Darkness - Parker's Heritage 15 Year Heavy Char Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Surly Brewing Co.

 

 

 

2025-03-21
16oz can served in a big snifter. 2023 vintage, looks like probably canned on 10/26/23. @bbtkd sent it to me in Stout/Barleywine BIF #2.

Pours black, oily, small head, wispy streaks across the surface, medium sized uneven ring. Smell is chocolate, burnt chocolate, burnt sugar, booze, some vanilla, booze, something that makes me think of cinnamon, maybe a rye spice. Booze. Wood.

Taste is molasses and chocolate, barrel char, something makes me think of maraschino cherries, booze is noticeable but not as noticeable as it should be. Char is a strong sideline, not a central theme.

Mouthfeel is thick, velvet, smooth. Very nice, dangerous beer.

 

A - The pour starts out shockingly beautiful, with a pure opaque black body, some red highlighting, and one of the darkest heads I've ever poured, a dark brown bubbling mass that fades quickly to a thin cap. No lacing to speak of, and that's perhaps the only knock.

S - The booze is out front and punchy on the nose. Vanilla and oak over a dark fruit core, with boozy bourbon dominating, forcing the other elements recede quickly to the background.

T - The open is a blooming of bourbon vanilla, wood, and alcohol, a dark chocolate and dark fruit sweetness in the middle, with a sharp bitter bite over toasty charred notes in the finish. There is some chocolatey sweetness and booziness that lingers long after the remaining notes fade.

M - Moderate weight for the style, a lush, full body and mild carbonation. The finish has just enough alcohol burn and dryness to keep the experience from being cloying, which is an impressive trick.

O - A variant that illustrates the value of these alternate takes on Darkness. This is one of the better BBA RISs I've had, with flavors that complement the base and deliver something noteworthy.

 

Poured from pint can into Darkness snifter. Canned on 10/26/23.
A: Pours an extremely dark black brown hue with 1/2 inch dark mocha head that quickly settles to a thin skim.
S: Sweet bourbon, wood char, molasses, vanilla, and hints of leather, sweet tobacco, and brown sugar.
T: Sweet bourbon and smoky wood char hit first, followed by smooth chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, creamy espresso, caramel, and a hint of earthy tobacco.
M: Medium heavy body. Extremely soft and smooth. Coating and almost velvety feel. Layers of dark sweetness accentuated by the barrel aging. A bit too sweet, but much better than most of their bourbon barrel aged variants of Darkness.
D: Phenomenal bourbon barrel notes. It is extremely difficult to beat fresh Darkness. As far as the variants go, this has to be at the top or very near.

16 ounce can into a snifter. Canned 10/26/23, had 7/1/24.

Pours an opaque dark brown, with a minimal head and light foamy lacing. Aromas of roasted malt, oak, fig, bourbon, raisin, char, light chocolate. Flavors of bourbon, fig, oak, char, roasted malt, raisin, some vanilla, light chocolate. This is sweeter than expected- a lot. Smooth, a very good fuller body, appropriately carbonated.

Quite good, even if it seems lighter, much sweeter and a little less roasted than the usual version. Lots of fig and char with a good barrel presence.

I had this on draft 5/29/24 @ the Hopleaf.

Black appearnance.

Minimal dark tan head; no lacing remained.

Wood & dark chocolate notes in the nose.

Thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Dark chocolate, wood & faint blackberry flavors up front; bourbon heat emerged once this warmed up.

Strong and ultimately enjoyable.

 

Poured into a tulip from a tap at the Robin Room bar in Madison, WI. Rich and boozy, very sweet. Sticky mouthfeel, not too thick. The bourbon here actually does a good job cutting through the sweetness.

Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Darkness pours black, with a larger, tan head that sticks around. The aroma has sweet bourbon notes. The flavor is big and bold, with lots of sweet bourbon flavors. It has a good, thick feel. Overall, it is a very bourbon-rich stout.

Brief Review:

O: My last of the 3 Darkness variants this year. The first 2 were just okay. This one, however, is amazing. Super thick mouthfeel. Rich vanilla, cocoa, caramel and oak on the flavor. Only knock would be it’s maybe a little too sweet once it warms, but still excellent overall.

Recommendation: One of the better Darkness variants in the last couple years, this is a must try.

 

Pours an effervescent Chestnut/Mahogany with a pinky of caramel colored head. Better than average head retention & lacing. Bottom of the can poured a little more like molasses

S: Some serious dark fruit, Port & Bourbon notes in abundance once warm

T: Follows the nose, molasses, figs, salted plums a little caramel & vanilla with some super smooth Bourbon notes up front. Some Cola notes, along more vanilla & caramel sneak in, along with leafy hop notes, plus pleasant oaky Bourbon notes, the Char isn't a determent, really works great with the flavors blended here as this beer warms up & the run-on sentence continues. Finishes chewy with Bourbon & coke vibe, plenty of barrel presence, plus some caramel & figs

MF: Rich body, with enough smooth carbonation to push the flavor forward

I see only remote aspects of a RIS, but this is a great offering. Thankfully, I can't remember how much I paid for this & because of that, I will say it was worth every cent!