 ClarkVV (3547), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Dec 22, 2004 Updated: Jan 23, 2006
2004 A very big thanks to Chris (csbosox) for promoting good beer throughout the country. I see the last handful of peoples’ ratings and I wonder before I drink it. Was this not meant to be? Then, after finally hand bottling (from an already handbottled bottle) two 8 oz beers (2 bottles of Old Foghorn, which I drank, then sanitized), I tried, for myself, what was left. Ahem, getting off on a tangent. I was expecting this beer to be thinned out. I poured it into a red wine glass (which is convex). The aroma takes a little while to build, but after holding my nose there, there was the distinct note of oak. Like a batch of cabernet sauvingon aged heavily on oak. Dark, sour cherries, hints of dry molasses. The appearance is superb; dark brown-tan color, with some dark reddish-copper hues swirling about. I swirl it gently, and it does not lace, but rather, coats the glass. It is heavily hazy and obviously highly unfiltered. I begin to drink, yes, here is the light thinning I have been expecting. But then, magnificently pure chocolate emerges, followed by rich salty smokey licorice flavor. It is both sweet and vinous at the same time, very homogenized flavors abound. The mouthfeel, all the while, coats the palate with its velvety smoothness, and thick, viscous body. The round vanilla flavors play with a delicate roast, as more layers of chocolate arise for a finish of pure bliss. It is everything I want from an Imperial Stout and has made me question my belief in the Dark Lord. Can this only be a young 2004 sample bottled from a growler almost 3 weeks ago??? I can’t even imagine what this would be like aged and fresh off a handpump at Free State. This is truly magnifcent beer and the people who received the growlers need to look past the slight wateriness and flatness from being growler-bottled (of course there’s no head, how can you fault the brewer for that?). If there is a type of beer that can handle this consistency, it sure is this. Consistency not unlike an English barleywine. Some will fault the thinner than usual body, but I can not. Go Kansas.
2000 vintage, hand bottled from Csbosox. Consumed on 9/22/2005 with OldGrowth. A bit of a let-down, was this. Not so much on flavor or anything, and it really wasnt even watery for its age, even pouring a nice, albeit small tan head. A very chocolatey beer, lots of peanut brittle and chewy, salty toffee. The oxidation has created some odd flavor combinations among the malt. I can see the traces of the brilliance from the 2004. Still, flavor does not have the incredible complexity that the earlier one does and the oxidation works against it, giving it much too dry a flavor, with some dullness on the end. Still a great beer, and pretty impressive that it’s even this good, being 5 years old and then hand-bottled. Certainly in no shape to apply numbers. I’m sure it would be fantastic at the brewpub.
cgarvieuk (2541), Edinburgh, Scotland
Sep 29, 2008 3 Year old Hand Bottle !!! ... at Fins, and Thanks to Casey WOW. cant belive how well this held up. Wish id tasted this along side a fresh as i struggle to think the Fresh could be much better... Deep Deep brown (not black) ...Big meaty rich toffee malt nose ... soft carbonation (but it was 3yr old) ... rich deep and complex ... nice soft roast malt... def a little vanilla ... A little spirit and a little wiskey ... im glad to see the description mentions it as there were definit whiskey tones ...again a little meaty tones ...This was a pleasent sipper and i do hope i can get a fresh sample of this:-)
Fin (2357), Merton, Oxfordshire, England
Sep 28, 2008 Tasting with Casey, Traci, Craig, Stella and Loz 27-09-08 this bottle brought along by Casey Pours very dark brown looking quite brittle at the edges and with the thinnest film of head on mine and a few random brown bubbles. Rich, creamy chocolate, silky and smooth with some warmth. There is lots of cappuccino in this along with a good double shot of espresso. Some oakiness and vanilla towards the end, nice.
railcat1 (491), Kissimmee, Florida, USA
May 15, 2008 I had on DLD from a growler on one of the tasteing tables with hints of roasted malts and it poured with no head but the bourbon was a little to much in this one,it was black as night and it did have a nice hop presents overall not a bad IPS.CHEERS!
Ofortuna (315), Grafton, Wisconsin, USA
May 10, 2008 Sampled at DLD 2008. From a growler. I’ve been looking forward to this for quite a long time. Pretty dead pouring with a non-existing head and a bit thin looking actually. A bit sharp on the flavour profile with notes of whisky dominating all else. Some black licorice, and anise. A bit of char on the backend and this just seems disjointed. Mouthfeel disappoints as it’s thinner than I would’ve liked to have seen.
BlackDonald (1039), North Carolina, USA
Apr 7, 2008 Growler - 2004 Vintage. Pours extremely dark and oily, with a small to almost nothing head. Roasty and somewhat herbal licorice nose. Lots of dark fruits, and a sweetness that coats the palate, and this sticks with you throughout the finish. Good, loads of vanilla and candied fruits with some wood notes as well, somewhat overrated I must admit I expected a little more complexity and carbonation, and I see that in some of the other reviews, so I must not be alone on that one.
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