Heavy Seas - Bourbon Barrel Aged Siren Noire Imperial Chocolate Stout - Heavy Seas Beer

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

11 ounce pour - Taco Mac in East Roswell, Georgia.

Appearance: Served up a near black body with a lasting half-inch of tan-hued foam.

Smell: Presents a nice scent of chocolate milk atop well-behaved roasted notes (and some underlying charry toast). Slight fruit hints. Decent bourbon barrel character adding to the festivities.

Taste: Dark, roasty malts presents a taste of black coffee dosed with a dollop of rich, melted semi-sweet chocolates and cocoa powder. Medium sweetness overall. A fruitiness, hinting at raspberry, slips in with a small sip of prune juice. The roastiness receives a noted bump midway and joins in with slight bitterness. Hint of alcohol warmth, then it’s off to the semi-dry, halfway chocolaty, halfway roasty finish, with that small dark fruitiness lingering into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-carbonation.

Overall: Fairly nice. I thought Siren Noire was one of their better beers, so, giving it a bourbon barrel edge to it was a welcome addition.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2013 17:34:13 | More by ChainGangGuy

pmarlowe

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-22-2013 05:01:52 | More by pmarlowe

Beeranator

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%

05-20-2013 05:00:14 | More by Beeranator

Morey

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-18-2013 14:40:33 | More by Morey

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.04/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Heavy Seas : Bourbon Barrel aged Siren Noire Chocolate Stout

LOOK: Pours a oil slick black with a dark brown cap. Appears like an imperial stout with some strength and deeply roasted malt behind it.

SMELL: Opens up softly with chocolate and oak induced vanilla. A bit of smoke comes out as well as some dry wood.

TASTE: Roasted malts and some cocoa upfront. Oaky with a pleasant mild smokey bourbon. Cocoa and char, bittersweet flavor with a barrel aged dryness. Hops are faint and earthy. diggin the finish of oak, bourbon, coffee, vanilla and of course chocolates. Pretty decent!

FEEL: Medium bodied, well carbonated, oaky and semi-dry. Not a bad feel but surprisingly light, given the strength.

OVERALL: I dug this beer. I kind of figured I would because who doesn't like imperial stouts, bourbon and chocolate? I would have this again sometime, along with a chocolate dessert.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 23:35:52 | More by Stinkypuss

whallgren

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-12-2013 19:05:29 | More by whallgren

bostonryan

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%

05-12-2013 14:07:39 | More by bostonryan

wyatt13

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-08-2013 18:49:28 | More by wyatt13

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%

05-08-2013 07:08:40 | More by BrownAleMale

dalepryor

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-07-2013 21:07:56 | More by dalepryor

wmickdds32

Ohio

2.68/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured from a bomber into a 7 oz. beer fest glass.
Coal black and inky with a dark tan head, quickly dissapating in to lacing that lasted down the glass.
With a chocolate stout--bourbon barrell aged--I expected a great deal of chocolate, coffee and booze...I got nuttin' but stout....no chocolate....no coffee....no booze....I was seriously disappointed.
The taste was pretty much like the smell...decent imperial stout...but my expectations of a chocolate imperial bourbon barrell aged stout are high
In my mouth...nothing spectacular

Overall...Meh!
I won't buy again....too many good chocolate stouts out there to waste my dollars, time, and experience. Think Southern Tier Choklat Stout and Dragon's Breath!

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 03:59:00 | More by wmickdds32

NumberNone

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

04-27-2013 19:41:41 | More by NumberNone

ltdantheman

Georgia

4/5  rDev -3.1%

04-26-2013 14:26:58 | More by ltdantheman

shehateme

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

04-26-2013 01:04:29 | More by shehateme

JayReq

North Carolina

4.84/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I will admit that I like my beers dark and heavy ("like my women," my grandfather used to say), and if there is a beer that hits that button, Siren Noire Imperial Chocolate Stout from Heavy Seas mashes it hard. I have not a such an enjoyable imperial-anything in a long time, so it is a pleasure to leave a review for this awesome (but rare at this point) brew,

Serving it from a bottle kept in a dark cabinet, I drank this beauty from a small tasting cup.

Appearance: Pouring it out, it is a beautiful pitch black with a small hint of molasses in the light. Dark brown head, very light and foamy, with enough body to it that it leaves behind a bit of a lattice.

Smell: Strangely enough the bourbon barreling has yield only the vanilla and the chocolate, as I don't smell the charcoal that usually pervades bourbon-barreled brews. Nice hint of brown sugar behind the vanilla and the chocolate. It smells just like the bottles says it should taste, which leads me to...

Taste: Basically the same thing, but this time you get the small bite of the bourbon right on the bed of the tongue after the chocolate and vanilla work their magic. Very strong and very sugary, it definitely reminds me of old molasses.

Mouthfeel: Starts off gentle with the vanilla under the robust dark chocolate. Not flat at all, which is a risk any time you barrel a beer. Maybe there was some secondary fermentation? Couldn't find any esters at the bottom of the bottle. Right in the middle of the tongue you get that small bite of whiskey, as previously mentioned, and it finished with a tiny bit of smoke, a very nice finish coupled with one last smattering of burnt sugar.

Overall I am regretting I did not buy more of these bottles. A great Imperial Stout with wonderful chocolate and bourbon expressions. This is how a beer in this style is supposed to be done.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 01:30:20 | More by JayReq

bluntedboywonder

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9%

04-23-2013 20:29:52 | More by bluntedboywonder

Lee_Hancock

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%

04-23-2013 10:21:17 | More by Lee_Hancock

xtrastoutalex

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +9%

04-22-2013 23:19:33 | More by xtrastoutalex

sendbeer

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%

04-21-2013 01:22:23 | More by sendbeer

marlinsfan4

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

04-20-2013 04:35:51 | More by marlinsfan4

civicm87

New York

4.75/5  rDev +15%

04-16-2013 21:57:21 | More by civicm87

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.11/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Very glad to pick this up for just 9 bucks at the giant eagle on RT 8. ALSO my 1,600th review!

A - Head has now a thick lace ring but I did get a solid inch of deep mocha head upon pouring Color is a pitch black brown with no light even escaping at the base of my pub glass.
S - I could tell the bourbon aging has greatly crippled the intense chocolate smells of the base of the beer but the bourbon is faint which is appreciated since these guys can somewhat overdo the bourbon aspect. Caramel and toffee sweetness with a distinct vanilla character is noted along side of just faint cocoa nibs.
T - Just enough barrel to make an impact and it really does cut the edge of the fudgey chocolate sweetness the base beer had. Not sure if I liked this better but it's balanced enough to taste oak, vanilla, and some caramel flavors from the barrel. Has enough roast to keep it in balance, A pretty tasty stout.
M - Has a medium to heavy body not too bozzy to inhibit sipping so this is a very easy going stout.

Overall I do love a good balanced beer and appreciate the work that went into this but I think I prefer the sweeter chocolate imperial stout base beer for intense cocoa nib flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 03:57:44 | More by DrDemento456

Holmes698

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.1%

04-15-2013 22:12:24 | More by Holmes698

Invictus

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

04-15-2013 22:07:42 | More by Invictus

Rast

Maryland

4.54/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber as the Michigan Wolverines assert themselves against No. 1 Louisville in the 75th NCAA men's basketball championship.

Let's begin with the description on the bottle: "Imperial Stout Brewed with Chocolate and aged in Bourbon Barrels." Questionable capitalization, but certainly a description tailor-made for the tastes and standards of the average Beer Advocate reviewer, among whom I'm counted. No disappointment here: pours a deep, tootsie-roll brown with a thick head and lovely lacing. Nose is chocolate love and roasty stout coffee yum. Tastes wonderful, not overwhelmingly chocolate like some stouts I've sipped. Rich, rich, rich malt blends well with the chocolate roastiness. Smooth rich mouthfeel.

As inviting as the "sirens" who used to invite us over to their haus after men's Bible study in college. Heavy Seas may have found their niche in the outstanding stout universe.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 01:54:24 | More by Rast