Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged

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

22oz bottle thanks to riversideAK. Pours black with a minimal brown head. Aroma is of malt, bourbon, dark fruit, wood, and alcohol. Taste starts off with roasted malt, dark fruit, and spice. Huge alcohol takes a few sips to get through to the other flavors. Lots of chocolate, raisin, and oak start to come through. Mouthfeel is very thick and creamy. Body is thick and lightly carbonated. A definite booze bomb, making it more of a sipper. The barrel aging definitely makes this a heavy beer.

2009 vintage. 22oz. bomber served in a snifter. Poured a deep brown/black with less than a finger of tan head that quickly dissipated. Great aroma of chocolate, bourbon and vanilla. Also a bit of alcohol. Full bodied with a nice rich, creamy mouthfeel. Flavor has lots of chocolate with more bourbon and a little roasted malt. Great flavors from the bourbon barrel. Long finish of chocolate and vanilla. Got a little boozier as it warmed. This is a great beer. I’ve been a little burned out on Imperial Stouts lately, but this is top notch.

Thanks for sharing, bro! Pours a pitch black with a medium mocha head which fades rather quickly and leaves some rainy streaks on the glass. Aroma is very much like Triaminic - very boozy, bourbon, wet wood, and vanilla extract. Taste is much the same. I have to give it a lot for being very smooth, and the harshness of the alcohol isn’t there but it is very boozy and full of vanilla.

Trade with Ross, thanks dude! Ross was kind enough to send me a 2006 bottle of this stuff. Pours a deep brown color with medium sized frothy mocha head that fades quickly. Aroma is of intense bourbon, vanilla, light coconut and alcohol. Taste is over the top bourbon, vanilla, wood, alcohol and chocolate. The alcohol definitely grabs ya by the balls, but it definitely adds to the character. Good stuff, thanks Ross! BTW, where’s my Doggie Claws?

(bottle from Sparky27, thanks Eric!) Pours black with a thin dark tan head and light lacing. The aroma is a powerful punch of chocolate brownies, brown sugar, vanilla, wood, alcohol, and raisins that just blends together perfectly. Hints of soy and dough also appear, and while I’m usually put off by these scents in an impy, it actually fits quite well with this beer. Brownie gets stronger as this gets warmer, but it gets hotter with alcohol as well. Taste consists of light chocolate covered peanuts that doesn’t last long, as it is quickly replaced by a large amount of barrel flavors, with hints of coconut, vanilla, and wood. Roasted malt tries to break through this barrel onslaught, but only displays a light presence on the finish accompanied by a little salt and more charred oak. The mouthfeel is a bit thinned out for the style, but this is excusable. This is quite a good beer from Full Sail, and is far better than their BA Porter. Thanks again Eric!

2009 bottle thanks to carythedude. Pours with a largish, dark brown head over a black body. Great lace and retention. Aroma of brown sugar, bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, wood and raisins. Taste is slightly oxidized with tons of wood, burnt brown sugar, bourbon, corn sweetness (from the bourbon), coffee and a bit of smoke. Taste is not nearly sweet enough, either the chocolate or residual sugars need to be higher for my liking, very dry, and doesn’t balance the bourbon or wood well. Creamy mouthfeel, light bubbles.

Bottle thanks to BMan1113VR. Pours a dark black color with a medium small sized mocha head. Nose is Taste is vanilla, marshmallow, oak, bourbon, smoke, little bit of chocolate and some coconut. Taste is pretty much the same. Medium to thick mouthfeel, long smokey hot finish.

Mason jar from the tap at Malt & Vine. This Black Gold has a moderate half inch tan head that fades quickly to nice lacing. Aromas of sweet roasted chestnuts, licorice, coffee, and oak. The body is dark, but not so thick as to stain the sides of the glass - as black as a heavily roasted caramel. Nicely drinkable, with the bourbon mellowing the oak, faint notes of molasses or maple syrup. One of the top stouts from an exceptional season (08-09) of dark beers. I’ve got to find some bottles of this one before they all go away.