DuClaw Bourbon Double Black Lightning Oak Aged

Brewed by DuClaw Brewing Company
Style: Black IPA
Abingdon, Maryland USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Sampled at the Richmond 17th Gathering. Bomber says oak aged. Sampled back to back with the regular Double Black. Dark brown pour with very good brown head. The bourbon REALLY shows through on this one. Very woody and bourbony. The base beer doesn’t seem as hoppy, more roasty base. I think I like this one better, but just barely.

22 oz. bottle. A very deep mahogany pour with a smallish mocha head. Sweet caramel, milk chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, and some woodsiness in the aroma. Goes down medium-bodied and just a tad syrupy. Super-sweet caramel and chocolate upfront taste-wise. Kinda bready. An earthy, woodsy middle with some oak and vanilla extract. Touches of lemon at the bitter end. Some warming alcohol is present throughout. Far too cloying by the end. Just not my thing.

Bottle from BeerThursdays. Thanks again! It pours a very dark brown with a thin khaki head. The aroma is really nice with an earthy toastiness that balances out the wood, and vanilla with a big dark chocolate character. So far, I would not call this a Black IPA. I am impressed that this has such big, complex aroma for a reasonably smaller beer though. The flavor is very spicy up front with big time oak flavor and dark chocolate. Wood, vanilla and some hot bourbon are also there. My only complaint is the body is a bit thin for such huge flavors. There’s a bit of a cola type thing going on in the background that robs some of the complexity. It finishes toasty and a bit spicy again with a bourbon aftertaste. Again... not a Black IPA. Maybe a bourbon aged robust porter or something. Oh well, I really liked it anyway.

Bottle 22fl.oz. @ [ Fastelavn Smagning - Carnival Tasting - Ulfborg ].

Clear dark red - brown colour with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, caramel, chocolate, coffee, coconut, wood, vanilla, bourbon. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, bourbon, chocolate, dried fruit, balanced. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20120218]

Bottle, 7.7%. Salty liquorice aroma. Black colour. Cigarbox flavour, sweet vanilla alcohol. Not too powerful and with a little rough alcohol. The oak taste is OK, I guess, but the alcohol bitterness is too rough.

Bottle 65 cl. Courtesy of nimbleprop. Pours black with a reddish hue and a beige head. Sweet oak dominates the aroma. Medium body, sweet roast, chocolate and licorice allsorts. Dark, dried fruits and sweet vanilla. Heavily boozy finish. Hard to believe this is only 7.7%. 180212

Bottle, 22oz. A dark brown beer topped by a small, dense, light beige head. The aroma is roasted and lightly boozy, with some vanilla hints, roasted malts and some chocolate hints. The flavor is roasted and vanilla-ish, with coffee, cocoa notes, dark chocolate, and also some bitterness. Full-bodied and warming. Roasted finish with a touch of bourbon. A really pleasant one, except that it’s a bit too boozy. 120818

Bottle. very dark brown/red with small beige head. Aroma is roasted malts, chocolate, coffee and a little vanilla. Flavour is roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, oak, little vanilla, medium sweet, little liquorice, hops and a little bitter.

Bottled. A hazy amber beer with a dark brown beer. The aroma has notes of straw, alcohol, and bourbon. The flavor is sweet with notes of alcohol, bread, bourbon, caramel, and straw, leading to a bitter finish.

Clear very dark reddish brown with a beige head. Aroma is quite sweet, roasted malt and bourbon. Flavor is quite sweet and very bitter. Dry and rather bitter finish. Oily. 180212

Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Nice head with good duration. Color is black. Aroma and taste are vanilla, bourbon, wood, caramel and notes of hops. Terrible idea to barrel an IPA. Totally destroys the hop character. And doing it in bourbon barrels is just a double mistake.