Black Magick - Old Forrester Birthday Bourbon Barrels
Voodoo Brewing Co.

poured from a pink-waxed 12oz bottle into a perennial snifter. pours thick and shiny black with almost no head save for a semi-thick mocha brown foam collar around the rim of the glass. light chocolate and vanilla on the nose with a pronounced bourbon barrel sting. it’s funny - it’s the not the first thing that hits your nose or lips but it’s definitely a prominent component to this beer. i let this sit out for close to 45 minutes before cracking and it still seems like the barrel should be more in your face than it is. yet, it’s definitely there it’s just very well integrated. a close-up and deep inhale definitely lets you know it’s there. on the taste i get chocolate, vanilla, oak, bourbon and dark fruits all in equal doses. nothing dominates or seems too strong. a very mature beer. thick, full and almost sludgy mouthfeel. the black magick series almost always delivers. this is no exception.

 

 

On draft at Arch St., a sort of muddled, dull black body with a completely headless surface even reveals some hues of mahogany.

Though poured cold af and damn near impossible to bring to an ideal temperature (when the ever-loving fuck are they going to figure out the heating in this place?), it otherwise expresses as classic Voodoo BRC: faintly smoky char and roast with vanilla-heavy Raisinets and a touch of Jack & Coke.

Silkier yet also slightly less viscous than their normal barrel aged stouts, it's also a touch sweeter than usual.

I've seen a lot of high praise for this one, and though quite enjoyable, it's not one of my personal BM favorites.