from Florida

Jul 02, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by StarRaptor from California

Mar 05, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by jbuddle from New York

Mar 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Jan 10, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by t0rin0 from California

Dec 08, 2012
 
Rated: 1.75 by seeswo from Ohio

Sep 26, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by DarthKostrizer from California

Aug 28, 2012
Photo of brystmar
Reviewed by brystmar from Texas

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Marcos surprised us with this 2010 bottle, and it then surprised everybody by not being infected! Opened alongside the 2012.

A handsome stout, boasting hearty tan head above its black body. Dark, burnt malts kick things off. Smokey, plenty of chocolate, light tobacco aroma too.

Taste follows the nose with distinctively dark, smokey cigar undertones throughout. Chocolate, dark fruits, and burnt malts join the fray, adding their flavors as the boozy warmth creeps in towards the end. A touch sweet in the middle; finishes with bitter dark chocolate. Mouthfeel is thick and dead on for the style.

Been a few months since I had the 2011 so it's hard to say how this compares, but one thing is clear: 2012 is Churchill's finest vintage so far.
Aug 21, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by whartontallboy from New York

Aug 20, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by BdubleEdubleRUN from California

May 07, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by SoCalStout from California

Feb 07, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by acurtis from New Jersey

Jan 09, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by bombadil from California

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of SpeedwayJim
Reviewed by SpeedwayJim from New York

3.01/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Brought this to tasting on about 4 occasions and never got around to it... so I said, forget it, gonna drink it myself... Poured from a waxed and capped 22oz. bomber into a Southampton oversize snifter.

A: Big fizz as I pop the cap. Amid cries of infection, this is NOT a good sign. Beer pours a 1 finger coarse mocha head with good retention. Beer is an opaque black. Lacing is frothy and thick with moderate cling and decent legs.

S: I don't even have to put my nose in the glass to know this one's infected. Aroma wafts from the open bottle. As my nose peers over the rim of the glass, all I get is a pungent, rotting sour cherry smell and plastic. There's a good bit of milk chocolate and roasted malt in the background, hinting at what this could've been but that's long gone now. All I get is an infected mess that makes me wanna puke. I almost have to hold my breathe as I take a sip so as to avoid the odor.

T: Effect on the palate is surprisingly decent, considering the horrible nose. Definitely infected though. Opens sour cherry, ethanol, and sour roasted malt. Chocolate lingers submissively in the background. Dark fruit is present but they've all turned sour. Noticeable unripened prune tartness at the middle to end. Chocolate becomes a bit more prominent at the finish as does the sour cherries. Complemented in the finish by a bit of smokiness. Aftertaste is sour cherries and cocoa powder.

M: Medium bodied and moderately carbonated. Prickly and abrasive in the mouth but smoothes out significantly as it warms and actually becomes oily and slick. A tad tingly going down but viscous and thick. Messy finish with a filmy, lingering aftertaste.

D: Considering the infection, this beer is not all bad and its the first infected stout that I haven't drainpoured almost immediately. Tartness here is not overwhelming and although overcarbonated, its bearable and smoothe out considerably as it warms. Nose is hellacious though. Drink this one now if you have it, if you don't and can get it for cheap, its worth a try. Definitely infected but that does surprisingly well for this beer.
Feb 11, 2011
Photo of Gfunk720
Reviewed by Gfunk720 from Connecticut

3.36/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Split with some buddies while watching the Super Bowl. Out of my Maudite tulip.

A- Nice and black, pours with a healthy mocha colored head. Good retention and lacing

S- Bourbon, oak, chocolate, coffee, and creamy malt. Some vanilla/brown sugary notes, definitely pretty sweet smelling.

T- An oaky blend of chocolate, coffee, and bourbon. No signs of infection which is good. The oak is very prevalent. Soy saltiness, and some tobacco

M- This is probably the worst part of this beer, as it is way too fizzy and lacks body. It has a strong bite at first, and then falls off quickly. Aftertaste is almost non-existent.

EDIT: Got much better after it warmed up and breathed a little bit. The aftertaste was still pretty weak

D- A good beer, but not as good as Older Viscosity or some other Port/LA offerings IMO. While I am happy it wasn't infected, it was a somewhat mediocre barrel aged stout.
Feb 06, 2011
Photo of GoGriz
Reviewed by GoGriz from Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Reluctantly traded for due to the rumored infection issues. SO HAPPY I DID!

Pours a wonderful inky black with a nice dark mocha head.

Smells of bourbon, chocolate, raisins, vanilla and more bourbon.

Decadent dark chocolate, milk chocolate, soft bourbon, vanilla, coffee, some of the best flavor integration I have ever had. The flavor lingers with a bitter but welcomed mouth cleansing finish.

Medium bodied with a touch too much carbonation for me. The one detraction of this beer but not a killer.

Drinks beautifully. Such an easy beer considering the abv. One of the better barrel aged stouts I have drank. Feeling fortunate that this didn't suffer the same fate as others.
Jan 31, 2011
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

4.32/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Big, big thanks to bmanning for sharing this at a tasting. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a deep, dark brown with a nice head and some pretty good lacing. The nose brings bourbon, oak, vanilla, a bit of char, brown sugar, chocolate, and some roasted malt. The taste is bourbon mixing wonderfully with some sweet notes, vanilla, and a bit of roast. Good feel with nice balance between alcohol, barrel flavors, and the base. No sourness detected in this bottle. Not sure if we were just lucky or it was because this had been refrigerated throughout its lifespan. Overall, taste is quite good and the nose was really nice. A really great beer that I was glad to try. Thanks, Ben.
Nov 03, 2010
Churchill's Finest Hour (2010) from Port Brewing
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 37 ratings