 OldGrowth (1269), Cary, North Carolina, USA
Jun 2, 2008
bottle at Carolina Crew get together, from the hand trade with timmcd64 & juzy while on my Alaskan BW fest trip. Great aroma, so much going on with this, wow, Smoke, chocolate, brown sugar, raisin. Clean brownish black color, small head & lacing. Bitter sweet flavor, Like I said with the aroma and a vanilla bourbon addition. Thick body, creamy mouthfeel, bitter sweet finish. This was a great brew, aged wonderfully. Aroma, flavor this had it all. Incredible balance of things. My words aren’t doing this justice.
StoutCat (65), Rockville, Maryland, USA
Jul 6, 2008 Dark brown, white-cream colored very thin head. sweet molasses aroma with alcohol bite. Flavors of caramel and vanilla, very smooth and sweet.
kmweaver (1948), Takoma Park, Maryland, USA
Jun 1, 2008 22oz bottle, courtesy of Stine. Thanks, Eben! Pours a very dark, cola-brown color; light tan head with patchy lacing; touch of oiliness. Caramel, dates, and raisins in the aroma; plenty of dried fruits, with a very relaxed bourbon aroma underneath: slight, sticky bourbon and buttery vanilla (very much in the background); impressively balanced. Relaxed carbonation. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: chewy caramel, dried dark fruits (dates, raisins), and nougat; exceptionally balanced and drinkable; velvety mouthfeel: beautifully integrated bourbon notes (toasty rounded liquor, vanilla, soft wooden notes) with a chewy caramel and dried fruits; I wasn’t completely submerged by the first sip, but there’s so much here when allowed to open up, and so integrated; remarkably drinkable and soft. Excellent. Lengthy finish: chewy dried fruits, dates, and sweet vanilla / toasty malts; very soft ending.
Stine (1318), St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
May 31, 2008 Poured from a 22 oz. bottle. Rich chocolate brown, oak hued pour producing a brimming crown of tan that gathers in a ring around the edge. Sweet, refined aroma of bourbon, caramel and candi sugar, citrus, port wine, oak, and raisin. Smooth, glimmering polish and never a moment of overindulgence or reckless decadence; most notable is the cleanness and calmness of it. Raspberries and pomegranate lend a bit of zingy tartness along an alcohol hit back end. Spirit touched throughout, but more as a silky ribbon of bourbon presence than a sudden iron fisted punch.
Flavor is monstrously rich and juicy; streamlined balance. Dates, red licorice, prunes, belgian chocolate, mousse, caramel. Lush, sensual, contemplative complexity that seems so soft and silky. It isn’t a monstrous, confronting sweetness but more a clean, rich cavendish tobacco, rustic campfire dessert sweetness. Full, delicate oak and bourbon tanginess and fleshy, rich red fruits sitting in a wet oatmeal cookie dough. Sugar everywhere and all with a polished dark edge.
Brilliantly reserved full palate. Balanced, syrupy body is firm but never imposing; it seems to taper off into a reticent tannic feel briefly, rather than diving headlong into the ostentatious decadence it seems bound toward, before settling on a calm, creamy maple texture. The restraint and balanced execution at that point are nothing short of stunning. Pungent date flavor finishes.
Having sunk slowly into a soil of rich character and otherworldly sweetness, the potential for this example still seems excitingly bottomless, although this gorgeous point of settled complexity could probably be considered somewhere within its peak. Thanks Tim!
ryan (1682), Beltsville, Maryland, USA
May 31, 2008 Courtesy of Mr. Kotter himself, Stine. Dark brown/black body with medium sized tan head. There’s a lot of nutty bourbon in the nose, but it’s very soft and not the least bit aggressive. Along with the bourbon is some nice dark fruit and toffee character as well as light molasses and a touch of alcohol. Flavor is sweet, but not overbearing, lots of prunes and toffee, some bourbon and caramelized raisins. Very port-like. Full bodied, extremely soft texture with light carbonation. Long, sugary finish with a touch of bitterness. I usually don’t go for sweet beers, but this one works. Thanks Eben.
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