Dark Secret
BrickStone Restaurant & Brewery
- From:
- BrickStone Restaurant & Brewery
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
Ranked #348 - ABV:
- 11%
- Score:
- 95
Ranked #1,740 - Avg:
- 4.31 | pDev: 6.26%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 18
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 16, 2022
- Added:
- May 12, 2013
- Wants:
- 13
- Gots:
- 18
SCORE
95
World-Class
95
World-Class
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by GrumpyGas:
Reviewed by GrumpyGas from Illinois
4.11/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.11/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12oz can poured into a snifter shows an inky-black body floating merely a whispy shadow of cocoa colored bubbles.
Aroma is a successful melange of berries: black and coffee, and roast malt.
Rich roast malt flavors are coffee forward but blackberries remain now enveloped in a dark chocolate ooze finishing with a lasting roast coffee bean aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with a lasting finish.
Overall, Dark Secret is well brewed. A great example of the style with added coffee.
Dec 14, 2018Aroma is a successful melange of berries: black and coffee, and roast malt.
Rich roast malt flavors are coffee forward but blackberries remain now enveloped in a dark chocolate ooze finishing with a lasting roast coffee bean aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with a lasting finish.
Overall, Dark Secret is well brewed. A great example of the style with added coffee.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by mschrei from Illinois
4.36/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.36/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
A fine coffee stout. Usual stout appearance, nothing out of the ordinary. Smell of coffee beans and roasty malt, a sweetness underlying it. Taste is roasty coffee and dark malt. Slight oily feel, strong body, mouth watering, well disguised alcohol presence. Quite enjoyable, think I liked it more with a little age and slowly warmed.
Jun 23, 2019
Reviewed by ZebulonXZogg from Illinois
4.44/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.44/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured into my trusty Lagunitas mason jar from a can dated 11/26/18.
A thick oily black with a small dark head, nice lacing and an oily film.
Aroma of roasted malt, licorice and a hint of bourbon.
Taste folows the aroma, bitter chocolate is noticable at the end.
This is thick'n oily, just how I think a BA stout should be.
Overall this is just terrific. In small black letters on a dark grey background are the words, "Black Friday Limited Release". Who'da thunk of releasing an great big Imperial Stout on Black Friday. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
Apr 03, 2019A thick oily black with a small dark head, nice lacing and an oily film.
Aroma of roasted malt, licorice and a hint of bourbon.
Taste folows the aroma, bitter chocolate is noticable at the end.
This is thick'n oily, just how I think a BA stout should be.
Overall this is just terrific. In small black letters on a dark grey background are the words, "Black Friday Limited Release". Who'da thunk of releasing an great big Imperial Stout on Black Friday. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
Reviewed by joe1510 from Illinois
4.24/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz Can
$13.99 4-Pack
4 Seasons Liquors - Morris, IL
Dark Secret is a menacing looking beverage, as it should be. Black as night, not allowing a hint of light to pass. The minimal foam is dark, milk chocolate in color. It grows to a finger in height, maybe, and recedes fairly quickly leaving behind a thin ring around the glass and smattering of foam in the middle. Like I said, it looks menacing and it looks good.
Dark Secret sports a dense, rich nose. Big, jammy dark berries get things moving, blackberry mostly. There's a welcomed deep roastiness. Slight coffee notes bring up the middle with a splash of cream sweetness. That sweetness is abolished by the roast. A soft nuttiness and a drizzle of molasses wrap this bad boy up. Each swirl brings about deep caramel and a whisper of smoke. Good complexity.
The flavor steps up that roast. This beer is richly roasted from front to back. Those jammy blackberry notes are a welcomed accompaniment throughout. I flash of pine rushes the middle before that cold press coffee and splash of cream make themselves known. Deeply caramelized sweetness hits the back before softly smokey note from the roast finishes it off and lingers. The smoke combined with the blackberry jamminess makes for an interesting, delicious finish.
You're greeted with a dense yet slick body. The weight is on the chunkier side of the spectrum but it moves at a respectable pace. There is some sweetness but it's surpassed by the roast driven bitterness. That bitterness is accentuated thanks to a nicely dry finish, especially when taking the abv into consideration. There's not a hint of alcohol in this beer and that's a dangerous thing.
This is a damn good imperial stout from Brickstone. It's not in the rarified air of the top tier but it's not far off either. It's well balanced in all flavor aspects with a sturdy roastiness. I like a blackberry jam. The dry finish also boosts this guy. Good stuff.
Dec 09, 2018$13.99 4-Pack
4 Seasons Liquors - Morris, IL
Dark Secret is a menacing looking beverage, as it should be. Black as night, not allowing a hint of light to pass. The minimal foam is dark, milk chocolate in color. It grows to a finger in height, maybe, and recedes fairly quickly leaving behind a thin ring around the glass and smattering of foam in the middle. Like I said, it looks menacing and it looks good.
Dark Secret sports a dense, rich nose. Big, jammy dark berries get things moving, blackberry mostly. There's a welcomed deep roastiness. Slight coffee notes bring up the middle with a splash of cream sweetness. That sweetness is abolished by the roast. A soft nuttiness and a drizzle of molasses wrap this bad boy up. Each swirl brings about deep caramel and a whisper of smoke. Good complexity.
The flavor steps up that roast. This beer is richly roasted from front to back. Those jammy blackberry notes are a welcomed accompaniment throughout. I flash of pine rushes the middle before that cold press coffee and splash of cream make themselves known. Deeply caramelized sweetness hits the back before softly smokey note from the roast finishes it off and lingers. The smoke combined with the blackberry jamminess makes for an interesting, delicious finish.
You're greeted with a dense yet slick body. The weight is on the chunkier side of the spectrum but it moves at a respectable pace. There is some sweetness but it's surpassed by the roast driven bitterness. That bitterness is accentuated thanks to a nicely dry finish, especially when taking the abv into consideration. There's not a hint of alcohol in this beer and that's a dangerous thing.
This is a damn good imperial stout from Brickstone. It's not in the rarified air of the top tier but it's not far off either. It's well balanced in all flavor aspects with a sturdy roastiness. I like a blackberry jam. The dry finish also boosts this guy. Good stuff.
Reviewed by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois
4.07/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.07/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Tasted in a Rastal Teku from a 12 fl oz can on November 10, 2018. Notes of dark roast coffee and bitter dark chocolate. Feel is medium to full in body with a creamy mouthfeel.
Dec 04, 2018Reviewed by tp1962 from Illinois
5/5 rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Wow! One of my new favorites!
Look jet black pour
Smell that if coffee and chocolate
Feel so smooth and thick
Taste coffee notes are strong just how I like it!
Overall I was so pleased with this stout
I have been to bourbonis and visited their establishment but never had this. Well done! Definitely will be purchasing again !!
Sep 11, 2018Look jet black pour
Smell that if coffee and chocolate
Feel so smooth and thick
Taste coffee notes are strong just how I like it!
Overall I was so pleased with this stout
I have been to bourbonis and visited their establishment but never had this. Well done! Definitely will be purchasing again !!
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Released 5/12/18; drank 7/1/18 @ the Yarchives.
Midnight black appearance.
A violent pour yielded a huge dark khaki head; decent lace.
Dark roast coffee bean, cream, dark chocolate, fresh earth & faint peanut butter notes in the nose.
Creamy medium thick mouthfeel.
Dark roast coffee bean, fresh earth & faint cream flavors up front; bakers chocolate & faint raspberry notes on the finish. Almost no booze heat.
Very dark & roasty; not my favorite take on the style but flavorful & interesting. I'd have another...
Jul 02, 2018Midnight black appearance.
A violent pour yielded a huge dark khaki head; decent lace.
Dark roast coffee bean, cream, dark chocolate, fresh earth & faint peanut butter notes in the nose.
Creamy medium thick mouthfeel.
Dark roast coffee bean, fresh earth & faint cream flavors up front; bakers chocolate & faint raspberry notes on the finish. Almost no booze heat.
Very dark & roasty; not my favorite take on the style but flavorful & interesting. I'd have another...
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