Block 15 Super Nebula

Brewed by Block 15 Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Corvallis, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter

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Had this on tap last June. Colour... total darkness with a tan rim for a, "head". Nose... unsulphered molasses, booze and burnt brown sugar. Palate... a slap of booze to get things rolling then caramelized sugar, bittersweet chocolate, molasses cake, coffee, black tea, smoke, oak and a looooong coffee-like finish.

25.4 oz bottle. Dark brown with a foamy tan cap. Nose is wood, chocolate, tobacco and wild grapes. Medium body with a tang. Taste is briefly chocolate then tar, bourbon, elderberry and coconut. Hard to tell this is a stout with the strong barrel influence.

bottle courtesy of oakagedgravy, thanks a ton! pours a nice dark opaque brown with moderate quick fading head. aroma is decidedly hot, even after a good few minutes the abv masks a lot of the smells. however, it is buffalo trade barrels, and i just have a thing for what thye do to a beer, so i really dont mind too much. the taste starts to come through a LOT more though! wow! the buffalo trace always adds a very sweet spirit profile to the beer i feel, and always has a bit of syrupy butteryness to it. same here. the beer does well a bit wrmer and especially after decanting. im sure the flavors will mellow and blend some over time, but i really appreciate their audacity and boldness at present. the flavors are great, lots of sweet dark blackberries, black apples, and other almost over ripe dark fruits. a nice buttered popcorn layer on top in the aftertaste mixed with a healthy dose ofburnt malts underneath. the cocoa gives a ton of fruity flavors here, and a very suble but pure cocoa flavor as a canvas for the entire beer it would seem. yummy for sure. might be even better in a year.

Notes dated 2-13-2011: On-tap at Hop & Vine. Very dark brown with lighter tan edges. Upon being served, a thin amount of cappuccino foam sat atop a quickly bubbled away to a very thin wisp ring. Strong coffee aromas when it was very cold, much stronger essences of spicy bourbon with under-currents of fudge brownie came through as it warmed. Damn their -bals are nice. Again with the strong coffee when cold but transitioning to some stronger caramel liquor, berry, and cocoa notes when it warmed. I swear there is only about a 2 degree window when some smoke is detectable. In that temperature range, this beer is sublime. Low carbonation and full mouthfeel here. Right inside my personal wheel house.

Big thanks to starrdogg for sharing this at last night’s tasting. Served in a SAVOR wine glass. Pours black with a small head and some sparse lacing. The nose carries moderate smoke and a good bit of chocolate. Roast comes through in the background. The flavor has the same smoke character along with a roasted malt and chocolate background. Medium-full body and quite hot. Not a super nebula sort of beer, but pretty good.

On tap @ Belmont Station. Served in a snifter. Color is black with a thin, quickly dissipating tan head. Aroma is bourbon, dark fruit, molasses, burnt brown sugar, and vanilla. Flavor is odd.... but interesting. Not what I was expecting for an imperial stout. The bourbon hits right off the bat with subtle notes of chocolate, molasses, dark bitter cherries, pepper, and (as odd as it sounds) an acidic bile flavor. It’s not over-powering, but it’s there, and it doesn’t ruin the beer. It actually makes it interesting! Palate is syrupy and rich, and the aftertaste is a lingering spicy, bourbon flavor. Overall, not at all what I was expecting, but still very good!

Many, many thanks to Derek for the hook-up! Poured very deep brown with a little bit of dark tan head sticking around. The aroma was very much on the sweet side with vanilla, molasses, and bourbon leading.. some chocolate and coffee not far behind.. peppery alcohol notes and related warmth accented.. fairly spicy on the back of the nose, and very intriguing overall. The flavor found syrupy, warm black patent and chocolatey sugars at the core, with vanilla and bourbon doing more for accents.. oak and alcohol come on a little strong toward the back, but the peppery notes were very welcoming.. the flavors and barrel treatment worked well together. Heavier-bodied and a tad chewy at times on the palate.. for the most part the bourbon was tasty, but it was a touch green on the back.. all in all a very tasty brew!

UPDATED: FEB 15, 2010 Sample at the brewpub. This Stout pours black with a medium khaki head that recedes steadily. Spots of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of bourbon and vanilla mocha. Rich, smooth body with flavors of bourbon oak, dark chocolate, vanilla and malt. The finish is oaky with a bourbon and dark malt aftertaste. Good all around.

UPDATED: FEB 11, 2012 Tap @ AnniBrew 2 Barrel Aged Beer Festival... Poured black with a light brown head. Smoked malts on the nose. Coffee flavors with a vanilla and alcohol content. Beefy and robust, like I should be smoking a cigar with this one. A little bit of hops and finished creamy with vanilla and malted chocolate.