Blackbeerd Imperial Stout (2010) - Buffalo Trace Barrel Aged
COAST Brewing Company

Blackbeerd Imperial Stout (2010) - Buffalo Trace Barrel AgedBlackbeerd Imperial Stout (2010) - Buffalo Trace Barrel Aged
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From:
COAST Brewing Company
 
South Carolina, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
9.3%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.15 | pDev: 7.71%
Reviews:
63
Ratings:
101
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 24, 2015
Added:
Mar 22, 2010
Wants:
  97
Gots:
  17
No description / notes.
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Ratings by CrellMoset:
Photo of CrellMoset
Reviewed by CrellMoset from Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
22 oz. bottle courtesy of beerzero, poured in to a snifter - thanks bro!

Appearance: Pours a not-too-all brown bottle brown, stout-esque, but definitely thinner (hue intensity-wise). Unsure if that's the barrel thinning, or a lack of residual sugars, or just the base malts in this one. Regardless, it's collectively about as opaque as it can get - such is the power of collective action. Up to this point, I was satisfied with the appearance of this beer - the complete lack of a head evolving left me disheartened. I increased the tilt angle of the bottle as the snifter neared the halfway point, hoping to elicit something, anything, but only about a quarter finger of beige head emerged, and it quickly faded in to a distressingly thin surface blot. The collar is even sadder, not even uniform around the circumference of the snifter, forming sort of a (waning) crescent moon of foam. Occasional carbonation can be seen around the edges of the glass, racing towards the surface, another omen of a thin body.

Aroma: Faint, but agitation, warmth, and study reveal a few clues. Smokiness is the first note I get out of this one, sort of a deep, tingly smell, a little peaty but not quite that meat-like. Malts are well-attenuated, not really jumping out in any strong way, simply providing a strong toasty but nondescript backbone with a few flourishes of sweetness. Vanilla and faint coconut bring up the rear, mingling at the very finish with a smooth, ever so slightly spicy whiskey note. The whiskey is surprisingly faint in the nose, and that surprise is part good but also part contrast-with-the-mouth, so it's a mixed bag.

Taste: This one improves slightly as it warms and it does grow on me a little, though it's still not terribly good - it's shallow, a little too toasty, and doesn't provide a great balance for the barrel aging. That being said, there is some good stuff here. The malt foundation is dry, toasty, and astringent - precisely like I remember the regular COAST Blackbeerd being - but thinned out even more, for a sort of rough and husky toastiness that's equal parts unpleasant astringency and watery malts. The barrel aging adds a few things that interplay well with the non-burned malt notes in the base beer - a few stone fruits come across like grape cola, suggestive of cherries, fudge, and raisins, as well as some definite coconut (stronger than in the nose) and vanilla (weaker than in the nose) - but it mostly contributes a whiskey presence that's harsh, spicy, and a little chemical-ly in nature, truth be told.

Mouthfeel: Perhaps this beer's best attribute. It's smooth, for the most part, with a thickness that hides its high attenuation. That thickness is probably largely the result of a low but persistent and gentle carbonation, the end result of which is a slightly creamy mouthfeel that goes a long way to suggesting the presence of sugars and body (flavor wise) that isn't really here, but could be.

Drinkability: I was not impressed by this beer at all, and I think the reason is simple: dry, toasty, astringent beers don't make good counterparts to barrel aging. They don't provide enough cover for the spice, the sting, the heat of the spirit addition. Truth be told, the 9.3% bill isn't egregious, and the beer isn't that boozy - it's just not the smooth, mellow, quaffable combination of notes you want out of a brew like this. I would highly recommend amping up the free sugars in this beer, however one needs to do that - given the low abv%, it seems the recipe for that is either using fresher barrels or amping up the initial sugar content. It might also be beneficial to amp up the hop content to balance - you'd be able to balance the sugars as well as provide for greater head retention. As it stands, this beer is decent and no better, but I have faith COAST could make something really great out of it.
Feb 13, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.1 by jfstilling from South Carolina

Feb 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.11 by mdaschaf from Indiana

Jan 27, 2015
Photo of Kurmaraja
Reviewed by Kurmaraja from California

4.21/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Perhaps a little past its prime this far out from bottling but still really great. I love a stout without a ton of sweetness and this hits that. Very nice body for the low ABV. Color was a little light, reddish, perhaps from age. Taste was strongly cocoa, bakers chocolate. Bourbon was present but not a ton of heat. Well done.
Jan 11, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by Gonzoillini from Illinois

Oct 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Joecaddie from Delaware

Oct 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Kmlund from Massachusetts

Oct 08, 2014
Photo of Davepoolesque
Reviewed by Davepoolesque from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -3.6%
Lots of chocolate in the nose. Milk chocolate, lactose. Not getting anything in the way of barrel. Maybe after 4 years its so well integrated. It's really good.
Oct 06, 2014
Photo of wedge
Reviewed by wedge from North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
@ COAST

Black with a creamy tan ring of bubbles for a head. Wooden barrel, bourbon, chocolate, and dark fruity aromas – some slight oxidation under it all. Rich malty flavor featuring a super smooth bourbon barrel character, vanilla, chocolate, slight coffee roast, and nuts. Pretty heavy and creamy in the mouth, finishing clean. We were just about to leave the tasting room when they tapped this, so naturally we had to stick around. A tasty, creamy smooth BA stout that doesn’t let things get too sweet or boozy.
Jul 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.44 by BMBCLT from South Carolina

Jul 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by FUwolfpacker from South Carolina

Apr 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

Mar 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by cbgoods from South Carolina

Feb 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by mschofield from Massachusetts

Jan 22, 2014
Photo of zac16125
Reviewed by zac16125 from South Carolina

4.39/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
22oz bottle into a snifter
Bottled on: 06/15/10

Picked up from the brewery on 12/20/13 after they decided to unexpectedly and randomly release a BA Blackbeerd vertical at the brewery. So awesome. You guys are the best.

A: Pours an opaque black with browning on the edges and just a sliver of bubbly light tan colored head. Leaves a small amount of patchy lacing.

S: Sweet dark fruits, roasted malt and bakers chocolate, oak, a subtle scotch like peat character, sweet bourbon and charred oak.

T: At first I get huge roasted malt and herbaceous notes. Next the barrel characters come out with a nice bourbon booziness and charred oak that lingers forever on the finish. I also get dark cocoa and a hint of black coffee bitterness. The bourbon barrel notes become more prominent as it warms. This is awesome, great depth of flavor, with layers coming out in each sip.

M/D: Full bodied, seems a touch thinner than the 2013 I just had (not sure if thats the time on the bottle or just my imagination) but still somewhat chewy. Carbonation moderate, but retains a good smoothness. A bit of booze is noticed but is welcomed. Drinkability is very good.

O: Overall, great beer. The barrel characters add a lot to the base beer on this one. Barrel characters are moderate, not huge like the 2012 BA version, but more prominent than the 2013 BA version. If I hate to rate the Blackbeerd's Ive had so far itd be: 2012 BA, 2010 BA, 2013 BA and then regular. All have been very good though. Looking forward to trying more!
Dec 21, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by prototypic from Ohio

Nov 09, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by klipper from Michigan

Oct 27, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by MacQ32 from South Carolina

Oct 19, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by RedneckBeerz from Massachusetts

Sep 08, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by orangesol from Pennsylvania

Jul 20, 2013
Blackbeerd Imperial Stout (2010) - Buffalo Trace Barrel Aged from COAST Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 101 ratings