4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20Enjoyed on tap at Goose Island Stout Fest 2012 in Chicago, IL. I like butterscotch, so I liked this brew very much. Appearance is pitch black, moderate consistency, no head. Aroma of butterscotch, very sweet, very rich and decadent. Taste like a smoky butter scotch, bit of chocolate, potent alcohol flavor, pretty good stuff.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Sample FOBAB ’12 - Friend told me to give this one a spin, and might be the best advice I received all day - pours basically black with a thin tan head. Nose is heavy on sweet and roasted malts, chocolate, some booze and some dark fruit. Flavor is very well done - the aroma is almost duplicated with lots of roasty malts, some vanilla and a great blend of sweetness, roastiness and bourbon. Palate was top notch - very smooth and easy drinking given the ABV. Might be the biggest surprise I had all day - would love to have this again down the road!
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
on tap-tight brown that disappears-black. A-dk fruit, taken over by roasty dk malt. T- dk fruit, taken over by roasty/ashy/molasses-dk malt, vanilla. Some alcohol.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
A big and boozy impy stout. Some fruit notes creep in. Smooth for the abv. PRetty good.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On draft at GASBF 2012. Pours an obsidian color with a small tan head. Nose is roasted malts, coconut, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, wood, bourbon, mallow, and booze. Flavor is a similar blend of awesomeness: chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, vanilla, wood, bourbon, mallow, and coconut. Medium to full in body for the style, and just an awesome experience.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 18/20
On tap in Denver for GABF 2012. Pours a pure black color with a medum tan head. A big roasted nose with some barrel. The flavor is a sweet barrel with vanilla and cocoa, balanced by big roasted malts and lighter dark fruit. Very good!
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap @ the brewpub in Champaign. Hearty near black, thin light brown head. Butterscotch and bourbon aroma, sweet and a bit boozy. Densely flavoured palate of chocolate liqueur, butterscotch, vanilla oak, treacle. Velvety texture, heavy mouthfeel, no hint of the ABV. Fantastic.
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
UPDATED: MAR 28, 2012 Re-rate - 3/28/12 - Stout Fest. Had to give this a fair swing after FoBAB last year. No butter this time, lots of integrated vanilla. Clean and fresh overall. Could use a touch more body, but it’s a great beer without the butter notes! 9-4-8-4-17
11/17/11 - Draft at FoBAB 9. Pours midnight black with a brown head. Nose, unfortunately, is a hit of diacetyl. Buttery notes that are somewhat offputting before the good stuff comes back in. Big roasty notes, tending more towards chocolate than coffee. Soft alcohol and vanilla as well. Hint of smoke? On tasting, pretty smooth, butter notes are barrel perceptible. Good bitterness and sweetness overall. I’ll have to try this one again to get my head around it. Solid, except for the diacetyl. 7-4-7-4-14
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 11/20
On tap (FoBAB 2011) : The aroma consists of chocolate, cherries, butterscotch, and a touch of coconut. It’s a dark brown with no transparency and a large beige head with good lacing. The flavor starts with chocolate, faint vanilla, and a hint of butter. The finish has some roast, coconut, and ligh oak. The oak and roast really linger on the tongue. It’s medium-full bodied with mild carbonation and a somewhat creamy mouthfeel. Overall, butterscotch is really out of place in the nose and the butter (while light) is very destracting in the flavor.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Sampled on tap at FoBAB 2011 (Chicago, IL). Pours a rich roasty blackish thick and opaque hue, dark with a frothy dark brown thick head. Laces well. Aromas are roast and lots of coffee, a touch sour with Bourbon and oak coming in, vanilla, toffee, caramel, and roast. Initial is thick, offering oak and anise, roast and coffee, toast and vanilla, touches of spirit into the finish. Full bodied and not thinned by the barrel but still offering a healthy barrel kiss. Middle and finish offer cocoa and toffee, caramel and toffee moving into kisses of anise and coffee, cocoa, vanilla, roast, mocha. Very great flavors. Wonderful synergy, a firm thicker body with kisses of oak. Perhaps a touch of a diacetyl problem, but I still very much enjoyed this beer.
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