Altered Altar
Jackie O's Brewpub

375 ml bottle into a snifter. A 2020 release, had 12/20/21.

Pours near black and opaque, oily looking, with only a brief flash of a head and some oily cling that sticks to the glass. Aromas of malt, oak, brown sugar, chocolate, some rum, some raisins and molasses, light char. Flavors are roughly the same- malt, rum, chocolate, brown sugar, light oak, vanilla as it warms. Has a light sweet note and some alcohol warming. Smooth, a very good fuller body, appropriately carbonated.

An interesting one. Has a solid base stout that’s fairly sweet. It’s pretty boozy, but the rum barrels, while certainly noticeable, are kind of restrained. I thought this was really good.

12.7 ounce bottle, 2020 vintage according to the label. Served in a Jackie O's snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about a half inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like rum, raisins, molasses, roasted malt and a bit of coconut. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some sweet spices, nutty, oak and chocolate flavors noticeable too. Leans sweeter tasting but there's no one flavor that overpowers the others. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and smooth with a low/moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a pretty good barrel aged imperial stout, it aged well for sure! Definitely worth picking up if you're into rum barrel aged brews or imperial stouts in general!

 

 

A damn fine barrel aged stout. Drank most of it cold while putting up Christmas lights, so it was cold as walrus balls, but I saved the last to warm up and judge.

Standard stout appearance. Won’t waste time writing about that.

Love the smell-very barrel forward, and a strong wooden presence. Also, a hint of sweetness that confirms it’s rum barrel aged and not bourbon. Molasses, raisin, and sweet, sweet dark booze.

Taste is sweet, boozy, dark fruit, and rum with a dark malt base. Like oatmeal with molasses and rum drizzled over it. Yummy.

Kind of thick, kind of syrupy, big bodied, and boozy as hell. I’m thinking aging it might sublimate that aspect, but I like it as is. Certainly letting it warm rounded and built it up big time, cause it had half its character cold.

All in all, another outstanding barrel aged stout from a brewery that constantly knocks it out of the park with this style.

 

 

Rum BA how it should be. Altered Altar is a stellar aged stout from Jackie O's that treats the rum profile correctly. It is thin, rich, and brown sugar forward with just the right amount of boozy rum.

Slate black with a brown head. Rum and oak lead with roasted nuts and brown sugar. Taste is surprisingly nutty and not surprisingly rum centric with rustic oak, but has weird peaty smoke with dark fruit and brown sugar to finish. Feel is full and chewy with some booziness, but otherwise balanced. More interesting than good, but big rum ba fans should try for sure

 

 

Served from the bottle in a Phase Three snifter.

Altering. Have altered. Will alter. Etc. Anyway, this stuff pours a straight obsidian topped by a finger or so of light tan foam. The nose comprises mild roasted malts enveloped in a fog of rum-soaked wood, with plenty of booze hanging in the air for good measure. The taste generally brings in more of the same, though the booze is toned down a bit, and the wood allows the roast (and some minor cocoa powder notes) to shine a bit brighter now. That rum actually livens things up a bit by providing a mixture of dark fruits and thick dark spices. The body is a hefty medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a full feel. Overall, though fourteen months may have been a bit much for the barrel-aging, the ultimae product still works rather well.

Good sweetness from the Rum. Adds a fruity element.