Dark & Evil Belgian Imperial Bourbon Stout
Blue Mountain Brewery

 

Got to try this one from a firkin at Beer Run in Charlottesville. Poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a dark chocolate brown with two fingers of fine mocha foam head that has the consistency of marshmallow creme and behaves similarly--fairly persistent and smooth. Leaves behind some very nice lacing.

Smell: The nose is dominated by bourbon and rum soaked raisins, which are blended very nicely with heavy vanilla and cream notes. It comes across as a nice, smooth and creamy bourbon...almost like a milkshake. Slightly spicy but certainly not hot.

Taste: Bourbon and rum blend with vanilla, cream, chocolate, and dark fruits--particularly prunes and raisins, as well as some nice clove spice. It really is like a sweet and slightly spicy beer smoothie.

Mouthfeel: Absolutely superb--though I feel like this is bound to be good coming from a firkin. Incredibly smooth and perfectly carbonated, with little to no heat and pleasant aftertaste. Medium bodied and creamy.

Drinkability: I think this is the best beer I have had from Blue Mountain--and I thought they couldn't top Dark Hollow. It's amazing how well this blend turned out.

Firkin at Beer Run, Charlottesville, a blend of 1/3 Dark Hollow, 1/3 Dark Russian, and 1/3 Evil 8, served in a pint glass.

Appearance: An ominously inky body. The head is initially one inch tall, a nice cocoa tan, perhaps slightly lighter than the nitro head that's typically associated with Dark Hollow, and has average retention, a little less superb than I'd expect from a cask ale. It does leave a nice collar of creamy foam and a marvelous, drippy and ringed lacing, sticky and dry on the non-sip side of this glass.

Aroma: The two strongest notes I get are the bourbon from the Dark Hollow and the candied fruit esters from the Evil 8. A soft but spicy bourbon kick wafts around and levitates above spicy phenols, prunes, raisins, and black cherries, though other slightly creamy and faintly coffee-like toasted malts with hints of caramel and vanilla emerge as this one begins to settle.

Taste: The Evil 8 exerts a disproportionate influence here, with phenols, dark fruits, light remotely fruity esters, cloves, and even faint nutmeg forcefully emerge from a darkly toasted morass that's mostly neutrally toasty but does suggest the obligatory coffee/milk chocolate duo. The bourbon is less forceful here than in the nose, but its interaction with the spiciness of the Evil 8 does come through stronger here, with the spice of the spirit augmenting and playing off the spice of the Belgian yeast in interesting ways.

Mouthfeel: A little less full-bodied than either the Dark Russian or the Dark Hollow, though with all the softness, slickness, smoothness, and creaminess of both. The Evil 8 contributes a slight lightly-roasted, malty chewiness, and on tap this one develops an even smoother note, with the lack of carbonation amplifying the lighter malt notes nicely and keeping the bourbon and alcohol subdued.

Drinkability: What an inspired blend. I'm not sure if I'm so pleased by this one because of the novelty or because of the manner in which the characteristics of this beer play off one another. I'm tentatively leaning towards the latter at the moment after thoroughly reviewing the taste. It's slightly hot - a result of this being a blend of three high % beers, one of which was aged in 1792 Ridgemont barrels - but I imagine that's also a result of serving style, so I can't detract too much because of the obviousness of it all. That being said, the aforementioned interplay, authenticity, and overall enjoyability of this one is more than enough to make up for it.