Block 15 Pappy’s Dark

Brewed by Block 15 Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Corvallis, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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2011 vintage. Big rum and bourbon notes on the nose and in the flavor. Still a big hop bite to it. Still effervescent as well. Nice combo for me. Pours a hazy brown red. Nice boozy balance as well.

oak, vanilla, bourbon aromas compliment a beautiful dark copper color. Toffee and fig notes as well. Incredibly smooth, the malts balance the bourbon and oak perfectly. Some Backend sweetness, but it isn’t overpowering or abrasive at all. Excellent head retention.

2011 vintage. This is good stuff. when it first hit my tongue i thought ’meh’, but by the end of the sip i was sold! such a great and complex progression through the palate, really fantastic what is going on here. Just loads of sweet malts, some brighter, some dusty already, the barrel profile fits this beer just perfectly throughout. really enjoyed this one, one of the few 10s ive given for taste.

750mL bottle, 2010 vintage. Poured clear, brilliant, fiery ambery-orange with a sticky cap of beige head.. great color to it! The aroma picked up decadent earthy and slightly-smoky bourbon paired perfectly with vanilla beans, molasses, and aged caramel.. deeper down were coconut and a pinch of honey.. most excellent! The flavor opened with a tart kick of peppery bourbon and oak.. molasses, aged caramel, and doughy rye bread at the core.. bourbon, vanilla, and dry oak weaved seamlessly through the drink.. peppery, belly-warming finish with the same blend of decadent sugars it started with. Medium-bodied, slow, and calculating through the palate, but with enough carbonation to keep it moving.. this was good.. this was really, really good.. git some!

Light brown/ deep mahogony. Bright, aroma is sweet, huge vanilla oak with excellent, light-to-moderate bourbon apparent. Flavor is sweet and bourbon cask, not over-the-top or in-your-face, but still very present. Enough bourbon to balance the oak I should say. a very well-done bourbon cask. Not sure what the style is- guessing english strong ale? I’m looking forward to trying their bourbon barley wine in the near future!

-Bals, -bals, -bals, everywhere I look I see -bals these days, but the best regarded ones typically involve Old Rip Van Winkle -bals. This 2011 batch actually sourced Pappy barrels this year and here’s the result. Corked & caged bottle (750ml) thanks to black13. Split into a pair of CBS snifters and shared with TulipSnifter. A: Rust body with a finger of butterscotch head that quickly recedes to a wisp ring. No lacing but some legs that give it redeeming value. S: Heavy on the booze just like I remember last years being, but this time I’m able to pickup great barrel character behind the alcohol. Vanilla and oak are decadent and forward. Sweet promises of what’s to come. T: There’s the barrels up front full of spice and big wood. Coconut and toffee is right there representing with a long dark sugar finish. Really good depth and complexity. M: Thicker then last year and that’s a plus. Sticky finish, but this is an after dinner sipper beer... It’s expected and welcome. O: Much better then the previous batch. Thick, complex, and interesting is not something I said last time. Block 15 at their best here.

Copper in color with minimal head formation, perhaps some khaki foam. The barrel comes through a bit, but not as prominent as many barrel aged beers (a bit of booze and vanilla). There is a nice sweetness of toffee, brown sugar, dark stone fruits, and molasses. The flavor is similar in the malt profile. Excellent brown sugar and toffee flavors. There is a solid bourbon flavor and a smooth vanilla character. A bit more subdued on the fruit. Medium body with low carbonation.

2010 bottle. Reddish brown pour with an off-white head. Aroma of vanilla, coconut, caramel. and alcohol. Quite dry. Vanilla, caramel and wood flavor with a bourbon finish. Still a bit hot. Would like to see this one aged.

750ml bottle, 2010 vintage. The pour gives a very lightly hazy, deep reddish-honey amber colored body. A small gathering of beige tinted froth clings to the outer edge, never fully receding, though just a wispy film sits at the center of the head. Trace micro-spots of lacing dot the glass. The nose is downright luscious, dripping with enticing bourbon notes, touching on coconut macaroons, toasted toffee and caramel, subtle biscuit, and loads of vanilla-kissed oak. Grilled dates play a subdued role, as the aroma is more about caramel. Flavors are largely the same, again extremely bourbon-forward, showing strong boozy tones that are appropriately assuaged by the lush caramel and toffee. I keep coming back to macaroons, one of my favorite desserts. The toasted edges of coconut that peek out from the cookie are exactly what come to mind. Oak is smooth and saturated with dense, drippy bourbon. It’s far from complex, but it’s also quite delicious in its simplicity. The palate is creamy and lightly carbonated. It is warm, without question, but it stays shy of hot, and it somehow avoids the heavy sugars that one would assume would be in this beer. In other words, the body is substantially less weighty and laborious than I expected. Damn good stuff for the bourbon lover......but be warned, this beer will NOT appeal to those who don’t care for the Kentucky nectar.

On tap @ Belmont Station. In a tulip glass. Color is a reddish-mahoganay with a thin, off-white cap. Aroma is bourbon, vanilla, sugary malts, cherry, and subtle notes of oak. Flavor starts off with huge hits of bourbon, some vanilla, and a very subtle but pleasing flavor of coconut. Palate is smooth, and the aftertaste is like slow-sipping a nice coconut rum. A light alcohol heat with a sweet aftertaste. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this. Not the best thing I’ve ever had by any means, but I’d drink it again!