Oil Of Aphrodite | Jackie O's Pub & Brewery

4.02/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500ml bottle into tulip glassware:

appearance: looks the part of a heavy-duty stout. Deep, dark black in color, with some brownish highlights. Solid mocha-colored head for the ABV, with lots of retention.

Aroma: loads of roast, some nuttiness, some chocolate. Mostly heavy on the roast, it reminds me of a heavier, more decadent version of Night Shift's Awake.

Taste: similar to the smell, though the walnuts come out a lot more here. Theres a lot of that kind of dry, slightly bitter walnut flavor, and it's nice. Mild on the milk chocolate flavor, some roast. Not overly heavy or decadent in one area, its a nicely balanced stout.

Feel: full-bodied, though maybe a touch less "syrupy" than I'd like in an imperial stout.

Overall: a very, very good stout. Would LOVE to try the barrel-aged and coffee-vanilla versions of this.

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4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

2014 bottle. very roast-y, very dark, no head.... not sure i'm getting the walnuts but i am getting the dry, side of the mouth kind of feeling i get from eating walnuts. overall, it's decent. very drinkable for a ten percent stout..... not spectacular.

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4.26/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

This beer pours an extremely dark brown with a one finger mocha colored head. Retention is minimal and there is spotted lacing. Smell is great. Roasted malt, chocolate, toffee and nuts. Taste is similar, but not quite as complex. Feel is medium, but a bit lighter than I expected. Not sticky or chewey, but smooth. Overall a very good stout, but I wish it was a bit more full and thick.

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4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours black as night with a creamy, small head of about 3mm. Retention and lacing are both very good. The pour is thick in the glass.

S - Big, dark, and moderately bitter roasts and black licorise are first and foremost in the scent. The licorice is the prominent flavor, even towards the middle of the smell, during which a bit of chocolate sweetness appears. The end of the scent is a mix of bitter dark malts and sweeter chocolate flavors that leads to an overall impression similar to molasses that lingers in the nose.

T - Just like the scent, big, bitter roasts come through first and dominate the front end of the drink. Again, the licorice dominates the flavor. Next comes a touch of nuttiness from the walnuts which wasn't found in the smell. Just a touch of the Belgian candy syrup appears at the back end of the drink to balance out some of the earlier bitterness. The drink ends with a dry and bitter impression overall with just a touch of nut and syrup sweetness.

M - This one is thick and smooth, as expected. It drinks a little sticky on the palate due to the candy syrup. The alcohol isn't really detectable, but the drink is slowed somewhat due to the strong bitterness in the flavor.

Overall, this one is a definite keeper. If you are a fan of bigger, roasty, more bitter stouts, this is the beer for you. I wish that the walnuts were featured a little more prominently, but that is if I am really searching for something to improve.

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4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Tried on tap in a 4oz tasting glass. An opaque black with a beautiful thick chocolate-brown head. The nose is classic imperial stout, with cocoa, coffee, and hints of vanilla. The palate of this beer airs entirely on the less sweet and more mature side of the imperial stout domain, with chocolate and coffee assuming a more bitter/savory tone here. A vague nuttiness is present, though no distinct walnut notes are found. This is, overall, simply a truly solid representation of an excellent Imp Stout.

★ 508 characters

4.39/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pour is a viscous dark brown nearly black. Big bubbled khaki colored head with excellent lacing on the glass. Smell is roasted malt foward with plenty of dark roasted coffee, chocolate and vanilla in the back end. Hints of nuttiness, fudge and toffee as well. Taste follows the nose well with plenty of roasted malts but even more of a profound fudge, nuts and toffee flavor. Almost a dessert like sweetness to it, but not overly so. Mouthfeel is is thick, the chocolate/fudge sticks to the palate with low carbonation. Excellent brew.

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5/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A mix between dark app and oro negro, this stout is perfect. Brewed with walnuts gives it the nutty flavor while holding a beautiful color, smell and taste

★ 155 characters

4.19/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from bottle to pint glass. Dark rich color with foamy caramel head that dissolved quickly. Coffee, roasted malts and chocolate are apparent. Modest carbonation at first sip; viscous blend coats the palate - chocolate and coffee are balanced. Don't get the walnut but there is a "chicory" taste. Overall a nice beer!

★ 322 characters

4.21/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

It's good for what it is! It has a smooth and silky feel to it. The taste alone was fantastic but it's missing that barrel taste to it. The head and nose is fantastic, I'm looking forward to try more things from Jackie O

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4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

really solid stout with added ingredient. im not quite sure what black walnuts taste like, but there was definitely something different about this one. maybe some nuttiness?

★ 175 characters

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Look is extremely viscous, smell is perplexingly muted and of little to nothing. Taste is delicious, sweet and roasty but not butnt. Mouthfeel is dangerously drinkable, carbonation is extremely low yet it maintains an extremely viscous and chewy mouthfeel, stellar here.

Overall it's very good. I won't revisit it though as I'm simply not willing to pay $8-$14 for jackie o's 375ml of beer anymore. I guess the fancy bottle and 0.7oz of beer merits some of the costliest shelf beer in the country.

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4.09/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

375mL into a snifter.

Thick ol' oily viscous pour. Not a ton of head but this was carried over from last night with the help of a wine stopper. Tons of film over the body though. Still looks gorgeous to me. 5

This beer really needs to be consumed at a warmer temperature. The aroma is infinitely more communicative to my poor nose. More dark chocolate, more sweet nuttiness, more yeast presence, more sweetness in general. Also shows more booze, but that's okay. Overall I kind of associate this aroma with brownies with nuts but I may be pushing it there. 4

Like I was saying, brownie with nuts. Maybe fudge with nuts. Something of that variety up front. Gets more soy saucy towards the finish. Further drinking for science discovers raisins and dark fruit mid-palate and a floral flavor that blankets the middle in a subtle way that doesn't prevent the other flavors from speaking their mind. 4

The feel is a definite winner, thick and viscous, with gentle floral tickles, a brush of bitterness, and a measured sweetness. 4.25

Good on Jackie O's for adding walnuts without making this become synthetic in flavor. Good on them for making a good beer.

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4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery - Oil of Aphrodite. 10% ABV. 12.7oz bottle split between three mini snifters.

Look: Pitch black body, allowing no light to penetrate, with a thin caramel colored ring of lacing around the edge.

Smell: Very roasty coffee and malt aroma, along with dark chocolate, caramel, and walnuts.

Feel: Full bodied, heavy and chewy. Smooth as silk with very little noticeable carbonation.

Taste: Rich roast malts and roasty coffee flavors are immediately up front, followed by dark chocolate and caramel, and finishes with some walnuts and the flavor of alcohol, but with no burn. Leaves a bittersweet nutty aftertaste.

Overall: Another great Jackie O's beer. This is definitely a roasty beer on both smell and taste, but has some sweetness to balance it out, along with the good addition of the walnuts. Since the ABV is noticeable, this beer is a slow sipper.

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4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A - Very dark brown/black color with an ultra-thin toffee lacing. Very thick on the sides of the snifter.

S - Chocolate, walnuts, and a slightly roasted sugar aroma.

T - Chocolate, deep roasted toffee, burnt Belgian candy sugar, bitter dark chocolate finish, dark walnuts. The ABV makes itself known. Nice lingering burnt sugar and dark chocolate bittersweet finish.

M - Big body, thick, velvety, semi-dry finish with a light syrupy base.

O - This is a fantastic beer, well worth seeking out.

★ 500 characters

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Dark brown with a brown head. There's a ton of sediment that settled into the bottom of the glass that's very distracting.

Deep roasted malt aroma. Coffee and dark chocolate. Leather.

Heavy char flavor. Earthy, coffee, dark chocolate.

Heavy body, moderate carbonation, and smooth.

Slightly boozy, but holds up well with the body. An excellent stout.

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3.24/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Solid black with a soft, dense tan head that retains a nice thin but substantial blanket.

Light milk chocolate, faint walnut--overall soft and delicate aromas, with a bit of a metallic suggestion on occasion. It gets more nutty as it warm, with a hint of cheese, a little dark caramel, and a little roasty toastiness.

Taste is chocolate covered raisin, not much nut but it's there. A sort of bitter aftertaste, but all in all, the flavor is a little lacking.

Tangy, almost spicy feel, maybe the alcohol or just the certain level of roast on the malt. Medium body overall.

★ 574 characters

4.14/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a deep dark color, probably on the black side not too far off of mahogany. a two finger plus tan head forms even from a gentle pour. good strong retention and leaving behind a frothy lacing. completely dark and opaque.

Smell: dark fruits, walnuts, chocolate, some roasted malts and a bit of alcohol.

Taste: opens with bittersweet chocolate, transitions into a bit of dark fruits. a bit of smoke and some maple syrup or possibly molasses. walnuts come on near the end as does a small amount of alcohol.

Mouthfeel: full bodied but quite smooth. leaves behinds some light smokiness and a touch of sweetness. some warmth.

Overall: I really like this base stout and think the barrel aged versions throw away some of the nice complexity for spirit character. really nice and deep flavors that develop well. the smoothness along with the full body are key too.

★ 876 characters

4.19/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2015 bottling. 12.7 oz bottle served in a snifter.

Appearance: Pitch black with no light coming through at all. Dark tan 1/4" foam upon pouring which died back to a thick ring. Thin sheets of persistent lacing.

Smell: Bittersweet chocolate with some floral notes, a hint of alcohol and fruity esters, and a quick whiff of walnut.

Taste: Bittersweet chocolate well balanced with malt sweetness, some candi sugar, and caramel. The finish is bitter in a complimentary way - roasted malts, more of the bittersweet chocolate, and a bit of an herbal bitter finish. I can detect the walnut towards the finish - it's not strong; more of a complimentary flavor like you'd find if you had put nuts into brownies or a dark chocolate cake.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth. Nice and thick and creamy. Light carbonation. Some stickiness on the teeth.

Overall / Drinkability: A well crafted stout and definitely a slow sipping beer. The walnuts are a nice compliment to this beer. It's a Double Imperial Stout no doubt, which normally is nothing but strong flavors, but this one is a bit more delicate and finely crafted. The flavors are strong, but they're not hitting you over the head. Is this an oil that will induce love from a Greek Goddess? Maybe. It certainly puts me in a good mood and is something I should pick up again sometime. Dangerously drinkable but one per evening will do fine.

★ 1,408 characters

4.21/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thank you SomethingClever for this
12.7 oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- Black with a two finger mocha head.

S- Sweet milk chocolate, faint roasted malts, some dark fruits, walnuts aren't the center piece but really come out nicely and add a great level of complexity, hints of molasses.

T- Not as sweet as the nose, roasted coffee, some chocolate, just enough walnuts, faint dark fruits, hints of candied sugar.

M- Smooth, creamy, medium to full body.

O- I was hoping that it would be as sweet as it smells, but it is still a solid beer. Would love to try the rum barrel version, feel the rum would be perfect for this beer. I feel Aphrodite would be proud of this beer.

★ 678 characters

4.04/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12.7 oz. bottle into a Duvel glass. Very dark brown on the pour, like spent Quakerstate. Pitch black in the glass. About 1 finger of bubbly, mocha colored foam. Fairly sweet aroma of bittered chocolate, roasted malts, and baked walnuts. Not a huge aroma but nice. The taste follows with the biggest flavor up front being roasty malt. Lots of bitter chocolate in there as well. I get a bit of the walnuts on the finish and aftertaste. The feel is good - maybe a tad thin up front, but it becomes fuller and creamier as it warms up. Great, smooth finish.

Good beer. I would've liked to have seen a little more nuttiness in there to balance out the bitterness. But, it did taste and feel very good. Better than the Bourbon Barrel variant, in my opinion.

★ 751 characters

3.97/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12.7 oz bottle. pours pitch black, finger tan head fades quickly. Aroma is chocolate. Taste is mostly dark chocolate, nutty flavor. Some earthy bitterness in the finish. Finish is dry and mouthfeel is thin. Plenty of flavor in this nutty stout, good overall.

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4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The flavor on this one is mostly walnuts with a moderate roast in the body and a strong, bitter finish on the palate.

Overall, pretty good without stretching into a higher caliber of goodness.

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4.06/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown, motor oil tone, tan head that fades to a ring. Smell doesn't really jump out at you but there's a general chocolate nuttiness with a roasty element almost like tree bark or chicory. Flavor is dry, cocoa, a bit ofa musty leather which I assume comes from the walnuts. Some blackstrap molasses flavors which, in turn, always makes me think a bit of prues. Body is a bit light.

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4.02/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark with a nice opaqueness. Has little carbonation. Not much of a nose with the beer. Has a chocolate up front taste with a sweet mid palate from the walnuts. Finishes with a light bitteress. A pretty good beer.

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3.74/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

This beer had a good upfront, so my expectations were high. But after looking at a nice color, with a decent (but minimal nose), and the first moment of each sip the beer just falls apart. This can be described as hearty in the bad way but still an overall solid beer.

★ 270 characters