 drewbeerme (1837), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Jan 1, 2007 Updated: Feb 5, 2008
12oz, bottled 7/14/06. 5 1/2 months old now. pours pitch black, head is minimal but with some vigerous stirring i got a nice red velvet and tan head. looked amazing next to the pitch black stout. too bad it didn’t last long and half way through the beer there’s no head at all. nose is quite bourbony with wonderful notes of vanilla, oak, burned espresso, and chocolate. one of the best aromas i’ve smelled. this beer is pretty hot. i feel the alcohol in the back of my throat. this has to be more than 11% cuz it tastes like 13+. tastes is very bourbony, vanilla, oaky, with undertones of dark fruits, chocolate, and coffee. mouthfeel isn’t very full but is very smooth. very complex and delicious. loses palate points for how hot it is. can’t wait to see this with a few years on it.9/4/8/3/16=4.0.
okay so sometimes you sample a beer and it blows you away only to not have the same experience when you go back to it. well this is a rating from an almost 1 year cellar aged 06 bottle...wow. no more strong alc and bourbon in the nose, flavor and finish! nose is rich chocolate, oak, coconut, and bourbon. flavor is an extremely rich and complex array of the same, lots of toffee, coconut, oak, oh wow this is amazing, has aged so well it was once so hot but no more! this is aging better than other vintages. wow this is getting close to oak aged dark lord. 9/4/9/4/18=4.4.
so I went back and tried another bottle and it wasn’t like that one. more alcohol in this one and didn’t have the depth and complexity along with less coconut. 9/4/8/4/17=4.2
11/3/07, vertical with 1/05, 8/05, 7/06, and 10/07 vintages. I rank the vertical from best to worst: 1/05, 7/06, 10/07, and 8/05. The 1/05 batch has aged wonderfully, and it seemed the smoothest and richest. 7/06 batch is doing nicely but needs some more time as it is still a little harsh around the edges. 10/07 is just too fresh, clearly needs more time as it seems too raisiny and alcoholy. I’m not sure what happened to the 8/05 batch as the nose didn’t have much at all and the flavor lacked any chocolate presence, just alcohol, soy, and charred wood. this also had a fizzy mouth feel. interesting vertical, really dissapointed with the 8/05 bottle but BCS could have long aging potential.
12/1/07, sampled another 8/05 bottle. tasty stuff still but mostly bourbon notes coming through. not much aged noticed, appears pretty mellow. alcohol noticed in the nose when it warms. probably the weakest vintage of BCS and I’m not sure it’s going anywhere with more age. 3.8.
2/05/08, July 2006 batch, aged 17months. pours extremely thick and pitch black with no head. i don’t recall seeing this be so thick before. aroma is soft buttery bourbon oak and dark fruits. flavor has a dark chocolate mixing with big oaky bourbon notes while some alcohol and dark fruits finish it out. body is thick and finish is silky smooth. aging really well.8/4/8/5/17=4.2.
Vac (2253), San Diego, California, USA
Oct 1, 2008 Pours with a black body topped by a thin, brown head wtih a little lacing. It’s sweet and full of vanilla and bourbon notes as well as a slight hint of roast. The bourbon notes are overpowering and take away from the stout flavor istead of complimenting it. Full bodied, smooth and warming.
Pawola22 (91), Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Sep 28, 2008 2007 12oz bottle. Pours a very oily looking, jet black. A dark and runny lacing after a minimal chocolate head disappears very quickly. A very strong aroma, I can smell it from at least an arms length away. Lots of vanilla and bourbon. More sweet than roasty although its still present. Woody/oak, dark chocolate caramel, and a mellow fruit background. Fantastic. Mouthfeel is very slick, oily, and smooth with a medium feel. Taste is incredible. Immediate abundance of flavor including chocolate, sweet caramel malts, oak and bourbon casting, and a vanilla backing. The middle kicks in with a very balancing bitterness and a sweet, mellow fruitiness resembling prunes. It finishes incredibly balanced and easy, drying very slowly throughout the aftertaste. Leaves a nice lingering bitterness and a delightful alcohol warmth unlike any beer I’ve had. VERY warming. Overall, this is a fantastic imp. stout. I would love to compare this to Bells Expedition. Great balance, love the bourbon oak smell/taste, fantastic finishing quality. Its a real temptress.
fiver29 (325), Strongsville, Ohio, USA
Sep 24, 2008 Bottle pours pitch black with a thin chocolate looking head. Aroma is amazing. Bourbon, chocolate, bourbon, roasted malts, vanilla, and did I mention bourbon? Has a very dense and heavy mouthfeel with some carbonation. Flavor is just what the doctor ordered. Hot bourbon, roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, dark roasted coffee, and alcohol. Overall, this is one of my favorite beers. This is an over the top, bourbon in your face brew. This is what makes it one of my favorites. Its also its biggest weakness. I really like the over the top bourbon, but enjoy a more balanced bourbon flavor even more.
Rynoplasty (234), Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Sep 21, 2008 Pours black with a small dark tan head. Aroma is malty with dark chocolate and oak coming through. There is a big malt vanilla flavor as well with a big warming finish. Good stuff.
KimJohansen (4285), Copenhagen V, Denmark
Sep 20, 2008 Black with tiny beige head. Sweet aroma with roasted malt, bourbon, chocolate and vanilla notes. Sweet flavour with roasted malt, chocolate, bourbon, coffee nougat and warming alcohol towards the end.
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