Dark Horse Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th Sour Imperial Stout

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Marshall, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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@Victors Fantasy Tasting-750 bottle-thanks jtclockwork-pours no head and a black color that sheets the glass. Aroma is black licorice-dark malt, peat/wood/whiskey. Taste is dark malt-ashy/peat/wood/whiskey, some medium/dark fruit mid-palate. Some hops bite at finish.

25th November 2011
Noted as Aigre Plead The 5th. Opaque black beer, zero head. Smooth palate, semi dry. Smooth dark malt, no roast. Fair bit of bretty sourness with a red berry fruit undertone - strawberry readily identifiable. Finishes semi dry with traces of chocolate and coffee. A sour RIS eh? Very drinkable.

750 ml bottle poured a translucent dark brown with a lingering ring of brown foam. Aromas of roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate, fruittiness and light vinegar. Palate was light bodied and smooth with a lightly tart finish. Flavors of roastiness, coffee, citrus and dark chocolate with a smooth dry lightly tart citrus finish.

Liam’s bottle. An imperial stout at heart, with sourness that is bretty in the finish. Roast aroma. Very undercarbonated, despite a cork that took Shwartzneiger work to remove. Very dark brown without a head.

Pours nearly black in color with a small khaki head. Starts off with fairly regular stout aromas such as roasted malt, coffee, and some vanilla from the oak. The vinegar and sourness come through toward the back end. It also has an interesting grass aroma. Tastes a bit more sour than it smells, but still lots of roasted malt and a hint of coffee. The oak flavor is there and provides a slightly drying tannic feel to the beer. A decent amount of vinegar, but not overly acetic. There is even a touch of fruit on the palate.

Thanks to Matt for bringing the 750mL bottle! Poured deep brown with almost no head to it. The aroma picked up sour fruit and milk chocolatey notes upfront, with dark chocolate and some raspberry meat beneath.. the sourness only sort of worked with the base beer. The flavor found vinegary sourness throughout, accented by raspberry seeds.. dark chocolate, vanilla, and other burnt black malty character at the core.. tart and quite sour on the finish over warm, mixed malts.. again it was enjoyable, but the sourness only sort of worked. Medium-plus bodied and fairly flat on the palate.. a tad slick through the mouth.. aiight overall.

Pouring at the Saturday sessions of EBF. Pours a deep black with a large cascading tan head. Slightly cheesy funk, toast and roast, cocoa and chocolate. Big cocoa, chocolate and pudding. Lots of warmth, but not much sourness. Toast and warm brownies. Chocolate. Might not have been really sour, but it sure was tasty.

Bottle shared at Paul’s tasting. Pours oily black. Tan brown head. Nose of roasted chocolate, wine barrel, oak and bourbon. Taste is a chocolate port wine. Lots of vinous and chocolate notes. Medium body.

Thanks to TurdFurgison for opening this bottle at the post-Christmas Chicago tasting. Served in a Cantillon tulip. Pours a pretty dark brown with a minimal amount of light foam on the top of the beer without too much else there. The nose is pretty good. There really isn’t all that much sourness. I would think this has to have been accidentally infected, as I was curious about the concept to begin with and this doesn’t seem like it was intentionally soured. Who knows. Some chocolate and roast there as well as a bit of woody character. The taste again shows no sourness but does have a good dose of wood and chocolate. Very nice roast there as well. The mouthfeel is pretty good. It is somewhat thick and the barrel character works well. Pretty drinkable, though. Interesting, but I still don’t really see the point of this one. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 01-05-2011

Sampled from the tap at EBF. Poured black with a thick dark brown head that lasted throughout the beer and laced slightly. Aroma started with with roasted malts as well as a note of dark biscuit/bread and some chocolate. Only a hint of sourness. Flavor started with sweet chocolate, roasted malt, dark grains and had just a hint of sourness that came out in the finish. Wish the beer would had showcased a bit more sourness.