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Damon (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
Hill Farmstead Brewery

Damon (Bourbon Barrel Aged)Damon (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
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From:
Hill Farmstead Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #13
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
99
Ranked #215
Avg:
4.49 | pDev: 8.02%
Reviews:
132
Ratings:
895
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sunday at 07:57 PM
Added:
Jan 10, 2012
Wants:
  1,197
Gots:
  128
Damon (1993-2004) The time spent with loved ones, now lost, seems to affect our mind and body perpetually: memories happen upon us, unsuspectingly, and bring about tears of fond remembrance. Damon was our brother – devout and patient in an age of busyness and distraction. In his honor, we crafted and conditioned this Imperial Stout in bourbon barrels from our favorite distillery. We still reflect, daily, upon our Damon and his scruffy chin of grey – of his loyalty and his love.

Aged in Blanton's bourbon barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.23 by Prospero from Colorado

Sunday at 07:57 PM
Photo of Roy_Hobbs
Reviewed by Roy_Hobbs from Connecticut

4.41/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottled on January 10th, 2020.

This is a nice looking beer both on the pour from the bottle and in the glass. The color is like pretty much every other stout, but that's not a bad thing. There's a thin, short-lived head along with really, really nice legs.

Aroma is wonderful in its simplicity with notes of bourbon barrel and malty sweetness. Very enticing.

The taste closely follows the nose. Roasted malts, just enough sweetness, and some nice charred oak. Once again, the beauty is in the simplicity. This is isn't loaded with adjuncts, it's just a very well made imperial stout. I'm particularly enjoying the full body and the nice roasted notes on the long finish.

Overall, excellent.
Dec 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.46 by curlybird from Pennsylvania

Dec 03, 2023
 
Rated: 4.48 by notchucknorris from California

Nov 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4.6 by BFCarr from New Jersey

Oct 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by Gobzilla from California

Aug 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.94 by mrmsmith from District of Columbia

Aug 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.52 by mando31 from Illinois

Aug 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by bigred89 from Maryland

Aug 10, 2023
Photo of jb_4226
Rated by jb_4226 from Texas

4.9/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
,#171, fantastic!
Jul 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4.58 by PugsandBeer from Florida

Mar 05, 2023
 
Rated: 4.69 by Ben1313 from New Hampshire

Feb 08, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by jcoleMA66 from Massachusetts

Feb 03, 2023
Photo of Holderness
Reviewed by Holderness from Massachusetts

4.24/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
2020 vintage. A very solid and canonical example of the style, perhaps *the* prototype of what a bourbon barrel aged RIS should emulate. I find the style to be a little bit on the roasty, herbaceous side and this was no exception. The barrel aging did smooth things out quite a bit in the flavors, although I was surprised that the mouthfeel wasn't fuller. Overall very glad to finally try this but I definitely prefer Beyond Good and Evil, and their other sweeter BBA stouts

85/100
Nov 20, 2022
Photo of 5toutman75
Reviewed by 5toutman75 from Illinois

4.56/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Bottled 1/10/2020
Consumed 10/28/2022

I just got a job offer today, so I needed to pull something out of my cellar to celebrate. I traded a bottle of EH Taylor small batch for this bottle of beer, so let's see if it lives up the hype and $50 I paid for the bourbon. It does look spot on amazing. It's super thick but not syrupy in a bad way. This is the kind of stout that beginners would hate and neck bearded beer nerds crave. On the tongue it's super full and soft. Absolutely perfect for the style for me. I'm not getting enough on the nose though to wow me. I get bourbon and chocolate. I smell the typical lovely bitterness of a RIS. Still, it's lacking in the nose for me. Drinking it though everything lives up to the hype. It's less sweet than a typical Goose BCS which set the standard for me back in the day. I can taste the booziness but in a good way. I like high abv stouts where I can taste the alcohol a bit. Why make a bourbon barrel aged stout if the bourbon isn't front and center? What's different and great is that there's also the balance of the base beer. There's a lot of plain old RIS here. Take your best like a Darkness or Expedition and add the bourbon with everything balancing out perfectly. The finish is long and toasty like a good cup of coffee. A great beer and worth the bourbon (at retail.)
Oct 29, 2022
 
Rated: 4.2 by codytwo from Connecticut

Oct 28, 2022
 
Rated: 4.53 by Benish from Utah

Aug 18, 2022
Photo of Pearlyp
Rated by Pearlyp from Vermont

4.87/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Hands down the best beer I’ve ever had!
Aug 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.35 by Affinity from Missouri

May 02, 2022
Photo of Siriusfisherman
Reviewed by Siriusfisherman from New Hampshire

4.6/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours a deep, black with a thin mocha-colored head that dissipates quickly. The aroma gives notes of charred oak, bourbon, dark fruits, dark roast coffee, and vanilla. The flavor is less sharp, and more rich with notes of dark chocolate, espresso, chocolate chip cookie, and oaky bourbon and vanilla. The flavor lingers well after the sip with rich, chocolatey cookie flavors. The body is very full and creamy without ever being syrupy, leading to a very balanced finish. Overall, a very flavorful and drinkable beer. One of my favorite BBA Stouts I have ever had, very well balanced flavor and mouthfeel. Highly recommended.
Apr 10, 2022
Damon (Bourbon Barrel Aged) from Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer rating: 99 out of 100 with 895 ratings