Barley Johns The Dark Knight (Returns)

Brewed by Barley Johns Brew Pub
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
New Brighton, Minnesota USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Gowler 300cl.
[ Trade by BDR ]. Clear dark black color with a small to average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, light brown head. Aroma is heavy malty, roasted, caramel, chocolate, coffee, alcohol. Flavor is heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, and a warme alcoholic finish. Body is medium to full, texture is creamy to syrupy, carbonation is flat, finish feel is moderate alcoholic. [20090724]

A deep red beer with a disappearing orange head. The aroma is primarily of chocolate, but combined with hints of wood and bourbon. The flavor is quite roasted with notes of chocolate, prunes, wood, and bourbon, leading to a dry end. The alcohol gives it a lovely burn in the end. Lovely.

UPDATED: SEP 9, 2007 RB #800. From tap at the brewpub, first run, not the Returns version. Pours dark black with a chocolate creamy head, beautiful. Aroma of bourbon, chocolate and coffee. Flavour is alcohol and raisins. Very dominant bourbon notes and quite unbalanced. Not my liking. 6-5-6-2-12

Blind tasting at sk8vikings porter / stout tasting, beer no 18, huge thanks to brewfiend for trading. This was the real Returns. Pours dark brown with brown rim from the lacing head. Aroma is chemical, burning alcohol. Slight chocolate malty toffee flavour but heavily interrupted by the alcohol note. The chemical note is mainly present in the aroma and not the flavour with quite mellow flavoured. 5-4-7-3-13

Scores are a mesh of the two tastings.

(Growler 64 oz) Courtesy of yespr. Opaque black with a small, light brown head. Sweetish vanilla and bourbon notes. Medium-bodied, sweetish roasted malt, oak, vanilla and very distinct bourbon. Slightly medicinal perhaps. Ends sweet without much bitterness but VERY hot and alcoholic. 070907

From growler. Black coloured with a beige head. Woody and roasted aroma of liquorice, glue and red wine. Roasted flavour of liquorice, alcohol and vanilla. Roasted and warming alcoholice finish.

Growler. Rating #4600. Pours a black color with a small tan head. Has a roasted malty bourbon and chocoalte aroma with some woody hints. Sweetish roasted malty chocolate flavor with lots of bourbon flavor and hints of vanilla. Has a roasted malty chocolate finish with hints of vanilla and bourbon in the aftertaste.

(Draft) Pours a black body with a medium brown head. Aroma of bourbon, roastiness, and oak. Flavor of roasted malt, Whoppers malt balls, vanilla, and caramel.

Hand bottle at home thanks to STINE AND BDR for this one ... Deep black ... Huge fizz off this for it being Hand bottle though no head ... Oh my this has Whiskey written all over it in both the nose and the Flavour ...and this is the RETURN ... whiskey and soft roast little vanilla nose ... Up front its all whiskey ... behind thats its quite soft with quite a bit of chocolate and decent roast malts ... while very soft its got a pretty decent carbonation level...the bourbon just persists... quite warming... i cant believe this is the return i cant imagine any more whiskey in this.

Very dark brown. Stinging alcohol aroma with hints of chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon. Overall sweet palate with plenty of bourbon and alcohol leading to a vanilla-accented finish. It’s not bad by any means, but the heat is a bit out of whack and I’m not a big fan of the way bourbon flavours blast their way through just about every beer they touch. It lacks the delicacy and style I want in a big brew (Yes, I ask for delicacy in big beer, like for example Lijian Yinjiu or Sam Adams Millenium or Deus)

Name: The Dark Knight (Returns)
Date: 06/24/2006
Mode: Hand Bottled
Source: Tasting

black, whispy tan head, sweet licorish, bourbon, and chocolate aroma, creamy body, big sweet bourbon covered chocolate flavor, like a chocolate candy with a liquour center, no bitterness, hint of dark fruits

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4.1/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***+/4
-------- /> Name: The Dark Knight
Date: 06/23/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

black, fine tan head, sweet bourbon and dark chocolate aroma that gets alcoholic with a quick stir, dark chocolate and dark caramel flavor, a huge bourbon character, vanilla sweetness accents the chocolate and caramel, alcohol is ever present, sticky sweetness

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***+/4