Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged

Brewed by Full Sail Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Hood River, Oregon USA

pours almost black with a reddish tinted creamy light brown head. it smells almost sour?... woody, high roast (probably the culprit), bourbon spiciness, chocolate, vanilla and caramelized/butterscotch toasted nuts. loads of chocolate in the flavor... way more than expected. the bourbon is softer in the flavor but the barrel has added a sourness which is pleasant but most likely unexpected/a flaw. ...vanilla, coconut, coffee, tart cherries and a spiciness round it out. the medium body is rather light given the abv% and depth of the brew... slick smooth mouth feel. 8/4/8/4/15/3.9

2009 Bottling; Sampled May 2009
A vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three finger thick, nicely brown stained, dark tan colored head. The beer is quite black in color, though it has a touch of a brown tint to it if you look closely. The beer remains quite opaque if held up to the light, though it might pick up just a touch more brown. The nose leads with notes of toasted coconut and vanillin, lightly spicy bourbon and roast malt back this up quite nicely, but the first two are definitely the dominant note. After digging a bit deeper some notes akin to a burnt nuttiness, others that distinctly remind me of a chocolate liquor and a sharp, slightly acrid, dark roast coffee in the finish. There is perhaps a touch of burnt vegetal notes in the aroma as well. Not a bad aroma, though it can be a touch harsh at times.

The beer hits my tongue with a touch of a lush texture, not quite creamy, but definitely with a substantial heft. The beer has a light sweetness to it, much of the sugars here seem to be well roasted such that they don’t contribute to a simple sweetness. The roast character adds a sharpness to this beer in the middle and moves towards a roast bitterness and a touch of acrid roast character in the lingering finish. After a bit some burn acidity is also noticed in the finish.. The Bourbon barrel induced flavors are not nearly as ripe and inviting as the aroma was. Here the barrel influence adds a spicy, slightly hot note to the finish, though there is a touch of buttery oak and maybe a hint of vanillin, but the lush coconut character seems to be entirely lacking. The roast, burnt malt character does have a touch of nuttiness to it in the finish, but it is mostly dominated by the sharp roast notes.

This beer ends up being a bit too harsh, I wish it maintained the richness and balance of the nose in the flavor, but it just gets a bit too harsh in the end; there is just too much of a dominating, sharp, roast character in the flavor.

Draft at Brouwer’s. Pours a jet black with a frothy mocha head. Bourbon dominats the aroma, but I pick up caramel, molasses, and chocolate. Flavor is amazing. The bourbon gives it a great full body flavor with great chocolate and coffee undertones. This one is a mouthful but incredibly smooth and leaves a fantastic aftertaste. A very high quality brew.

It’s a barrel aged ImperialStout. It wasn’t bad. Oak, alcohol in the scent, oak, molasses in thr flavor. Black with a non-existent tan head. Great beer, but...it’s a BB Impy Stout.

Had this one after the Stone 12th Anniversary Bourbon Stout so I may be a little biased. However, this one was quite tasty also, and although the description was not included on the list I was instantly able to identify it as aged in bourbon barrels. The smell was of caramel, malts, a hint of pepper, smoked throughout. Smooth mouthfeel with a very slight carbonation. Flavors of vanilla, caramel, and malt with the bourbon lingering. It was a bit overpowering, unfortunately.

My first beer from them, and I am impressed. Pours black with a thin tan head. Aroma of bourbon, wood, chocolate, and a little vanilla. Thick sweet body. Vanilla and bourbon in the flavor. The bourbon really has some kick, but is somehow balanced. Fantastic brew.

Bottle from Bottle Trek via an internet order. Poured an almost pitch black with a brown head. This beer was awesome. Full bodied brew with flavors of chocolate, vanilla and toffee. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Thick black pour with a nice lasting tan head. Aroma is bourbon, wood, vanilla, alcohol, and lots of roasted coffee. Flavor is nice, with the bourbon not overpowering everything else. Some dark fruit, coffee, chocolate and vanilla work there way through the roastiness and alcohol. Very nice brew.