Churchill's Finest Hour 2012 - Port Brewing Company / Pizza Port

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.53/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

650 mL bottle poured into a snifter. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Inky black. Good bit of a khaki head. Decent retention.

Smell - Wow. Booze, bourbon, and barrel. Rich roasted character. Vanilla and oak all over, but the stout comes through nicely. Awesome, but boozy.

Taste - Bourbon is less intense, but the barrel is more intense. Vanilla and oak. Someone said, "Peanuts," and for a brief moment, I agree. Rich chocolate malts. Slight dark fruit/licorice character. Great flavors. Maybe a little astringent.

Mouthfeel - Surprisingly dry. That might be the Older Viscosity in this. Boozy, but a nice feel. Well carbonated and not tremendously heavy for what it is.

Overall - Really impressive. Dry and a little astringent, but otherwise damn near perfect barreling of a great stout.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 15:43:43 | More by Alieniloquium

abrand

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Small sample poured into tasting glass

Pours a jet black. Appears as oil. Not much head is visible with the small pour. Smells of burnt coffee and dark malts. Some sweetness to the pour as well. Taste is somewhat alcoholic but a nice sweet finish. Plenty of chocolate and coffee. Mouthfeel is thick. Overall this was delicious. So glad I got to sample

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 01:38:33 | More by abrand

waltonc

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 vintage acquired recently in a trade. Opened with Hobdul on his recent visit to Denver. Pours black with a nice mocha head into my Goose Island glass. Smell and taste are a well-balanced blend of bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, and toffee. The 11% ABV is perfect too - not too boozy. Reminds me that beers like Uncle Jacob and Black Tuesday are obnoxiously strong. The barrel on this is very strong,while I think this is drinking incredibly well at the moment, I wonder if this will hold up well over time. I can't imagine it getting better,since it's already aged and tastes great.

Body is fairly thick, carbonation is adequate, and it's an overall excellent beer. If someone wants to trade another bottle to me, shoot me a BM.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 23:57:31 | More by waltonc

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

22oz bottle poured into taster - thanks pat

Pours an inky blacked out color with a slight darkly tanned head resting on top. Fades out completely, leaving a few traces of lacing on the glass.

Heavy, intense and rich in the nose - driven by oaky bourbon, sweet vanilla beans, and roasted dark malts. Complex and intoxicating, it took me about 5 minutes before I could even take a sip. Boozy warmth with hints of syrupy sweetness and raisin.

Plenty of boozy warmth up front, but tempered by pleasant dark chocolate and bourbon soaked vanilla. Soft oaky char with raisin and roasted dark malts. Continuing layers of malt throughout the backbone, dotted with hints of caramel and more chocolate. Boozy and sweet on the finish.

Fuller body, milder carbonation, sticky and smooth on the tongue. Similar to the 2011 release, this is a wonderfully rich and complex beer which had me thinking and marveling for quite some time. It's definitely boozy and sweet, but lands near-perfectly on the line before crossing into the harsh and cloying category.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 19:27:39 | More by xnicknj

islandboi8204

Hawaii

4.43/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2012 vintage split two ways.

Pours black, viscous with a small light brown foam.

Smells of bourbon, cocoa, toasted coconut, dark chocolate. Also some vanilla and caramel sweetness. Notable booze.

Tastes similarly to the nose, but a lot less boozy than I was expecting. Smooth bourbon, oak, chocolate, caramel and coconut.

Full body with plentiful carbonation compared to other big stouts. As a result, it is less thick and viscous than I was expecting from the pour.

After missing out on bottles at the release, I'm very glad I was able to a few through trade. It will be interesting to open another bottle later down the road for comparison, as this is very delicious and very drinkable right now.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 14:38:29 | More by islandboi8204

MasterSki

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by Jason. Thanks dude! Served in a Hill Farmstead tulip.

A - Dark mocha foam settles to a thick collar, wisps, and a few tiny specks of lacing. Very, very dark brown body that is largely opaque.

S - A delightful blend of oak, whiskey, roasted malts, anise, nuts, dark chocolate, caramel, and perhaps a hint of marshmallow.

T - Taste is also quite enjoyable with flavors of dark chocolate, roasted grains, weighty multi-grain loaves, vanilla, and lighter touches of oak and bourbon.

M - Medium body that feels a touch light for the listed 11%. Dry, roasty texture, with a tannic finish and only mild warming alcohol. Pleasant lower-to-moderate carbonation. Quite easy to drink for the style and alcohol content.

D - An exceptionally well-crafted barrel-aged stouts with rich and complex flavors and no real flaws. I look forward to drinking my own bottle of this in the near-future. A worthy follow up to the equally excellent 2011 edition.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 15:55:34 | More by MasterSki

womencantsail

California

4.38/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks for sharing, Shane.

Pours black in color with a khaki head. Nose of whiskey, vanilla, oak, and roast. Very heavy on the chocolate notes. Fudge, cocoa, and dark chocolate are quite strong in this. Slightly sweet on the palate with heavy dark chocolate character. Oak, whiskey, and a touch of vanilla. Some molasses and burnt sugar give most of the sweetness. Definitely some coffee and a moderate roast quality. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 17:39:17 | More by womencantsail

claaark13

Indiana

4.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Darkness snifter at 52ish degrees. Thanks Cory. Very pumped about this one.

A - Very dark with a creamy tan head. Foam is thick but slowly, goes down to a thin cover. Doesn't stick all that well.

S - Chocolate, woody caramel. The woodiness isn't quite the strong oak that I'd expect, and it blends well with the caramel. A little bit of booze is evident in the middle.

T - Cocoa comes out at first, slight amount of roast with oak, and then the vanilla. The vanilla shines in the finish. Smooth throughout, nowhere near as boozy as the '11 at about 10 months old. There is a slight amount of warmth after the finish, certainly in the throat.

M - Medium body, feels good with the carbonation.

O - Improvement over last year. I really like this a lot. I'll round it up to a 4.5.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 01:14:28 | More by claaark13

brystmar

New York

4.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Opened alongside Josh's 2011. Glad we got the chance to open these together!

Tons of bourbon in the nose -- much moreso than the '11. By contrast, you'd never know the '11 was barrel aged. Complex, viscous, roasty, and hearty. Body is considerably thicker and more stout-y than the overly-carbonated bottle of '11 I reviewed in March.

Given the choice, I clearly prefer the 2012 version.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 03:45:13 | More by brystmar

FosterJM

California

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

1288th Review on BA
Bottle to Goblet
22oz Copper Wax

2012

Served at Churchills, San Marcos

Shared with Ehammond1, MrHirschybar, Jazzpatel, Nanobrew & Sebowski

App- Almost black in the glass. A very dark chocolate looking brown with maybe a 1/2" finger of head that left 0 cling but a small ring of bubbles.

Smell- Huge coffee and oak come through on this one. Much more so than 11. The chocolate added a lot of creamy undertones on this years.

Taste- As it warms much more vanilla comes out in spades on this one. Much creamier and loses its prickly edge. Really meshes well warmer. More cohesive flavors. More well rounded.

Mouth- A full medium body with a creamy low-medium carbonation. Lots of residual chocolate and roast.

Drink- Ehammond1 was right. 12 is better than 11. The flavors are more well rounded and mesh a bit better. More creaminess vs. prickly booze as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 17:52:40 | More by FosterJM

Sean9689

Illinois

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

Sample at DLD 2012. Thanks to Joe!

A - Pours black, mocha head, spotty lace.

S - Chocolate, smooth booze, brownies, light oak, burnt sugars and some roast. Really well-done and spot-on barrel aging with this stout. It's just simply "on" right now.

T - Drinks like it smells. Chocolate brownies, oak, smooth booze, and light roast. Alcohol is well-integrated and smooth for how young this beer is. Finish is roasted dark chocolate.

M - Full body, rich and smooth, creamy finish.

O - I need more of this beer...my sample wasn't enough for me. Looks like I'll have to trade for a bottle here soon, because it's too good not to have again. This is the best example I've had fresh out of the 3 years, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 17:25:35 | More by Sean9689

writerLJBerg

Oregon

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

22oz courtesy of HopHead84. Thanks! Took a nice full pour of this since I brought it to a tasting.

A: Pitch black with a quarter inch mocha head. Slides off the glass.

N: Lots and lots of fudge. A little bit of prune. Caramel, vanilla, plenty of well integrated bourbon.

T: Sugar, bourbon, chocolate. Plenty of ground coffee. Alcohol is evident but it doesn't detract. Some sweet cherry and molasses.

M: Coating and decently thick.

O: Really glad to try this. Big and round and sweeping. A full snifter is more than enough, so I was glad to share with some BA's.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 02:46:34 | More by writerLJBerg

TK5150

Maine

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

A- Pours black with a fizzy small brown head that recedes to a ring around the glass. Alcohol legs on the glass.

S- Bourbony oak, vanilla, molasses. Slight chocolate. Not the most massive aroma.

T- Bourbon, oak, vanilla, coffee, dark fruits, with slight chocolate mousse and heat on the finish. I didn't pick up on as much chocolate as everyone says there is in this beer, which was a bit disappointing. Enjoyed it a little less as I got towards the end of my glass (though I still enjoyed it).

M- A little too carbonated for my liking for an imperial stout. Light side of full bodied. Somewhat smooth.

O- A very nice imperial stout. Reminds me A LOT of GI Bourbon County, but not as good. If given the choice, I would definitely have Bourbon County over this. While I really like this beer, I gave up too much in trade for it.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 01:20:07 | More by TK5150

tarheels86

California

4.3/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

651mL copper wax 2012 ed thanks to Emily! Pours deep black. Medium, spritzy reddish head. Awesome savory, tawny bourbon nose: malted milk balls, rendered fat, smokey bacon, dried guajillo pepper. Wow. Taste is lighter than Serpents Stout, tangy, rich dark chocolate, butter, lactic semisweet chocolate, cocoa butter. Palate is not sticky sweet or even dense- very fluffy and light with mega cocoa butter. Awesome. One of the best barrel characters I’ve experienced. Classic. 11/8/2012 9/4/8/5/17=4.3

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 21:32:53 | More by tarheels86

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Huge thanks to Bill for sharing some of his bottle at The Armsby Abbey's Stoutfest 2013 after I shared one of the worst beers I've ever had with him. Reviewed from notes. Poured into a tulip.

A - Poured a clearish dark brown hue with a thin mocha head that left a light, light halo. Quite nice and appealing.

S - Roasty nuts and malts. Very tiny amount of vanilla, nice bourbon and oak with some solid bourbon booze.

T - Taste is very nice. Good chocolate, bourbon notes, some booze, nice malty roast, sweet candy elements. Really nice and smooth.

M - Mouthfeel is solid. Boozy but creamy.

O - Overall a solid Imperial Stout. The best beer I had that day by far.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 00:30:10 | More by rudzud

birchstick

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours black with a nice chocolaty looking head on it. Nose consists of resiny milk chocolates with soft, sweet oak wood. Taste starts off with silly milk chocolates that move into even deeper rich milk chocolates. Almost milk shake like. The chocolates yield a bit to some oak, but the milk chocolate holds strong and finishes it off. Mouth is full and creamy. Overall, this is really nice if you like chocolate beers. A little one dimensional as chocolate and oak are the two biggest and most dominant players in this beer and there are no strong traces of other layers of complexity present.that being said, the flavors are bold and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 02:57:16 | More by birchstick