Black Magick - Christian Brothers Brandy Bourbon Barrels
Voodoo Brewing Co.

Bottled on 8/10/2020; consumed on 11/12/2022

Pours a glistening, motor-oil black body topped with a finger of dark khaki foam; decent head retention leaves a sparse few islands of paper-thin cap, large, creamy collar, and a limited string of webby lacing holding tentatively to the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens to roasty cocoa awash in sweet brandy warmth, soon cut with a bevy of charry malt and leveled with baked apple, leaving a clean, orchard spirit coursing throughout the bouquet.

Taste highlights warming brandy imparting baked spiced apple upfront into clean, charry roast and residual barrel spice over the mid-palate; slight tobacco undertones inform burnt cocoa laden with barrel subtext on the back end of the profile.

Mouthfeel offers a medium body and a subdued, moderate fluff of carbonation, leaving slick textures and a semi-creamy roundedness over the mid-palate, steadily warming into a dry, semi-bitter finish.

Brandy imbuement softens the base roast intensity while layering dense cocoa with warm, baked orchard fruit subtleties; yet another effective marriage of barrel and base from the Black Magick series.

 

poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter. pours an oily, inky black with very little mocha brown head that quickly recedes into nothing. not sure if the age on this bottle contributes to that or that’s just how this beer pours but there’s hardly a bubble or swirl in the glass. intense aromas of brandy, baker’s chocolate, slight vanilla, bourbon and chewing tobacco. taste is heavy chocolate with a big spirits barrel finish. also get some vanilla, leather, oak and tobacco. insanely heavy barrel presence on the nose and taste. can’t imagine what this monster was like fresh. thick, full mouthfeel with a lower level of carbonation. this is insanely tasty. the bourbon / brandy barrel works a lot of magick here (see what i did there?) and compliments the base imperial stout so well. that said, the barrel seems to me to be the star of the show here. regret that i didn’t try this fresh but i would honestly love to try this again in another 6-8 months. drinking fantastic as of right now.

Spirit and oak come in spades, giving an initial dryness that by mid-pallette washes into a robust melange of semisweet chocolate, toasted nuts, star anise, and a touch of nougat and grape skins. The oak makes a return at the finish, this time accompanied by a wispy smokiness that comes from god knows where. It is a distinct campfire smokiness that I imagine can only come from a super-fresh charred barrels, but those used to age this beer were third use. It's magic, I guess.

Dries out tremendously on the finish, a hint at its old-school nimble body with residual sugar in quanity sufficient only to keep up with the barrel and no more.

I absolutely love this. It is so aggressive and so angular that it brings to mind a young Napa cab or a fine cocktail, yet it carries all the hallmark flavors of a world-class BA stout