Blue Gene
Revolution Brewing

Blue GeneBlue Gene
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From:
Revolution Brewing
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
9%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.02 | pDev: 13.18%
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
238
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 31, 2020
Added:
Dec 07, 2013
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  43
Our barrel-aged Eugene Porter with blueberries
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by dlino11:
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Rated by dlino11 from Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dec 17, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 5 by ChiTownDrinker57 from Illinois

Oct 31, 2020
 
Rated: 3.59 by SWChi from Illinois

Feb 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4.04 by Gambyt20 from Illinois

Dec 14, 2019
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Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

3.22/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25
Tartness of fruit and the roast character of grain often go one of two ways. They can either work in complex and wonderful tastes or they can conflict with each other if not properly supported. Revolution's blueberry porter explores these worlds with a mix of results.

Gushing from the bottle, the highly impatient dark ale leaps right into the glass with a voluminous, loosely knit structure. Tangy aromas are filled with the robust dark fruit of blueberry but also of pepper, funk, coffee, cocoa and cola. Scant sweetness picks up that cola-like tendency and brings hints of dry caramel and soghum along the front of the tongue.

The abrasion of carbonation dissects the sweetness with ease, leaving a trail of coffee grounds, cocoa, walnut and flat cola on the middle palate. Blueberries are robust, sour and bring an astringent texture, seemingly of red wine, peat and pepper. Bitter and spicy, a taste of wood tannins, and an overall gamey taste of mushroom carry the character of wild ale, in the non-intentional kind of way.

Expansive on the palate, the champagne-like zest of the beer amplifies the fruit sourness, the roast grain and the spiciness of fermentae and then leaves the beer thin, dry and with a pep of ash in finish. A long linger of char and a return of wood rot decorates the aftertaste in a curious but stale aftertaste.
Jan 09, 2018
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Rated by rspauldi from Texas

1/5  rDev -75.1%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
Infected.
Dec 27, 2017
 
Rated: 3.89 by Lonewolfwmv from Michigan

Dec 03, 2017
 
Rated: 3.67 by Egotist from Illinois

May 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4.32 by Commandophile from Illinois

Apr 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.68 by Aaron_Kerkvliet from Wisconsin

Mar 01, 2017
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Reviewed by ccg from Virginia

3.77/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I don't see a bottling date on the bottle or the box, but I know that I purchased this bottle from Warehouse Liquors in Chicago, which means it was on the shelf no later than the summer of 2015.

It's jet black with a fizzy head. The legs look thick, but the bubbles don't stick to the glass. The head takes a moderate amount of time to settle. It may not look at dense and rich as some other BA stout, but it does look good.

The smell is dominated by tart fruit. It smells rather sour with a bit of barnyard funk. I've heard that some of these bottles were infected. My bottle did not gush when opened, which I guess is a good sign. However, from my memory and my notes when I've had Blue Gene on tap in the past, it had a clearer blueberry scent and clearer bourbon notes. This one smells like a basic sour. The smell reminds me of the last time I had Fantome Saison.

The flavor is rather similar to the smell. It's tart and funky and sour. It's not clearly a blueberry flavor, and there is little sign of the base porter or the bourbon barrel.

The body is medium. It's not very dense, which I suppose is fair considering that it's a porter, not a stout, but it's still a bit too fizzy for my taste.

To be fair, I'm giving this one a score based more on my previous tasting notes. I think it's one of the more interesting variants in Revolution's barrel-aged lineup. However, it's either not aging well or the quality control was a bit lacking on these bottles.
Feb 16, 2017
 
Rated: 3.74 by Prost76 from New Hampshire

Jan 20, 2017
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Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottled 11/11/14; drank 1/31/15 @ the Yarchives.

Poured from the bottle into a glass.

Brown/black appearance.

Dark tan head; frothy lace.

Rich blueberry & mocha notes in the nose.

Medium thick, creamy mouthfeel.

A blast of blueberry & mocha flavors up front. As this warmed, the blueberry really asserted itself. Simple but effective; a blueberry lovers dream.
Dec 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Michaelpro824 from New York

Nov 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.45 by nmann08 from Virginia

Jul 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by nickfl from Florida

Jun 27, 2016
Photo of HopHunter19
Reviewed by HopHunter19 from Missouri

3.58/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - the appearance is really nice, pitch black with a nice dark tan/taupe head that sticks and leaves a nice lacing
S - blueberry, dark malts, tiny bit of oak/bourbon/vanilla, but you really have to reach for it
T - blueberry, real blueberries, with dark malts in the background. Basically no bourbon barrel to speak of.
M - should be thick and heavy but it's not. It feels lighter/thin probably from the blueberries and realistically some contamination too, alc present, aftertaste blueberry, sour
O - dude. Come on. It's not that hard to make a bba that's not infected now, and yet EVERY beer in this series is infected. That's a brewery problem, not a distributor/store problem.
Jun 21, 2016
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Rated by mothman from Minnesota

1/5  rDev -75.1%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
Infected. Sad day.
Jun 17, 2016
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Rated by Beginner2 from Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Interesting hybrid.
But, is it worth the price?
May 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.88 by CSO from Illinois

May 13, 2016
Blue Gene from Revolution Brewing
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 238 ratings