Dark Apparition - Brandy Barrel-Aged
Jackie O's Brewpub

 

Look - extremely dark almost black with a nice thick tan head that went away fairly quick but left great rimming and has sticky lacing
Smell - chocolate caramel molasses slight coffee
Taste - fig prune with some molasses possibly some dark cherry when it warms up. slight chocolate caramel when it warms up but the fig prune molasses really dominates. Slightly bitter
Feel - medium body when it's cold with a extremely light carb. a little thicker when it warms up but still fairly light for being 14% and the carb came out a little as well
Overall - brandy barrel made it taste like a stout/BW blend. Gave it a ton of those dark stone fruit taste, predominantly fig and prune. The barrel came out with the caramel. Wish it was thicker.

Dark brown on the pour with a reddish tinge that is no longer discernable once in the glass. Thin, dark khaki head that quickly receded to a thin ring. Nice legs. Aroma is rich chocolate, molasses and a really nice added dimension from the brady barrels (note I'm getting more of the brandy on the nose than the barrel itself)

On the tongue, there's a brilliant medley of flavors. The roasted malts lead off, and remind me of coffee, although I don't believe any was added in the beer. Mid-palate is where the chocolate and other sweet flavors show up. Finally, the brandy barrels show up on the long finish. They all work together to form a very tasty, full bodied beer.

12.7 oz bottle, 2021 vintage, poured into a brandy snifter at 55 degrees F:
L - dark and silky with a dark head that quickly disappeared
S - that distinctly Jackie O's scent of dark fruits, maple molasses, nut, and the requisite liquor from the barrel, in this case that liquor being Brandy
T - Brandy with notes of molasses, nut, fig, plum, the huge malt profile adds coffee and chocolate flavors as well
F - thick and silky with minimal carbonation
O - very nice, the Brandy gives it a fruitier flavor than the BBA versions

 

Dark Apparition – Brandy Barrel Aged from Jackie O’s. 12.7 oz bottle purchased online from Jackie O’s, $ 15.82 (Including tax and shipping), $ 1.246/oz. Stored at 40 degrees after purchase. Reviewed 19/2/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottle stamped on rear of label “2021”. Served at 54.1 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 58.2 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), opaque.
Body – Deep Brown (SRM 30), muddy and opaque. When rear-lite, same, but top edge is olive and bottom is ruby. Note: when examining under high intensity light, there appears to be a two to three mm lower density layer at the surface.
Head – Tiny (Maximum 0.5 cm, aggressive center pour), mahogany, fizzy and gone before the pour is complete, leaving neither crown nor cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.25 – Dark chocolate, dates, and raisins predominate, no hops, no malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 4.25 – Dark chocolate is much weaker than the nose suggests, but still not overwhelmed by the dark fruits. A hint of brandy is detected. No hops, no yeast. Weak ethanol (14 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. Moderate gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Seems thin for a RIS, smooth but short of creamy, but with noticeable carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 Looks like a typical RIS or Impy stout. Aroma is mostly dark chocolate and dark fruits with some brandy present. Tastes of dark chocolate, dark fruit, and a bit of brandy, not bad. Both aroma and taste seem simplistic for a BA RIS, but the brandy lends a nice note of strangeness.

12.7 ounce bottle, 2021 vintage, label says 14% ABV. Served in a Dark Apparition chalice, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. I like the aroma, the brew smells like brandy, dark fruit, molasses, dark chocolate and burnt/charred malt. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, with the addition of some oak, caramel, dark bread and coffee flavors. Mouthfeel/body is slick and rich with a moderate amount of carbonation. It's a bit boozy but doesn't seem like it's 14% ABV. I liked this one, definitely worth picking up if you're into brandy barrel aged beers or imperial stouts in general!

 

 

Thanks to perhaps the finest BA on this site, fiver29 for this 375ML bottle. Split with my wife opening a night on the couch. By choice this time!

First Avenue paint black. Little to no bubbles. Booming brandy with a touch of roast. Hmmmm.

Dark Apparition – Brandy Barrel Aged has a problem so many brandy beers have. Too. Much. Brandy. It’s like sipping on a brandy mixed drink that’s 97% brandy. There’s a dust mote or two of roast, vanilla, char, but one has to focus like a 14 year old on a Tik-Tok video to detect them. Glad I split this little bottle. My wife is enjoying it more than I am.

A rare miss from Jackie O’s but in their defense there aren’t too many brandy barrel aged beers that don’t go overboard; there’s no beer in this beer. Mediocre.

 

 

 

Has a dark brown appearance, thin tan head, 1/4". Aroma was heavy on the booze and red wine/brandy like notes.

Taste is hot and bitter. Already my least favorite apparition version. Plenty of dark fruit raisin and fig like notes to it. Some quad like tendencies here. Roasted malt bitterness combines with the hot alcohol and dark fruit to make for a difficult drinking experience. The lower carbonation keeps all this stuff heavy on the tongue. Could use more of that burnt caramel and brown sugar that lurks behind the scenes here.

Pass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks go out to BA Therealnomayo for hosting a tasting that included every barrel aged version of dark app. The brew pours dark brown to black with a mochoa colored head. A light swirl aggitates bubbles back to the surface.

The smell is quite tangy with alcohol esters and almost a vinous element that seems like it is too much. The oak/barrel aging reveals itself with suggestions of coconut mixed with raw oak and a bit of vanilla. Not the best dark app treatment but not horrible either.

The taste is quite tangy with alcohol. Some raw oak, vanilla and ash tray aftertaste. As it warms up, there is cocoa and coffee hints but the tangy alcohol is not well integrated with its vinous and nearly tart components.

This is a medium bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. Im guessing the vinous elements of this barrel is what caused the distraction and made the character of this brew just clash. Dark app on its own has some tang to it but this brandy barrel really exaggerated it and not in a good way. While not a bad beer, I would opt for any other treatment than this one.

The second bottle in the six beer set that we'd assembled. I think this one came from claaark13. Cheers!

From a bomber into a snifter
Vintage: 2011
Bottle 99 of 240

APPEARANCE: Much the same as the base beer, with a couple improvements. Pours out dark brown, almost black, and yields a small, medium looking, fizzy tan head with half decent retention. Retains a little better than the base beer, but also fades quickly to a thin ring. Black opaque body with next to zero carbonation evident. A ring remains and leaves a few dots of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Roasted malts, brandy and ribs! Burnt meat and BBQ sauce. Some dark chocolate and coffee notes in there, but this is all about ribs and BBQ sauce in the backyard by the pool. Whoa. Pretty off-putting.

TASTE: Starts with some roasted malts, tobacco brandy, and the BBQ suace is a little more subtle here. Luckily, though it actually works a little better here. Not that that's saying much. Caramel sweetness and a touch of dark chocolate at the swallow, moving into a bold and lingering aftertaste of brandy barrel, roasted and smoked malts, and caramel sweetness. Some alcohol shows up as well and give it a bit of a hair spray character as well.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Creamy enough on the palate but a touch too light for the style. Goes down smooth and finishes very sticky on the palate. A little too cloying for my tastes. Same cloying feel as the base beer, though a touch lighter in body.

OVERALL: Hair spray and BBQ sauce are not the qualities I'm usually looking for in a barrel aged imperial stout, and this time was no different. I don't know where these flavors came from, but as a collective community here, we should do whatever it takes to make sure they generally don't feel welcome. Train wreck of a beer. Avoid.

Huge thanks to Photekut for sendig this my way. Shared with PALMEJ1.

Pours pitch black and completely opaque with a two finger beige head that slowly fading into a lasting cap.  Really good retention with chunks of soapy lace left behind.

Roasted malt aroma with a decent barrel presence thats nicely integrated .  Subtle toasted oak, vanilla and booze followed by sweet and dark malt notes.  Hints of slightly burnt malt, coffee, dark chocolate and oatmeal.

Medium bodied with a nice balanced of brandy barrel, roasted and sweet malt notes.   Really sweet with a strong boozy barrel  presence.  Hits of toasted oak, charred wood and brandy followed by some coffee, dark chocolate and smokey, roasted malt.  A bit thinner than expected and a bit too much sweetness.  Lots of boozy flavor but not too hot.  Decently quaffable.

 

22oz. bomber #34/240. Poured into a Cigar City snifter.

Just like the others. Dark, heavy, and sticky. Oily legs but no head and no lacing.

Nose is vanilla, booze, wood, and leather. Some chocolate, fudge, and prunes. Sweeter than the others and lacking that slight tartness from the base. That helps.

Opens sweet nuttiness. Some caramel, prunes, and chocolate. Tartness from the base hits hard and fast. Anise and more prunes towards the middle. Finishes roasty with hints of cocoa powder and cream. Aftertaste is more tartness. Pretty middle of the road considering its peers.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Oily and slick in the mouth and goes down warm and sticky. Messy finish with a lingering aftertaste. Again, a bit thin but the barrel helps.

Not quite as good as the Kopi and Bourbon but a bit better than the base and the vanilla, this one sits squarely in the middle of the Dark Apparition offerings. A decent beer but this keeps me wishing the base beer was better.

 

22 oz. bottle served in a Deschutes tulip. Shared this guy in line at DLD. Bottle # 52/240.

A: Pours a dark black with a thin tan head forming on the pour. It recedes to thin ring and leaves some splotches of lace along the edges of the glass.

S: The brandy barrel shines giving this beer an extra layer of sweetness. Sweet brandy, roasted malts, bitter chocolate and some light oak.

T: Sweet brandy, some oak, a little butterscotch and caramel sweetness. Both bitter bakers chocolate and milk chocolate with a just a bit of roasted malts and vanilla on the finish.

M: Medium bodied with a medium carbonation. The finish is roasty and sweet, but not drying at all.

O: The brandy barrel takes a slightly above average beer and turn it into a great one. I really enjoyed the sweetness from the barrel. Would like to have again.

A- Pours a black color with just a few brownish colored bubbles. Pretty much zero head and no lacing at all.

S- Quite a bit of brandy here for sure. A lot of booze. Dark fruits, burnt sugar, vanilla and wood.

T- Quite a bit of brandy and dark fruits up front. Some wood, chocolate, light coffee, and vanilla. Quite a bit of booze here too.

M- Lighter side of medium in body and fairly low in carbonation.

O- I was pretty excited to get to try this one. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but its not my favorite of the Dark Apps.

22oz bottle opened on 2-14-12.
Bottle #212/240

A - Pours a motor oil brown with a one finger dark brown head. Good retention, but fades to the edges and leaves good lacing.

S - Brandy, cherry, chocolate.

T - Smooth chocolate with a cherry-brandy finish.

D - Good carbonation and a nice lighter body.

O - I was affraid this one would be strong, but it was very nice and balanced.