XXX Warlock Double Imperial Stout
Bristol Brewing Company

XXX Warlock Double Imperial StoutXXX Warlock Double Imperial Stout
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Bristol Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
18.4%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 19.84%
Reviews:
70
Ratings:
84
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 20, 2022
Added:
Sep 28, 2006
Wants:
  51
Gots:
  6
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

3.81/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
I cant believe I didnt review this beer fresh. I had 4 of these bottles from a trade years ago and am emptying my final bottle now.
Pouring a dusty 12 oz bottle into my snifter at cellar temp. The beer has been in my cellar since Ive had it and the bottle date is June 2006 after being brewed in Sept 2003.
The beer pours pretty thick and is a dark black hue with no light passing through the glass. Almost no head foams up even with an aggressive pour, there are some frothy tan bubbles, but these are gone about 5 minutes after the pour.
The aroma is robust, I get roasted notes, molasses, toffee, dark chocolate, raisins and plums. Maybe a little peppery booze, but not a lot and no hops to speak of.
The first sip reveals a medium body and almost no carbonation. The mouthfeel is slicker than I would have thought and definitely still has some warming heat on the swallow. I guess 16 years wasnt enough to mellow this beast!
Carbonation is almost still and beer does feel a little like a wine.
Flavor is surprisingly sweet upfront. Lots of brown sugar and milk chocolate. This rolls to some darker chocolate and cocoa powder with hints of coffee, but its an older coffee that is a little stale. I also get tobacco notes and some raisin and red grape and faint hints of maple syrup. A bit of a port wine flavor here and the lingering note is sort of old mocha espresso. Im not sure what leather actually tastes like, but I feel like I get some of that too. No hops and booze is warm but not fusol or black peppery.
This beer is robust and a sipper and has some flavors that I cant say Ive really tasted in other beers before. Im about a 1/3 through the glass and still not sure if I like this one or not. Its certainly not a drain pour, but some of the flavors are really messing with my palate. another fun cellaring experiment!!
Feb 20, 2022
Photo of dbrauneis
Rated by dbrauneis from North Carolina

4.06/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Note: 2003 vintage
Nov 23, 2018
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
brewed in 2003, this was well ahead of its time. fortunately, i have some friends who forget they have beers like this in their cellars, and we get to break them out more than a decade later and check it out! how fun is this?! pours predictably flat, but somehow lighter in body and even color than anticipated, with a cool slickness in the glass and not a bubble to be found. smells old for sure, major oxidation, but it also seems to have held up pretty well for its age. the malt has some definitely milk chocolate aromas, along with a hint of permanent marker and tobacco, even peppery spice behind the booze. its a little less dynamic in the flavor. it starts off quite nice, earthy like a raw walnut, with marker and rum raisin, but it moves to a harsh soy thing in the later stages, combined with some epic staleness, im sure this was radically different when it came out. still, i found it an enjoyable after dinner cordial type drink, still hotly alcoholic, but impressive in some ways. now when i drink beers this big, id much rather have something like an uncle jacobs, but i like appreciate it just as much in this context. bristol should consider brewing this up again...
Sep 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by BUNZILLA from Indiana

Jun 20, 2015
Photo of IPA1978
Rated by IPA1978 from Missouri

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Sips like a port! Thick warm sweet alcohol followed by roasted malts, figs and chocolate.
Jan 07, 2015
Photo of allforbetterbeer
Reviewed by allforbetterbeer from Colorado

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Opened 11/27/2014 at approx 11 years of age

Highest ABV beer I have tried. Pours nearly black with thinning tawny-brown highlights. A thin compact head can be produced with a moderate pour. This coats the glass like a spirit and leaves the most pronounced legs of any beer I have seen.

The aroma is compelling. Initially chocolate is the most pronounced. This is quickly followed by sherry, teriyaki, raisins, and a something like a whiff of soy sauce. I was fairly certain that this beer would have gone past its drinkable stage, and the aroma indicated that the flavor might just be a meaty mess. What followed was a pleasant surprise.

In an unexpected twist for an old beer, the flavor was actually better than the already good aroma. The soy sauce/teriyaki/umami flavors were very subdued. Maple, instant coffee, dusty old chocolate, hints of vanilla, and prunes come to mind. Sherry is present as well. The alcohol is amazingly hidden, but this prickles on the tongue in a very pronounced way. Very little "heat" on the palate, but still more so than something like a port wine of the same strength. The body is still very much intact with impressive sweetness and (amazingly) some bitterness. I suppose the original 80 IBUs did the trick. Almost syrupy except for the massive smooth alcohol.

Conclusion: Very enjoyable. Shared with family at Thanksgiving and everyone was at least intrigued ("you call this a beer?!?!" -mom). I would love to have tried this back in 2006 when it was released, as it was probably a beer of massive flavor if it still has strength at this age. It could be aged longer and still be enjoyable, but I don't see the point. It is already on the decline and I don't think more age could benefit it. Perhaps the first stout I have tried that could last this long without losing the battle to oxidation.
Nov 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.4 by Ebond007

Nov 06, 2014
Photo of Stinkypuss
Reviewed by Stinkypuss from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
Pours a medium brown color with decent clarity. The aroma is straight booze, pretty much rocket fuel. The taste is kind of nice, raisins and rum, oxidized malt, sherry and faint roast. Thin for the strength, still has plenty of good carbonation. Overall, a pretty solid huge assed ale.
Sep 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by afsdan from Colorado

Apr 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by backslide311 from Colorado

Sep 02, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by graysandpeas from Alabama

Jul 10, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by oline73 from Maryland

Jan 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by popery from California

Jan 15, 2013
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.81/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to ClockworkOrange for sharing this one at our stout tasting. 12oz bottle into a snifter several times because I guess I like it when a beer makes my face go numb. The brew appears a color of deep burnt mahogany to brown. A couple small bubbles make their way to the surface but a head is never really formed. When held to the light, the brew displays some lighter cocoa brown coloring around the edges and hints of ruby. When swirled, clear legs of alcohol paint the glass and slowly droop down back into the solution.

The aromatics are quite filled with molasses and dark fruit. A bit of an oxidized touch brings out some sherry qualities. Almost a hint of chocolate covered cherries mixing with raisins and toffee. While cold, the nose is all about caramelized sugars but when a deep whiff is taken, a bit of numbing alcohol emerges. In no way does this brew smell like it is 18+ percent alcohol though.

The taste is also minorly oxidative with hints of cardboard and something along the lines of oak. Taking a close look at the label, I dont see anything leading to the notion that this was oak aged but it does have a bit of woody earthy quality about it. Some dry molasses, chocolate, licorice and a fusel whack of booze. As it warms up, a serious focus on earthy prunes or raisins comes out along with that numbing alcohol and almost a nuttiness towards the finish.

This is a full bodied brew with a low level of carbonation that is borderline still but not in any way distracting from the style. I mean, at this high alcohol level, seeing some natural carbonation would be unexpected and maybe a bit unwelcomed. This is a sticky brew that I was back and forth about. Initially I thought it was ok but then it really grew on me. Not something I would be able to tackle a bottle of myself but I am very appreciative for the share Jason!

Side notes/considerations. This was brewed in '03 and bottled in '06. Anyone know what transpired over that 3 years? Having never had this brew before, I cant really comment on whether it is holding up or degrading. However, I can state that the oxidation is quite present and the booze is not mellow by any stretch. If you have bottles of this kicking around; you waited this long, I dont see the harm in waiting another 6 years to give it a try.
Dec 03, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by THECPJ from Delaware

Nov 26, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by eagles22 from Pennsylvania

Nov 25, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by jfcaa193 from Canada (QC)

Feb 05, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by Schmittymack from Colorado

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of Jeffo
Reviewed by Jeffo from Netherlands

2.52/5  rDev -34.2%
look: 1 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
Got this one from Doodler. Thanks for hanging out man. Good times!

From a bottle into a snifter.

Brewed: 25 September 2003
Bottled: 9 June 2006
Brewed with maple syrup and honey

APPEARANCE: A light and transparent brown pour produces a small, thin, bubbly, crackly tan head that vanishes instantly. Flat looking. Black body, transparent for the style, and zero carbonation evident. Looks flat to the finish. Lifeless and thin looking.

SMELL: Some roasted malts, brown sugar, maple syrup soaked cherries, and some dark, pure chocolate. Maple syrup is definitely still there, and a strong presence of dark chocolate soaked in cherry liquor. This is actually really nice, though you can tell the 18% will be all over your face.

TASTE: Some roasted malts, but then lots of boozy sweet cherry liquor and brown sugar. The 18% is there in all it’s glory. Very liquor like, with sweet maple syrup, sweet cherry liquor and dark chocolaty flavors at the finish. Very much like the nose. Aftertaste is big and persistent with lots of boozy and sweet cherry liquor, dark chocolate, and some definite maple syrup. Good flavor profile for sure, but really just too boozy. I question whether they needed 18% to achieve the flavor complexity they wanted.

PALATE: Thinner body and prickly, airy carbonation. Not creamy or smooth, goes down rough with a big burn after the swallow and finishes rather sticky. Wish it was thicker and creamier, but as of now, it’s a thin, abrasive, hot booze bomb.

OVERALL: The look and feel were atrocious, but the nose and flavor were actually quite inviting. The 18% booze was simply too present, however, to really make this one an enjoyable brew to drink. Perhaps toning it back a bit would let the cherries, chocolate and maple syrup be showcased a bit more without all the booze. Regardless, where the brew really fell short was in the lack-luster appearance and the thin, boozy, abrasive feel. Fix these perhaps, and this might be a more impressive creation.
Jul 03, 2011
XXX Warlock Double Imperial Stout from Bristol Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 84 ratings