Dark Night Returns
Barley John's Brew Pub

 

Poured from 16oz can into glass. No dating information found for canning date.
Dark brown colored body, with mahogany back lit highlights. Aggressive pour resulted in half a finger of tan head, which reduces to a partial skiff of cap and ring. Some spots and lines of lacing are left behind.
Aroma is dark roasted malts, dark fruits (fig, cherry, dates), light vanilla, and aromatic barrel. Hints of chocolate and caramel.
Taste is very expressive of the barrel and alcohol notes. Main body is dark roasted malts, with chocolate, vanilla, and slightly sweet dark fruits (dates and figs). Rolling in with caramel, that blends with the vanilla.
Thicker, creamy mouth feel (for an imperial porter). Mouth feel extends into the nasal register, with the barrel notes.
Very well done barrel aged imperial porter. I missed out on the initial beer release, and found this beer as a single at Casanova's in Hudson WI. Most likely this beer has been in the can for about seven months, but it is still a terrific aromatic and tasting experience. Very well balanced, and relatively thick for a porter.

 

Appearance: The darkest liquid I ever did see, with a reasonably hard pour rising a half finger head that fades to a ringlet, while leaving quite a bit of lacing as a remembrance

Smell: Lots of wood and vanilla to complement the chocolate, mocha, caramel and roasted malt tones

Taste: Quite roasty, on the front end, with vanilla, black licorice, chocolate and caramel forward; mocha tones develop, through the middle, with the wood drying things out in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; warming, in the gullet

Overall: I am not getting the dark fruit tones I associate with a Baltic Porter and would not have pegged that as the style; still, an impressive beer with layers of flavor

A big thanks to Jeff for this gem. I never thought I'd get the chance to try Dark Knight... now I'm having Dark Knight returns. Thanks again buddy!

16oz. can into Night Shift stemware.

Pitch black, slick, viscous and oily. No head though. Nose is creamy hops, chocolate, coffee and a touch of roasted malt. Mellow but nice complexity with flavors that are extremely complementary. Beer opens with notes of anise, liquorice, logan, chocolate, brownie and espresso. Moderately sweet. Bready and biscuit-y in the middle. Great balance. Lactose, vanilla and a slight touch of butteriness towards the end. Body is full with low carbonation. Smooth and rich on the palate but not heavy. Incredibly drinkable... velvety almost going down with a slick, filmy but soft aftertaste. I don't think I've come across a smoother beer.

It's hard to describe what makes this beer so appealing. The flavors are all there but they're not over the top. Nothing sticks out. The chocolate is mellow. So is the coffee and the roasted malt. Vanilla and cream are present but they don't present extreme sweetness. Just enough for balance. But that feel... is the silkiest, smoothest, richest and most drinkable I've ever come across. I'd give it a 6 if I could.

Definitely a winner for me. A must try in my opinion.

Pours pitch black with a dark reddish brown head that dissipates fairly quickly and leaves great lacing. The aroma is dark malts, chocolate, bourbon and vanilla. The flavor follows the nose wonderfully. The feel is thick and full. Overall an outstanding beer.

“This brooding porter is aged in the same barrels used for the Dark Knight. The second us of these barrels heightens the wood tannin & vanilla notes, plus hints of mocha, dark fruit, caramel, roasted malt, & chocolate. Be at gnome with the night.” Surprised this one wasn’t in the database already.

Black liquid falls out of the 16 oz. can; this is either the first or second canning of the beer, previously available only on tap at the criminally underrated brewpub (both food & beer are fantastic, even if the place is slightly larger than your average king sized bed). Nose is rich, smooth, sweet malt with a background of booze.

The Dark Knight Returns is a thankfully diminutive version of its bigger, light-fluid-soaked older brother. The wood on this one is crazy – it tastes like the beer has spent the better part of a generation sucking up tannins from a giant foeder beneath a lake in Croatia. Beneath the wood is light vanilla, heavy, sweet malts, gentle bourbon, with a finishing sharp edge of booziness. Soul-suckingly dry. I could take 16 oz of this, maybe 22 oz. Probably not 32 oz. But maybe.

Superior to the original, which is just an exercise in kidney-kicking. Very good brew.