Darkness - Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey Barrel-Aged - 2017
Surly Brewing Co.

 

A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer which is topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger of tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of chocolatey and roasty goodness with some hints of wood and vanilla
T: Taste is chocolate, vanilla, spice from the oak and rye, a little caramel, and some nice fruity cherry like notes. There's also some roasted malts and hints of coffee. On the finish there's more roasted malts, coffee, rye influence, oak, and vanilla.
M: This beer has a body which is on the heavier side of things with a somewhat creamy feel. Carbonation is low but it is adequate for the style while the ABV gives this beer a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer. It has some great flavors along with a nice amount of complexity. The barrel flavors are well integrated and complement the base beer well.

Tasted in a long stem tulip glass from draught at Firkin on June 24, 2021. Notes of oak, spice, cherry, chocolate, coffee and a hint of toffee. Recommended.

 

Appearance: Pours espresso colored with a thin beige head that fades rather quickly; leggy, with a stream of dots

Smell: Roast, Rye Whiskey barrel, chocolate, tobacco, vanilla and dark fruit tones

Taste: Dark chocolate and roast forward, slightly charred, with tobacco, vanilla and plum flavors emerging; the spicy Rye Whisky emerging in the mid-palate; the Rye builds, after the swallow, adding some spice to the sweetness in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: I sat on this one for a few years to let the flavors coalesce and am very impressed; there is an interesting fruity complexity that merges with the Rye

Thanks, NathanBeets, for the opportunity

My God, do I enjoy the barrel aged versions of this beer. Over two years old, right at the fucking sweet spot. If I drank it fresh, I don’t think I would enjoy it as much. It is just what I want from a barrel aged RIS. The pour had some fizzy tan head that disappeared quite quickly. Smell is sweet dark malt and brown sugar and molasses and barrel. Taste is whiskey, brown sugar, and malt, but blended well. Maybe if I gave it another year, it might not be as sticky and thick, but it’s definitely got a big bold body behind it, and that is what I am looking for with this beer. I would gladly put this up against Bourbon County. I need to find more barrel aged versions of Darkness, because they take an amazing base beer and amp it up extremely well.

 

 

Pours a deep brown with ruby see through at 56 degrees; fast fizzy tan head; large fizzy island of micro dots remain along with a solid ring and small spots of soapy lacing; medium legs on swirl. Nose is chocolate and whiskey; boozy retro nasal; spicy wood as liquid warms. Sweet dark fruit - plums, ripe cherries for first impression; chocolate, whiskey, oak and soy sauce follow; sweet caramel, toffee round out the whole; no roast, no bitterness. Medium body, slick feel, moderate carbonation; minimal warmth from 12%; slight alcohol burn on tongue; dry barrel/rye finish. Overall a solid BA RIS; nice boozy chocolate linger; more fruity sweetness than I want; caramel-like flavors play well off the the spicy oaky rye barrel notes.

Pours dark black. Incredible aroma which is a mix of spiciness, roasty, chocolate, whiskey & vanilla. Taste is as wonderful as the aroma. Well balance mix of the roasted malts, chocolate, whiskey and vanilla. Rich & smooth feel. I think it is better than regular Darkness. (Drank May 2020)

A huge thanks to Jeff for this one. I don't think I'll ever get tired of these Darkness variants.

750ml waxed and capped bottle into Night Shift stemware. Shared with schen9303.

Pours a little flat. Big bubbles. Nose is sweet soy sauce, molasses, cocoa powder, chocolate, sweet dark fruit and booze. Nice complexity with great aromatics. Beer opens sweet soy sauce, dried dark fruit, plum and raisin. I get milk chocolate in the middle along with molasses, booze, tobacco and leather. Some cocoa powder towards the end with more plum and sweet soy sauce at the finish. Milk chocolate and roasted malt in the aftertaste. Delicious. Body is medium to full with low carbonation. Rich and silky on the palate and goes down warm and rich. Sticky, lingering finish.

This one's not the best variant that I've had as the rye adds a layer of fruitiness that I don't think integrates quite right. Still, well worth having.

 

 

 

750ml bottle. Waxed and capped bottle. Jerrod Johnson and Ben Smith listed as head brewers on the label.
Black colored body, with a thin back lit cola brown edge. Initial pour brought forth a multi finger light brown head, but this quickly fizzes away. Rising bubbles present an active surface show. No lacing.
Aroma of dark roasted malts, slight char, dark fruit, toffee, and chocolate. Spicy oak barrel provides a slight contribution.
Taste is sweet with dark fruit (raisin, plum, and prune). Dark roasted malts introduce chocolate, slight coffee, and toffee. Perceptible smoky char. Spicy note from the whiskey barrel. Leather comes in late. Late hop note.
Thicker than medium mouth feel, with some syrup quality. Very good carbonation.
Lots of dark fruit in this one, and the rye barrel adds a spice note.

 

 

a special bottle of beer at this point, and a gift from an almost complete stranger, incredible blessings the beer world has brought me and continues to bring, some amazing people out there, felt appropriate to break it out amongst new friends. this is rad stuff, well mature now, no sign of oxidation at all, and that this is done in rye and not bourbon barrels is extremely evident right from the beginning. its spicy and distinctive, with a vanilla and raisin hint that i have gotten from woodford reserve rye specifically, but its not overly woody or boozed up, its just an accent, which leaves a now legendary base imperial stout well enough intact to be fully appreciated and enjoyed here. there are notes of smoke, good espresso, black cherry, rum raisin, and cooked prune, more fruit hints than i remember in other variants of this, and they come out more and more as it warms. things like tobacco, port wine, and dark bread emerge from the malt, as does a rich chocolate sweetness. its all so smooth for its strength, and even without a ton of wood in the flavor, it feels very mellow to me as i sip on it. real complex, real fancy, and some of the sexiest packaging in all of beer on this vintage. sometimes i wish that after saving this bottle for over a year that i had the self control to not break it open after i had already had a fair few, but at the same time, beer is for drinking, not for having, and it was still a joy to drink, especially with new friends. slick and smooth and rich and black and strong, impossibly well constructed and perfectly aged at this point. i have to imagine this is about the climax for it, nothing that additional cellar time could do for it. one of my favorite barrel aged stouts in a long, long time!

Tasted from bottle. Pours black with thin beige head that quickly fades. Aroma of bourbon, cherry, dates, raisin, molasses. Thick and chewy. Flavors of cherry, raisins, cocoa, molasses and brown sugar. Awesome BA stout.