Churchill's Finest Hour 2013 - Port Brewing Company / Pizza Port

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.58/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

650 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Black. Nice lacing. Good surface wisps.

Smell - Very boozy, but a great barrel character. Oaky, bourbon, vanilla. Dark chocolate. Delicious but boozy.

Taste - Dark chocolate and tons of bourbon booze. Vanilla. Chewy chocolate and a wonderful barrel character.

Mouthfeel - Nice body, but it's boozy as hell. Chewy body. Medium carbonation.

Overall - Just as good as 2012. No infection. Delicious.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 22:19:02 | More by Alieniloquium

jeonseh

Indiana

3.7/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - Dark brown and chocolate with a mocha colored head to it

S - Coffee, vanilla and slight caramel to it; This is also a light spiciness

T - Lots of roasted and dark chocolate with strong bourbon presence on the back end that gives it a strong whiskey kick. Light vanilla presence. Really a lot of booze to it and I'd say it's a bit too boozy overall

M - Medium body with lots of boozy astringency to it. Leaves a spice and oak presence to the back end

O - Overall the beer is hot and still really boozy. I'll be curious to see what this is like after some time and it has a chance to settle down.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 04:04:52 | More by jeonseh

iadler

Minnesota

4.06/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Geoff for opening this at a recent tasting. Have been wanting to try this series for quite a while.

A- Pours a dark black with a thin mocha head. No lacing is left behind.

S- Subtle bourbon, oak, dark chocolate, coffee beans, vanilla and roasted malt. A nice aroma, but not very pungent.

T- Much more coffee in the taste followed by bourbon, dark chocolate bars, roasted malt, hint of vanilla and oak.

M- Medium carbonation and body with a good amount of heat at the finish.

O- While this beer was good, I was pretty underwhelmed. Nothing really stood out and it's pretty damn hot at the moment. Maybe a year or two will do this beer some good and bring out more complexity.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 04:02:20 | More by iadler

Treebs

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Review #750. Thanks to stxSS07 for the share.

A: Pours a dark black color with some dark ruby edges. A dark tan head forms on the pour and recedes slowly to a thin cap. Some splotches of lace are left down the glass.

S: Very smooth barrel treatment on the one. Nice bourbon notes, toasted malts with a robust chocolate scent. Light caramel and minimal oak.

T: The taste blows the smell away. Some toasted coconut and marshmallow with a smooth bourbon note. Roasted malts and dark chocolate with some light oak. Sweet caramel and light vanilla.

M: Medium carbonation with a medium heavy bodied. Very smooth and sweet finish.

O: Delicious. Not nearly as good as last year's, but this is still a rock solid beer that I would hesitate to have again. Thanks again for the share Matt!

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 02:11:25 | More by Treebs

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.65/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Shared by Richard. Huge want of mine. Thank you so much.

The beer is dark brown with a beige head. Aroma of oak, roast, brandy, bourbon, booze. Beautiful balance. Alcohol is present but unobtrusive. A delightful sipper. Wonderful, complex, intriguing. A touch of mild heat in the finish. Overall, this was outstanding and definitely lived up to my lofty expectations.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 04:02:58 | More by Huhzubendah

AlexFields

Tennessee

4.44/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to Brandon for bringing this to the TN whales tasting. He got in the mail just the day before. Opened 3/16/2013.

Smells of awesome woody caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate.

Taste is sweet hot vanilla, wood, some chocolate, definitely on the sweet vanilla side of the big stout spectrum.

Mouthfeel is creamy, nicely carbonated, hot from the alcohol but that doesn't bother me and this is pretty damn drinkable.

Wonderful imperial stout.

9.2/10

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 17:39:47 | More by AlexFields

pmarlowe

California

4.6/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2013 vintage. From a 22oz bottle at Churchill's Pub the week after Renaissance.

A: Pours brownish black with a half inch of espresso-like, light brown foam. Excellent retention and a few streaks of lacing. A ring and surface sticks around for the whole bottle--impressive.

S: A beautiful meld of dark roasted malt and bourbon soaked oak--the barrel is sublime--with a touch of supporting coffee, and vanilla bean ice cream. Smells hot, somehow.

T: Rich oak and bourbon, a little roastiness and mocha coffee, generous vanilla and some sweetness. A little hot on the finish.

M: Medium-full body and light carbonation. The (relatively speaking) lighter ABV and body improve the sessionability of this beer, relative to comparable BA stouts.

O: An extremely well crafted BA stout. The balance in the flavors really propels this beer. Joke about CFH. Very drinkable, and a little age will hopefully mellow out the heat which is not very noticeable anyway. As good as this is, though, the premium of this over something like Older Viscosity is too large to justify for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 21:00:48 | More by pmarlowe

UCLABrewN84

California

4.16/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottle pour for Churchill's Renaissance 2013 at Churchill's Pub & Grille in San Marcos, CA.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, and cookie dough aromas. Taste is much the same with cocoa and coffee flavors and an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is tasty but pretty hot right now. I think the 2012 blend was better fresh, but I can see this one aging well in the long term.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 17:32:11 | More by UCLABrewN84

ehammond1

California

4.53/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2013)

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Black, thick, heavy looking body with a very small light brown cap atop. This leaves some small dots of lace down the glass.

As with last year's version of this beer, the best aroma is present at room temperature. The nose is a wonderful combination of rich chocolates, earthy sweetness, whiskey, a bit of vanilla, and wood. A big chocolate and bourbon bomb. Some definite alcohol heat in the nose as well.

Layers of flavor develop throughout the sip. Big notes of rich chocolates and bourbon coat and warm the mouth. Initially, the bourbon flavors are strong and stinging, mellowing out to reveal vanilla, oak, and tons of chocolate. Very, very nice, though this is definitely the hottest of the series, at least upon release. Lots of potential for a bit of aging, as this is the highest in ABV to date.

Medium to full bodied and ample carbonation. Rich, coating, full, and decadent. The richest, thickest yet of the Finest Hours.

Wonderfully flavorful, rich, thick, and decadent. This may just be peaking about the time of next year's Renaissance party. I, for one, can't wait!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 23:05:59 | More by ehammond1

DarthKostrizer

California

4.49/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Churchill's renaissance 2013

Look: pours a very dark brown nearly black and completely opaque with a 1/4 dark khaki very good retention with copious amounts left behind

Smell: Bourbon is upfront and in your face lots of oak and more bourbon. There is come chocolate fudge brownie mixed in and a touch of vanilla

Taste: Again you are greeted by the bourbon(this is definitely the hottest CFH to date) once the bourbon passes your palate there is some dark chocolate that actually seems to mellow the beer out followed by some fudge figs and vanilla

Mouthfeel: There is a bit of alcohol burn upfront which should mellow out nicely. Almost full body a bit creamy and mild on the carbonation

Overall. Great beer once again and up there with some of the best BA stouts. Personally fresh I think the 12' is better but I cannot wait to see how this mellows and develops with some time. I look forward to have my fair share of pours this year

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 04:44:12 | More by DarthKostrizer