Oil Of Aphrodite - Rum Barrel Aged
Jackie O's Pub & Brewery

4.7/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

L - pours a thin-looking, but pitch brown liquid and what I thought was going to be minimal head. A bit of tan fluff decided to show for far longer than your average JO stout.

S - a teensy tiny bit of peppery spice up front, then waves of caramel and vanilla. Sweet oak, black licorice, and toasted creme brulee. Lightly nutty with hazelnut cappuccino.

T - huge notes of dark fruit and belgian spice. Candied figs, salted caramel, and light floral zip. Hotness from the rum, but never in a burning or uncomfortable way. Peppering acidity softened by walnuts and almonds. Molasses, spiced coffee, and brown sugar. Leaves a buzzing, zesty, gritty herbaceousness crafted from a spot-on ABV that showcases the heat like dry sunlight on a cool day.

F - thicc? With two c's? Might even be three! Not something I was expecting from a JO stout, but this delivers a satisfying fullness with accents the rich, creamy, sweet flavors.

O - shocked at how tastefully the rum is employed here. A lot of JO BA stuff comes across as that liquor itself, but in a more drinkable and filed-down package. The rum plays a massive supporting roll and never overpowers. Without it, this beer would be too sweet, but the rum brings the heat in a way that's vaguely woody and savory almost. Unique for sure. One of JO's better stoots.

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4.36/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12.7 ounce 2019 bottle into a Lost Abbey long stemmed tulip. Dark inky body with almost no head. Smell and taste are of boozy molasses and licorice with maybe some other flavors which I think is great. Mouthfeel is full and oily without being overbearing. This is another outstanding Jackie O's offering.

I approached this with some trepidation. First of all I had two 2018 barrel aged Dark Apparition get infected; tried them both on the same night and drain poured both. Fortunately the bottle shop where I snagged this has it on tap (for more jack per 10 oz than this set me back) and I'm confident they'd have made me whole. Also my experiences with rum barrel aging haven't been some of the better ones. I know I've tried rum barrel aged Pumking and thought it was worse than the original and I'm sure there are others that aren't coming to mind now. But Jackie O's knew what they were doing here. I'll try to snag another bottle.

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4.21/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12.7 FL Oz bottle
Served in a snifter
2014

This beer pours as black as my ex-girlfriend's heart. A semi-aggressive pour yielded little deep mocha head that had little staying power.

The first thing I notice is dark fruit aroma, plum, black cherry. As it warms I pick up some dark chocolate with a little anise.

The taste has dark fruit as well up front. Towards the finish I get dark chocolate, coffee and anise. There is some spiciness from the rum through the middle and into the finish. The finish is semi dry and oaky.

Full mouthfeel

This is an interesting beer. The dark fruit and roasted flavors and smells work well. I see lots of infection issues. I am not sure if that is the cause of the dark fruit. If so, it was not to the detriment in my opinion. Either way, it is a good beer.

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3.87/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Matte black with a puffy tan head leaving some stalactite lacing.

Semi-sweet, hot and nutty barrel character fills the smooth, silky body, as the very light carbonation brings out mild roast, toffee, cashew and a hint cinnamon bark before coming to a semi-sticky finish exhaling a touch of cola.

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These notes are from a 2014 bottle which was infected.

Hmm, this did not bubble over upon opening, and the smell was a somewhat intriguing butterscotch, but...the taste was Flanders. Obviously an unintended outcome.

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4.3/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured a nice opaque brown to black with a thin brown head, slight lacing throughout. The nutty flavor is really highlighted with traces of caocao throughout. Feel bad for everyone that got an infected one, I really enjoyed it! Another great beer from Jackie o's!

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1.2/5  rDev -71.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

At time, aged for over a year in cellar conditions.

INFECTED.

INFECTED.

INFECTED.

Sour fruit notes, minimal aroma, tart taste through and through. Very disappointing. This beer could have been amazing!

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4.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours an opaque dark brown almost black like oil with the same type of viscosity and khaki colored head. Rum, oak, vanilla, nuts, chocolate, and candy sweetness on the nose; follow onto the palate. Very complex and full bodied. Finishes with plenty of barrel and chocolate.

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4.99/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I agree with the bros on this one. Amazing. You must like rum to like this beer. Rum forward with the base beer at the finish. Smell isn't barrel strong.

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3.53/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured 350mlbottle into a snifter, this beer pours a very dark brown, almost black color with a 1 finger tan head. Lacing is minimal with small spots on the glass. Aroma is pleasant with a big roasted and sweet malt characteristic in an imp stout. Dark chocolate, coconut, and walnut all are present. The flavor...what happened here? There is a bit of tartness, presumably from the rum barrels. It's not bad, but it does seem off. I want more of the roasted malts and dark chocolate, but I am picking up some tangy coffee and almost an olive flavor. The feel is good with a smooth rich liquid and soft carbonation. If only the taste was like the aroma, this would have been outstanding.

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3.76/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

2014 release. One of the most strongly aromatic bottles I've ever opened, but the first word that comes to mind is... pungent. Not immediately offputting or even unpleasant, but a distinct combination of rum with walnut oil that has perhaps gone slightly rancid. I don't think the beer is infected or has gone bad--I still quite enjoyed the flavors upon drinking it--but I think the walnut is just now starting to turn. I'm glad to have cracked it now rather than later when it might become overpowering.

Other smells include lychee, clove, a touch of sour cherry, and cedar. The walnut is prominent in the flavor, along with the barrel character and some tartness. I would be very interested to try this on draft or as a fresh bottle from the next release.

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4.34/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bottle of this recently. Poured into a snifter, this beer pours a very dark brown, almost black color that is not at all interested in letting in any light. The liquid looked thick as I was pouring it. Has a tan/light brown head that is about 2/3 of an inch thick when first poured that settles to a nice thick ring lining the inside of the glass along with some big clusters of surface foam. Decent lacing. Has aromas of rum, dark roasted caramel malts and chocolate hints followed by some vanilla nuttiness as well. A very nice smell indeed! The taste is quite similar, as flavor wise this starts off with a nice subtle rum presence that gives way to a good sweet, malty taste with hints of caramel and chocolate followed by some vanilla nut that is rounded out with a good hint of black coffee bitterness and a bit of hop bitterness as well. The rum flavor certainly comes out more as the beer warms up a bit. Has a mainly smooth, slightly chewy and oily, velvety, medium to full bodied mouthfeel with fairly light carbonation. Has a clean and slightly dry finish. Very easy to drink, especially considering the 11.5% ABV. Very nice indeed!

Eric

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1.9/5  rDev -55.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Fantastical hard pour into my favorite, and only 15.5 ounce brandy snifter that does not create magnificence.

Look: Deep and dark looking body capped with a wispy, broken, filmy mocha colored head. The harder than normal pour did not create anything but an unconnected film over the top and a thin halo.
Smell: Deep and rich aromas of sweet, dark roasted malts, milk chocolate/lactose, and rum barrel. Upon first sniff, I smelled 7-up with rum. The walnuts are detectable and worthy of mention.
Taste: Hmmmmm...I think I have a bad bottle...maybe, maybe not. Is it supposed to taste like this. Some sourness like a whiskey sour...
Feel: Not memorable.

Overall - Is it supposed to be like this...

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3.67/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice black opaque black. Smells like it fermented with brett. I get a sour dank smell with a little rum smell. Taste is sour and unbalanced. Has a lot of of rum predominating the taste. I wonder if I got an infected bottle as I truly thought this was a sour.

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4.42/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Molasses, Walnuts, Booze, Wood

Here we have an Imperial Stout that has seen a healthy duration of rum barrel aging with the company of walnuts, the rum character is pleasantly noticeable which compliments the massive stout character this brew brings to the table. The 11.5% abv does not show itself until about halfway through the glass, new subtle complexities with each sip. Finishes with suggestions of walnuts, floral alcohol, brown bread, mild molasses, and faint woody rum ... amazing.

STYLE: American Double Stout | ABV: 11.5% | AVAILABILITY: Rotating

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine issue #96 (JAN 2015)

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4.34/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Black body with light brown head. Smells strongly of rum, licorice, dark fruit, cocoa, and some light vanilla. Taste opens up more once you get past the booziness of the rum, great candied dark fruit, actually get some walnut, roasted malt, licorice, slight coffee, fudgey dark chocolate, and some cola. Feel is boozy, smooth, and still decently lightweight like the original.

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4.25/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Holy rum. I am not a huge rum fan. A sniff from the glass after pouring smelled like an empty rum fith. It tastes great. If you like rum. It is a great beer. But I enjoy bourbon better. The bbaooa is much more balanced as well. Good beer, but I think Ill stick with the bbaooa.

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3.74/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle shared by ygtbsm94. Thanks mang! Let's get this shit started. Dark brown body with a small beige head. Oak, roast, tannic qualities, vanilla. Sweet roast, light chocolates. Lots of wood and sweet wine / rum character. Good for splitting a few ways.

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4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pulled this one from my cellar for my 700th BA full review. This is the 2014 vintage.

A strong pour achieves about an inch of chocolate brown head. Body is jet black just like 3000 mile used motor oil. Nose is fragrant with distinct tones of rum soaked walnuts. Black cherry, dark fruits and dark chocolate plays on the nose as well. Rich and chocolatey as it enters the mouth. Very much like eating german chocolate cake. The boozyness builds as you continue to drink this one. This beer would benefit from a couple more years in the cellar. Very thick on the mouthfeel.

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4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared this beer during a little cellar cleaning party with JLindros. 2012 vintage bottle # 59/216. Reviewed from notes.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip an oily black hue with a rather thin mocha head. Decent legs.

S - Aromas of pleasant rum, light nuts, dark chocolate, bakers chocolate, minor booze.

T - Taste is similar to the nose. The rum is really soft and the chocolate and nuts lends to a nice fudgy/chewy flavour profile. Just a little bit of booze on the finish.

M - Mouthfeel is smooth, velvety, really nice.

O - Overall this beer was another tasty stout from Jackie O's. Glad to be able to share them with fellow beer drinkers.

Serving type: Bottle

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4.64/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

500 ml bottle poured into can glass

A: very dark not much head but what there was had a caramel hue to it then it settles to a nice frothy film

S: pure rum I can smell some tart caramel

T: lots of caramel and vanilla with sweet nuttiness. Lots of sweet booze a little leather some roasted malts

M: nice thick feel a little cloying

O: this beer flavor wise is jaw dropping there is so much going on here I can't explain it all. The rum barrel is amazing. This beer is quite amazing

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2.74/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

A big thanks to Jeff for this little gem. 375ml capped bottle into OEC stemware. Shared with schen9303.

Pours a .5 finger mocha colored head with little retention. Beer is thick, oily and pitch black. Lacing is stringy and spotty with good stick and big, filmy legs. Quite menacing.

Nose is alarmingly tart. Notes of sour dark fruit, roasted malt, cocoa powder, lactose, chocolate and booze. A bit strange though very aromatic.

The first taste confirms that my nose isn't lying. Opens tart plum and prune. Some chocolate, vanilla and roasted malt hides in the background but these are almost completely overtaken by the roasty, grainy sour taste. Boozy throughout but that just enhances the tartness. Roasty finish with a puckering, smoke and tart dark fruit aftertaste. I'm sure this isn't what the brewer intended.

Full bodied with low carbonation. Thick and chewy in the mouth and goes down slightly hot and viscous. Messy finish with a lingering, heated aftertaste. Decent.

As a sour stout, this isn't terrible... but its not good either. As a regular stout, this is clearly infected. Just not a very good beer.

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4.6/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is pitch black
Aroma is dark chocolate fudge, vanilla, candy bar
Flavor is dark chocolate and bitterness mixed with vanilla and oak.
Mouthfeel is slightly thin but the carbonation is fine.
Overall this well exceeded my expectations.

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4.24/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to rudzud.

No head, pitch black long legs.

Nose light, mild dark choc, cocoa and mild fluffy nougat, faint barrel notes.

Taste sweet cocoa, caramel, aged dark malts, some rum and boozy notes, chewy dark caramel malts, fudgey cocoa, char, etc. Mild bitterness and earthy hop.

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4.22/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Aroma: Well...rum! Oaky, vanilla, woody character firmly asserts itself. Clean fermentation character. Not much but the rum barrel character. Not a bad thing but hard to pick up on the base beer.

Appearance: Inky black pour with jet black edging. Low tan head that retains well. Appears still in the glass.

Flavor: More vanilla, oak, and rum character. Light caramel, raisin, and burnt toast notes. Nice earthy bitterness due, in part, to the dark malts. Barrel character is firm, oaky, and continues to assert throughout. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste lingers with a bit of charcoal character.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation. Oily but not creamy or with any alcohol heat.

Overall impression: A big barrel aged stout. Hard to get much besides the barrel character. Good, but drinkability suffers a bit without a good base beer characteristic.

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3.55/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Hey look, another bottle from fiver29! I think they’re breeding in my cellar, & I’m encouraging such activity by rubbing them up against one another. Another 375ML stubby split with my wife, side-by-side with the sherry barrel version.

Again, black-on-black, with carbonation visible only to the obsessed & persistent. The nose is like a rum-pirate sandwich. I’m pretty sure there’s a beer under there, but I’m going to have to submerse myself in the liquid to find out. I’m game.

Oil of Aphrodite – Rum Barrel Aged is like a light rum: half the alcohol, none of the beer. The first, second, & third swallows burn a bit, & I fear for a midnight run of indigestion. RUM! There might be a bit of the base stout under there, & the one thing you can’t throw a wool cloak over is the squirrel’s hoard of nuttiness.

And that’s about it. Nuts-and-rum. Is there a walnut rum? If there isn’t maybe In-Bev should consider whipping one up. Two notes, but those notes are pure. Good beer.

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