Plead The 5th - BourbRum Double Barrel Aged
Dark Horse Brewing Company

 

2017 vintage. Poured from a black wax-topped 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Thick inky black pour. Minimal mocha colored head leaves a faint ring of lacing. Low carbonation.

S: Rich... roast and booze. Booze... more booze... and some cocoa.

T.F: Very rich... decadent even. Semi-sweet dark chocolate mixed with roasted grains, bourbon, vanilla, and molasses. Tobacco and dark fruit. Thick and sticky on the tongue... smooth... low carbonation but not still. Warming and boozy. Rum sweetness comes in towards the finish with some oak.

O: An outstanding double-barrel aged RIS. The rum is subtle but comes in at the finish and makes for a superb cold weather brew. This one's elite... and mellow/delicious after 4 years in the cellar.

12 FL. OZ. bottle
Served in a snifter
2017

This beer pours black and has virtually no head.

The smell has some fig and dates. I get some booze. It smells more like rum than bourbon. I get some anise and black coffee.

I get anise and coffee in my initial taste. As I delve in farther I get dark chocolate. It is still a little boozy after three years.

Medium bodied with smooth mouthfeel

It is kind of rough around the edges, even with three years in the cellar. It's not a "beer of the year" candidate, but it is warming me up on a cold winter's night.

 

Received as an extra in a trade and shared with JLindros. 2017 vintage.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice dark brown almost black with a thin mocha head that fades to leave wisps and a thin halo. Decent legs.

S - Aromas of almost chocolate chipcookie dough with decent barrel notes. The rum is an almost spiced rum, which is unfortunate, decent bourbon, flashes of chocolate.

T - Taste is similar to the nose with more chocolate and barrel notes. The rum is very assertive and as little unpleasant, decent bourbon. The main issue is the fact that there is a TON of oxidation going on...how?!

M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, little slick, alcohol is hidden but the body is light so everything comes across as light.

O - Overall this was a very underwhelming beer, the barrel notes are mediocre, but this is no where near the level that I have come to expect. Really disappointing.

Serving Type: bottle

THanks to rudzud, 2017
Pours a dark foamy bubbly head but super small, decent retention though, some lacing, very dark brown almost black colored beer, thick with decent legs

Nose lots of the base beer, rich dark malt, cocoa, baking spice, nougat, some fruity spiced rum, very light bourbon sweet candy, some vanilla barrel, cookie dough notes, little raisiny, fruit both malt derived and rum barrel, little burnt roasty,

Taste brings more dark malts, rich cocoa, baking spices and cookie dough notes, light vanilla barrel, dark chocolate and nougat, a little oxidation as well, mild roasty bitterness and spicy hop notes, some fruity spiced rum, more raisiny fruit from malts and barrel, bourbon is barely detectable, finishes a little dry, light alcohol, more cardboard oxidation notes, fruity rum

Mouth is med to fuller bod, not as thick and rich as I expected, medium to lower carb, medium alcohol

Overall not that great, base beer seems detracted, bourbon barrel is almost nonexistant, rum barrel is not that great, it seems a bit thin

 

 

 

2014 vintage maroon wax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A waxed 12oz bottle

It is a viscous, oily black pour with a dark brown head. It settles pretty quickly into a nice thick film.

The aroma is tobacco, charred barley, leather, sour fruit/tannins, wood, vanilla, and a cinnamon like spice.

There is a lot of barrel character. Some alcohol is noticeable. Both bourbon and rum. Mostly bourbon with oak and corn grains among the dark sour fruits, bitter chocolate, and ashy charred malted barley. There is a brown sugar and vanilla like sweetness throughout that really lingers. Definitely a spiced rum aftertaste, with cinnamon and allspice.

The body is very full and silky/velvety smooth. A tad of alcohol burn.

A very good beer with a world class mouthfeel. My biggest knocks would be that it is a little too sweet overall with a bit too much booze

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 oz. bottle. Black body. A hint of a khaki head, but it's gone instantly. Smells of rum, oak, a little funky. Chocolate and some sharp-smelling dark fruits. Tastes really oaky. Sweet chocolate. Rum. Some bourbon behind it. Dry oakiness in the back end. Medium heavy and boozy. Getting better as it warms, though I'm still not all that impressed.