Way back in Week 5 I previewed Bell’s Brewery when I had their famous IPA, Hopslam. This week I’m going to profile another sought after offering of their’s, Black Note Stout. For the second consecutive week, the beer I focus one I will have had at Churchkey in DC. They got the only keg to hit the DC, Northern Virginia area, so I thought it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

Pitched as one of the most sought-after stouts in Bell’s history, Black Note is a blend of Expedition Stout and Double Cream Stout aged since 2010 in Old Forester Bourbon Barrels. It was released in bottles at the brewery only, and scant kegs made it to exclusive accounts only across the US. Coming in at 11.5% ABV, the beer cost $7 for a 10oz pour.

Appearance
Viscous black pour with a small brown head. What does stick around laces decently.
Smell
The aroma is extremely well balanced. Bourbon and some booze up front, but a lot of chocolate balance it out. Roastiness, I'm guessing coffee, hides in the shadows. Making it's presence known when you need it.
Taste
The taste follows the smell wonderfully. The bourbon is up front, but chocolate and booze quickly provide balance and body, before roasty coffee takes over the backend. The balance is there, the flavor profile develops nicely on the palate, and overall the taste is far above average.
Mouthfeel/Drinkability
The body could have been a bit fuller, at times I believed it was too watery, still medium to heavy overall. Booze is noted, dry finish.

Overall
Delicious, certainly lives up to the hype. Balance is enough to make it great. The bourbon is not too intrusive. I thought it was very drinkable. Happy to have had the chance to try this.

4.38 / 5 A

Avery has been producing craft beers in the beer mecca that is Boulder, Colorado since 1993 and has done nothing but increased production ever since. Churchkey in Washington, DC held a tap-takeover for the craft brewery, and I took advantage of the opportunity. Among a ton of great beers, three different takes on the brewery’s imperial stout were available, and became the focus of Week 48.

Mephistophele’s Imperial Stout is “the crafty shape shifter, the second fallen angel,” according to Avery’s website, “amazingly complex, coal black, velvety and liqueurish, this demon has a bouquet of vine-ripened grapes, anise and chocolate covered cherries with flavors of rum-soaked caramelized dark fruits and a double espresso finish. IBUs 107.” Let’s see what I think

First up was a side by side pairing of the 2010 (brewed 10/2/10, 16% ABV) and 2011 (brewed 11/12/11 15.1% ABV) vintages.

2010:

Appearance
This had a way better head than 2011, brown pour with small lacing and good retention.
Smell
Balanced aroma. Booze, chocolate, coffee. The coffee is really the focal point, which surprises me considering the age.
Taste
The taste is a continuation of the smell. Just a ton of coffee on the backend. Chocolate beforehand and booze. So much coffee, how did they manage to keep it fresh?
Mouthfeel/Drinkability
Heavy body, creamy, dry finish, and a bit boozy.

Overall
I really enjoyed this a lot more than the fresh 2011 vintage. Very tasty.

4.43 / 5 A

2011:

Appearance
Black pour with less head than the 2010. Head is brown and is with minimal lacing.
Smell
Boozy, nearly medicinal smell. Chocolate and not a lot of coffee. Very sweet, bordering on strange, smell. Amazed at the difference a year does to the aroma.
Taste
Ton of booze on the taste, way too much. The coffee on the finish tries to balance it out, but it falls short. The chocolate and balance needs some time to develop.
Mouthfeel/Drinkability
Medium body, medium carbonation, creamy and full of alcohol.

Overall
Not as good as 2010. To unbalanced and all over the place. I will say, however, that for 16% ABV it wasn't bad.

I’ll keep the overall review as the fresh vintage, as that is how the brewery released the beer. However, I highly recommend aging this monster.

3.45 / 5 B-

2011 is on the left, 2010 on the right. 2010 was poured a few minutes before the 2011.

The third version is a special, only brewed once in 2010, Mephistopheles with “a generous amount of coffee added,” called Meph-Addict (15.5% ABV).

Appearance
Dark pour with a huge brown head. Lacing and retention are well above average.
Smell
Wow is this a beer of a cup of coffee? Chocolate, and a lack of booze, mixes with the coffee to make a phenomenal smell. Really amazed how little alcohol I get on this.
Taste
Returns to the Mephistopheles taste I've become used to. Boozy and chocolatey, but this has coffee on steroids. I love the boost of roastiness this gets. Being a year old probably helps the beer as the chocolate and booze have become more mellowed, allowing the coffee to come to the forefront.
Mouthfeel/Drinkability
Heavy body, creamy on the palate, dry finish, less boozy than I expected. Very drinkable.

Overall
Delicious, best of the night.

4.6 / 5 A+

Bottle: 0497

A: Straight black pour, like motor oil, with a small very brown head. No lacing or retention. If it had better lacing or retention it would be a 5. 4

T: The smell is all booze and whiskey, some chocolate underneath. 3.5

T: The taste on this is the best part. Great blend of chocolate, roastiness, booze, whiskey, oak and vanilla from the barrel. Alcohol and roastiness on the back. Balance is perfect as it warms. 4.5

MF: Thick and heavy, a little under carbonated, but not as much as BA Old Ruffian. Dry finish and boozy. 4

O: I Really enjoyed this. I was worried after having BA Old Ruffian earlier and it was way passed it’s prime. This was tasty, full of stout and whiskey. Very much enjoyed. 4.5

4.22 / 5 A-

The Bruery (Playing off of Brewery with the last name of the founders, Rue) has come from humble beginnings to create some of the most sought after beer in the United States. Their online releases of beers sell out almost as fast as they’re posted, and membership to their Reserve Society only lasted a day when they expected it to remain open for a few weeks. They try a number of things, age a lot of beer in a lot of barrels, and continue to brew at an extremely high level despite the insane increase in demand. You can read their story on their website.

This week, a drinking buddy and I opened up two of their more sought after bottles: Black Tuesday and Chocolate Rain. According to the website, Black Tuesday is “Our infamous Black Tuesday is an Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels for over a year. Rich caramel, toasted malt, vanilla, burnt wood, anise are just a few of the many flavors of this rich, decadent imperial stout.” Chocolate Rain builds on Black Tuesday, which is then aged Vanilla Bean Cocoa Nibs. Both beers weigh in at 19.5% ABV and therefore are certainly not to be messed with.

Black Tuesday (2011 Vintage)

Thick black pour with a small light brown head. Hardly any retention and spotty lacing, but a nice amount of bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass. Significantly darker in color than Chocolate Rain, and a better looking head. BT gets the nod in terms of appearance. The smell is a bit more subdued, but seemingly more balanced than Chocolate Rain. Bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, and booze much like CR are the focus of the beer, but when comparing the smell: this is much smaller.The booze isn’t as offensive, and it is not quite as sweet, but the other smells are also not as big. I can’t quite tell which I prefer. Going to call this one a push. The first taste certainly merits the WOW factor. A ton of booze, molasses, licorice, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, smokey charred malts, and other flavors I’m not quite sure my palate was ready for. As the booze fades on the backend, I’m getting some very dark fruits developing as well. I completely understand why this beer is so highly regarded, but I must say I was expecting a bit more balance and less booze and licorice. Not nearly as much bourbon as I was expecting, but the other flavors certainly make up for it. However, I cannot honestly say this is the best stout I’ve ever had. The flavors do develop very well on the palate. Chocolate, molasses, and licorice up front. Bourbon, vanilla, and booze in the middle. Booze, roasted malts, and a dry finish combine with that typical warming alcohol feeling. Not quite as thick as I was expecting. I mean don’t get me wrong, this beer has a heavy body and is carbonated well. However, it is not syrupy or creamy like other big stouts. A pretty good body considering the size of the beer. The drinkability is a bit tough on this one. In the end, it is very sweet and very boozy. Half a bottle was honestly a bit much to put down. With that said, it was phenomenally tasty and I was very happy to have tried it. I just was expecting a bit higher drinkability. Very good overall.

4.5 / 5 A

Chocolate Rain

Brown pour, amazing how less dark this is than fresh Black Tuesday. Extremely noticeable change in color. Neither have a very distinct head. What head there is light brown and leaves no lacing or retention. BT gets the nod in terms of appearance. The smell is very boozy and sweet, but also extremely complex. Booze and bourbon mix with chocolate, vanilla, and molasses to create one of the biggest smells I’ve ever encountered in beer. I must say I am worried about the booziness and sweetness here. Hoping the taste is balanced and not too over the top. Going to call this one a push between BT and CR. All I can say is wow. I graded BT before taking a sip of CR and fully developed an opinion on it first. I must say, this is better. All around the taste simply blows me away. This has to be the best thought out beer I’ve ever had the privilege of tasting. The way the tastes develop on my palate simply cannot be put into words. The initial taste is boozy, offensively so, but once you become accustomed to it, the booze becomes an afterthought. As soon as the booze subsides, a TON of vanilla, bourbon, oak, chocolate, and dark fruits simply attack the palate. Roasted malts, warming alcohol, and dark fruits finish the beer off perfectly. The complexity and balance is unmatched in craft beer and honestly until you taste it, you could not possibly understand how a beer could encompass so much with each and every sip. A 5 if I’ve ever had one. Extremely similar mouth feel to BT. Not quite as thick as I was expecting, but by no means is it light. It is not syrupy or creamy like other big stouts. The ABV will catch up with you before too long. Overall this was the best beer I’ve ever had. I’m aware it might not be the highest rated beer on this site, but this was simply the cream of the crop. Blew me away. The drinkability is not terribly high, as the sweetness and extreme ABV are not easy to deal with, but this category is now considered ‘Overall,’ and overall it is a 5.

4.9 / 5 A+

You might remember Cigar City from my post about their Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout in Week 16. I had a real treat this week when I got to try 3 beers they collaborated with Mikkeller to create. You might also remember Mikkeller from when I had their Beer Geek Brunch Weasel in Week 17. Obviously these are two breweries I really appreciate, so when they collaborated to create beers in my favorite style, I jumped at the opportunity. Each beer, Bohr, Dirac, and Nielsbohrium were only brewed once. Nielsbohrium is a blend of the two, and aged in Rum Barrels for roughly 6 months.

Bohr is up first. Neils Bohr was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1885. His contributions to our understanding of the physical world have made him one of Denmark’s most famous citizens and one of the 20th century’s most influential scientists. In 1922, Bohr was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics “for his services in the investigation of the structure of atoms and of the radiation emanating from them.”

Black motor oil pour with a wonderful brown head. It doesn’t last long, but I reveled it as it lasted. Lots of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malts hit the nose. Really strong smell. The taste, however, was not as big as I was expecting. The chocolate is muted. Basically all coffee, lasts on the palate for a long time. Dark, heavy, well carbonated, a bit boozy. I liked it. Not terribly balanced, but it makes me look forward to the other two in the set!

Dirac was second. Paul Dirac was one of the founders of what became modern Quantum Mechanics and won the Nobel Prize in 1933. The recipe for this stout, brewed with raisins and spice, was conceived by Wayne Wambles, Head Brewer at Cigar City Brewing and brewed in collaboration with Mikkeller.

The pour is exactly the same of Bohr. Motor oil black with a beautiful bubbly brown head with not great retention or lacing. The smell seems much more balanced than Bohr. Coffee is there, but booze and chocolate take over. Very sweet smell. Roasted malts throughout the taste are dominant. Dark chocolate and a hint of booze mixed in. The coffee on the backend is phenomenal. I can completely see why this is rated higher than Bohr. The taste is extremely well balanced. Dark, heavy, carbonated well. Better than Bohr. Really a top notch Imperial Stout.

Now for the real treat: Nielsbohrium

If Bohr and Dirac were dark, this is darker. My friend said it was like melted Hershey’s chocolate poured into a glass. Brown pour, let me reiterate how brown this pour is. It looks like I could eat the head. If only the retention was better. Really boozy smell. Chocolate, coffee, malts, rum, but mostly alcohol. Smells like it would be dangerous to drink a lot of this. Wow great taste. Can certainly taste the qualities of each beer in this. Rum up front, followed by chocolate and a nice finish of coffee. Wonderfully balanced. Heavy. Very heavy. Carbonation is right with Bohr and Dirac. A little heavy on the booze. Wonderful beer. Perhaps not on the hype level it was built up for, but a truly great beer. Not on the level of Hunahpu’s, but solid all around.

Week 29: Nielsbohrium, originally uploaded by RussWbeck.

Heavy Seas Beer is under Baltimore’s Clipper City Brewing Co., produced in Baltimore, MD. All of this is the brainchild of Hugh Sisson and Brewmaster Ernesto Igot. From their website:

After successfully lobbying the Maryland Legislature to legalize brewpubs, Hugh began brewing professionally in 1989 at his family’s Baltimore pub – Sisson’s – which was coincidentally Maryland’s first brewpub. In 1994 he left Sisson’s to found Clipper City and has been involved in all aspects of the business – brewing, finance, marketing, and sales.

Peg Leg is the Imperial Stout brewed by Heavy Seas, this special version sat in Buffalo Trace barrels for 7 years, then went to oak. Only 5 firkins were filled! This is easily the oldest beer I have ever had, and I was really looking forward to it.

Motor oil black pour with a creamy brownish head. The lacing is phenomenal. Lots of oak, bourbon, and some chocolate coming thru. It isn’t potent. Thick heavy chocolate, lots of bourbon, definitely some oak. Some molasses as well. The taste is complex, but very nicely mellowed. You can tell this has been around or a while. Quite possibly the thickest beer I’ve ever had. It almost feels like drinking melted chocolate. Thick creamy, low carbonation, hardly any booze the only alcohol tast is bourbon Wow this is a great beer. worth the trip out to Churchkey before the big world cup final!

Hoppin’ Frog is a small brewery created by Fred Karm, who has been a brewer of specialty beers since 1994. He is a life-long Akron, Ohio resident, and is a graduate of the University Of Akron. Which I won’t hold against him! This week we have the Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout. According to the website, B.O.R.I.S. is a Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout will crush you like no other, hence the name.

Pitch black pour with a really dark brown head. I only wish the head stuck around longer. A very thin ring remains after a few minutes. A pretty sweet smell overall. Bourbon and whiskey mixed in with chocolate. Smells like a heavy beer for sure. Perhaps some vanilla and definitely some alcohol underneath. My very first reaction from the taste is: Wow this is hot right now, needs some time. The chocolate comes out first and is obliterated by huge hits of bourbon, oak, vanilla, and a ton of booze. The finish is dark chocolate mixed with booze that last well into the next sip. Heavy body and a nice amount of carbonation. The drinkability, however, isn’t terribly high. Sweet and hot, not a great combination. Disappointed here. Would love to have one with a year or so on it, have to head back to the store!

Foothills Brewing is a relatively small brewery located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They believe in fresh beer, and pour their beers directly from the serving tanks in glasses at their brewery. This week I got to try Sexual Chocolate, a season Russian Imperial Stout that is highly sought after.

The beer starts with a deep black pour with a large, foamy, brown head. The retention is phenomenal, leaving a thick cap atop the beer, readying the lips for the sexy, chocolately onslaught. Dark chocolate smell complete with molasses, hops, smoky tones, and some booziness. Chocolate and the smokiness start off the taste, followed by a similar sweetness to what I considered molasses in the smell. Huge roasty aftertaste. Some hops really balance it out well. Didn’t really get any coffee in the smell, but it is obviously apparent on the back end of this. A warming alcohol presence finishes the beer off. Heavy body with a slight creaminess. Carbonation seems a tad low though. A really good beer. The balance between the more harsh chocolate, hops, coffee, and alcohol provides for an evolving taste you will enjoy to the last drop.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company started off in 1996 in a rented vineyard. In 2001 that all changed when current owners Adam Firestone and David Walker purchased a different Californian brewing company. Now located in Paso Robles, CA, Firestone Walker’s uses a Firestone Union oak barrel brewing system.

This week I am reviewing one of their more aggressive and hard to come by beers, Parabola. The box it is sold in (yes I said box), really gives a good history of the beer:

Since founding our brewery in 1996, we have specialized in the rare art of fermenting beer in oak barrels. In the fall of 2006, we embarked on a program to barrel age a series of strong ales that would later be used as components of a blended beer. That blend would become our first Anniversary Ale, “10″.

Over the past several years, we have released limited amounts of the component beers on draft only. Many of these beers have garnered a cult following. Parabola was one of those beers that enthusiasts raved about and begged for us to put in the bottle.
We present Parabola, a barrel-aged Imperial Stout. This particular lot was aged in a combination of barrels for up to 12 months. Some barrels were used by American spirits producers, some for wine, and others are barrels retired from our Firestone Union. Each barrel has lefts its unique mark on this beer. Chocolate, charred oak, vanilla, dark cherry, and coffee are just some of the complex aromas and flavors you will find in this beer.

Parabola is a one of a kind sipping beer built to last and will reward careful aging for years to come.

Signed: Adam Firestone, David Walker, Matt Brynildson

This is the 2011 (second ever) release. Very dark black pour with about a pinky of light brown head. Not a lot of retention and minimal lacing here. The smell is full of bourbon, oak, and vanilla noticed first and foremost. A bit of roastiness and other characteristics of a stout follow. Not a lot of the booze noted at all. The smell seems to be right on par with the other good Bourbon Barrel aged stouts. The taste is everything I hoped it would be. Big bourbon and vanilla flavor, aided by some chocolate and hints of coffee, start it off with some warming booziness following. This RIS has been aged on so many barrels I can’t say much of a stout flavor remains, but the coffee finish is really very good. If only it retained some original hoppiness or stout flavors, this would be one of the best beers crafted today. Velvety smooth; creamy, and thick body. Plenty of carbonation and a flavor that keeps you coming back for more. The 13% ABV is essentially non-existent, which for a beer this good is nothing short of dangerous. This was $15 per bomber and really hard to get. Every place I found it they had one case and was hidden in the back. Considering the amount of work Firestone Walker puts into this beer, I’m quite happy to taste the result. They really must know what they’re doing. Probably the best barrel aged RIS I’ve had, but I’ll review it below Kate the Great simply because Kate has a better RIS taste without the Bourbon, this is good, but I’m missing the stout characteristics mainly. Truly lives up to the hype.

This was a fun week for me, I got to taste two of my favorite Bourbon Barrel Aged beers side by side: KBS and Black Magick.  As I already talked about Black Magick, this week I will focus on Founders Brewing Company’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout, or KBS.

Founders was founded in 1997 in Grand Rapids, Michigan by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers. Today, the brewery has 2 of BeerAdvocate’s Top 10 beers, with KBS coming in at #4 worldwide. RateBeer.com also boasts Founders as the 4th best brewery in the world. KBS, originally named Kentucky Breakfast Stout until legal issues made the brewery go with simply KBS, is not simply Founders Breakfast Stout (FBS) aged in Bourbon barrels. This is a monster of its own, from Founders’ Website:

What we’ve got here is an imperial stout brewed with a massive amount of coffee and chocolates, then cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels for an entire year to make sure wonderful bourbon undertones come through in the finish. Makes your taste buds squeal with delight.

It took a lot for me to track this guy down, but I was able to secure enough to drink two and save some for the cellar, and now the review! Pour is completely black. Not much of a mocha head appearing, even with a rough pour. The Bourbon isn’t dominating in the smell, which is very balanced and includes lots of coffee, toasty malts, chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon mingling amongst some alcohol. The taste is phenomenally interesting. However, not quite what I was expecting. The coffee is truly the dominating factor. Chocolatey bourbon leads the taste off, but it recedes to a big coffee taste. A slight booziness sits throughout. A little on the lighter side, as far as imperial stouts go. It has a creaminess to it, however. Alcohol is noted, but not overpowering. Aftertaste is dry. Very drinkable for 11%, but not the end all be all of bourbon aged beers.