Imagine
Block 15 Brewing - Southtown Tap Room

 

This is the 2024 14.0 ABV variety. It's delicious.
Smooth sipper at 14% w/o any alcohol burn (I actually prefer a bit of the 'burn').
First sip at refrigerator temp - probably need to let it sit to warm a bit.
Noticeable bourbon taste at finish.
Block 15 makes good stuff.

Review: 2273
Name: Imagine
Brewery: Block 15 Brewing Co
Location: Corvallis, OR
Style: Barrel-Aged Stout
ABV: 14.5%
Canned: October 2021
Date: 8 December 2024
I received this beer from a dear friend; thank you. My first beer was from Block 15 Brewing; I am looking forward to drinking this beer. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 48 degrees. The pour created a foamy, creamy, one-fingered, dark brown head with fair retention. The somewhat quick dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The color is inky black with a reddish-brown hue, and the clarity is opaque. The appearance of the beer is average for this style. 3.75
Nosing the glass, I smell anise, caramel, toffee, dark chocolate, medium-roasted coffee, bourbon, cloves, light banana, oak, char, raisins, and molasses. Smelling the glass again, I notice earthy dirt, tobacco, vanilla, bready, dark toasted bread crust, malty sweetness, anise, soy sauce, and light Maillard. The aromas are big and robust malt, with a delicate Belgian yeast note. 4.25
The flavors start with Bourbon, dark chocolate, caramel, toffee, vanilla, oak, char, medium-roasted coffee, cloves, raisins, tobacco, and earthiness. Sipping the glass, I taste floral, light banana, anise, raisins, Maillard, light smoke, malty sweetness, Molasses, and a hint of soy sauce. 4.25
The mouthfeel is smooth and thick, finishing warm. The body is medium-plus and has medium carbonation. 4.25
Imagine is a big, boozy beer with a delicate Belgian yeast note on the end. It is a good barrel-aged stout, but I am not a fan of the booziness; I would have enjoyed less warmth on the finish. I am not sure how other brewers hide the big alcohol, but they do and it makes more of an enjoyable beer until you stand up. I am enjoying the Belgian notes in this stout, makes for something a bit different than the usual barrel-aged stout. 4.25

500 ml bottle into a snifter. The 2023 edition, had 2/2/24.

Pours near black and opaque, with a half inch foamy head and light, foamy lacing. Aromas of bourbon, malt, oak, vanilla, some chocolate and licorice, a little Belgian yeast. Flavors of bourbon, roasted malt, oak, vanilla, some chocolate, a little licorice. Tastes herbal. Smooth, a very good fuller body, well carbonated.

I didn’t find this to be very Belgian, seemed more like a foreign export stout or a Baltic porter. But why nitpick? There’s delicious and prominent barrels, and it’s flavorful and aromatic overall. This is well executed and very enjoyable. Best fully warmed.

 

beautiful finish, right out the get-go. No bitterness, slight bit of viscosity. A True Dessert beer to share with good friends.

14.5% either 22 or 23

On tap. A lot of barrel and char here. Light roast. Nice bourbon and chocolate. I don’t think I’d have guessed this to be a Belgian imperial stout.

L: diabolically black
S: oaky, cocoa, toasty malt, dark fruit, a wee bourbon smell.
T: toasted malt,dark chocolate,bourbon, dried plums, & cherries.
F: full bodied mouth feel, very warm
Only wish I'd got more than one bottle

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin brown head that dissipates to a film with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, woody oak, light bourbon, cocoa and vague dark fruit. Flavor is dark toasted malt, licorice, dark chocolate, bourbon, dried plums. Finishes with woody oak, bourbon and a mild astringency. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. A rich, bourbony, dark stout with distinct woody oak character. It has some mild dark fruitiness of Belgian stout yeast, but that profile is subsumed into the other, deeper flavors of chocolate and dark malt. The overall taste profile reminds me more of an American strong blended ale, with that style's melding of stout and barleywines (here represented by the Trappist yeast fruit notes). Fine balance, great depth and complexity. I'm not getting the cherry notes and mild tartness that other reviewers have noted, which is good because the latter is not something I like in stouts. Beautifully brewed, aged and blended, as expected from Block 15.

2019 version from the bottle. 13.5%

Hard to knock much on the appearance here. It's diabolically black, mirror clean, and boasts a thin tan head which remains as just a ring around the glass.

The aroma is sweet and slightly tart. Heavily handed with milk chocolate, plum, and maraschino cherries, with a generous dose of damp oak staves. The booze is definitely present but is masked quite well.

The flavor is substantially unique. It says right there on the label "Belgian-Style Stout", but what the hell does that mean? Well, in this case it means exactly what the aroma indicates: a milk chocolate covered maraschino cherry, complete with a nutty almond caramel drizzle and a smooth woody finish.

Slick and rich textures are competing to the death against the mildy tart and wood derived drying finish. The elevated abv is barely noticeable if it weren't for the woods dead giveaway. It has a uniquely bubbly feel to it too. I'd say it fits somewhere right between a Flanders Red and a "stout".

Very impressive and curious brew we have here. Overall, despite what it dictates on the label, I'd call this a wonderful bridging of styles and think it just might benefit greatly with some time, forgotten under the staircase.

 

 

 

 

On tap at ABV. 11.5%

Black with a dark brown head that falls off rapidly leaving little lacing this looks solid. The nose is a wonderfully complex with spicy Belgian stout and a strong bourbon note. Chocolate, bitter chocolate, chocolate ganache, buckwheat honey, dark caramel, toffee. A mild booze note is present as well. The palate opens bittersweet with dark chocolate, honey, butterscotch, honey, dark toffee , spice. Dark caramel. Licorice and a mild leather. Full in body and softly carbonated, mildly boozy on the finish. Excellent.