Dark Apparition - Maple Barrel
Jackie O's Brewpub

Dark Apparition Maple Barrel from Jackie O’s. Received from brewery 02/02/22. $ 15.82 (Including tax and shipping)/12.7 oz bottle ($ 1.246/oz). Stored at 37 degrees at home. Reviewed 19/06/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle. Served at 55.7 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King Snifter. Final temperature 60.9 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 30), opaque. When rear-lite, opaque with light penetration at the edges - amber.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.6 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, high-density, short retention, diminishing to a 0.1 to 0.2 cm crown and a half-dozen thin tiny islands.
Lacing – None. None expected at 12.2% ABV.
Aroma – 4.5 – Burst of bourbon and maple when the cap was removed. Settles into molasses and fainter bourbon as it warms. No hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 4.5 – Begins with moderately sweet caramel with dark fruits, molasses, maple, bourbon, and a hint of chocolate. No ethanol (12.2 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. Mild gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4.5 – Full, creamy edging toward syrupy, carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated bottle) Smooth! Flavors are well-integrated, so nothing really stands out, just a delicious melding of ambrosial flavors hiding the ethanol. There is nothing in the appearance that prepares you for the delights of the nose and taste buds.

 

Ruddy dark brown with a thin mocha head that quickly settles into a wisp and crown. Minimal lacing.

Dark chocolate, vanilla, a little plum and a touch of maple in the nose.

Stronger maple in the taste, but not over the top. It complements the dark cocoa and dark fruit flavors nicely. Just a hint of ash and umami in the finish.

The feel is a little thin for the big beers these days, but still somewhat creamy with a nice underlying soft fizz to it.

A little restrained, but very nicely made.

A: Pours an a opaque thick viscous jet black in color with light to moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint dark cola brown + dark chestnut brown + dark garnet red + dark amber colored highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense foamy dark tan head that slowly reduces to a small patch of very thin film covering about 5% of the surface of the beer surrounded by a thin ring at the edges of them lass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of maple syrup over just shy of strong aromas of roasted + dark + chocolate + toasted + caramel malts with moderate to strong amounts of caramel + toffee + molasses sweetness. Moderate aromas of vanilla + coffee + bourbon + toasted oak + anise/black licorice. Hints of earthy hops.

T: Upfront there are just shy of strong flavors of roasted + dark + chocolate + toasted + caramel malts with moderate to strong amounts of caramel + toffee + molasses sweetness. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of maple as well as moderate flavors of vanilla + coffee + bourbon + toasted oak + anise/black licorice. Finally there are hints of earthy hops. Light to moderate amounts of roasty bitterness which slowly fades away leaving complex malt + bourbon + maple flavors lingering.

M: Full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Silky smooth, almost creamy.

O: Drinks fairly easily considering the strength of this beer and the alcohol is pretty well hidden with a full slick mouthfeel. Enjoyable with tons of malt complexity and lots of additional flavors/aromas. Love the maple barrel aging.

12.7 ounce bottle, 2021 vintage. Served in a Dark Apparition chalice, the beer pours dark brown/black with about a half inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both OK. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like maple, coffee, chocolate, vanilla and bourbon. I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some oak, burnt/charred malt and caramel flavors noticeable too. All the flavors mesh well together, but it leans sweeter tasting to me than roasty. Bourbon character comes out more as the beer warms. Mouthfeel/body is slick and a bit syrupy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I liked this brew a lot, worth trying especially if you like maple imperial stouts or any of the other Jackie O's Dark Apparition brews!

12.7 oz bottle, vintage 2021, poured into a snifter at 55 degrees F:
L - dark and oily with no head
S - bourbon, maple syrup, molasses
T - maple syrup, molasses, bourbon in that order
F - thick and silky with no carbonation
O - great beer, but not one of my favorite dark apparition varietals; a bit too sweet

 

 

 

 

Look: Pours motor oil black with minimal head. Looks incredibly inviting.

Nose: Maple jumps out immediately! Then comes toffee, black licorice, chocolate, and some vanilla. So smooth. Some chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Taste: Oh my. The maple is definitely dominant, but huge oloroso sherry notes compete. Really interesting. Brown sugar, strawberries, raspberries, vanilla, and lots of chocolate. It might be a bit too sweet on the palate (at least for me), but that would be my only complaint. It is also expected after resting with maple barrels.

Mouthfeel: Definitely thick and creamy. Overall, a really nice take on this already amazing stout. Definitely worth a try!