Black Tuesday
The Bruery

Pours a deep dark black, with some hefty legs to it. Fusel bourbon on the nose, chocolate and raisin flavors come through nice. This was holy shit good.

 

From a 12.7oz bottle dated 09/12/25 into a stemless wine glass.

Pours not surprisingly, opaque black. Very little tan head that dissipates quickly into nothing, leaving no lacing.

Sweet bourbon on the nose backed by milk chocolate, light coffee and dark fruit.

Barrel front and center. Backed complexly by milk chocolate, figs, coffee and a light roasty note.

So this beer looked a little thin on the pour but presents full-bodied and very smooth drinking. Some heat from the barrel.

I get the feeling this is what a BBA stout is supposed to taste like. What a treat.

Re-reviewing this one as I last had it more than a dozen years ago.

750mL (vintage 2021) into a tulip. Pours a deep dark brownish black that’s not quite opaque—some light pierces the liquid around the sides of the glass with a reddish mahogany glow. Not much head to speak of, but there does seem to be a reasonable level of carbonation if I swirl the glass.

Aroma is big dark chocolate and bourbon up front, followed closely by warm vanilla, caramel, and toasted coconut. Some dark stone fruits as it warms. I’ve recently enjoyed BT Grand Reserve and Grey Monday, and this is right in the same general aroma profile as those great beers.

Taste leads off with dark sweet roasted malt, followed quickly by a nice boozy warmth. A lot of the same supporting flavors as the aroma—caramel, toffee, vanilla, black cherries, bourbon-soaked figs/dates. Everything works in harmony here, and it’s hard to remember this is a 19% beer.

Mouthfeel is sticky, chewy, heavy. Finish has a long, drawn out half-life. Spot-on for the style.

Overall this is still considered one of the best imperial stouts for a reason. Based on its BA profile it’s been around since 2009, and it’s just as good as the first time I tried it just a few years after that. Outstanding—a must-try beer.
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Previous review (10/10/2013) preserved for posterity:

4.61/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

750mL (2010) into a snifter. Pours a semi-transparent brownish black w/ a 1-finger mocha head that settles quickly to a thin collar. Reddish light breaks through the sides of the glass. Nice boozy legs on this one.

Aroma is huge bourbon, molasses, chocolate, toffee, oak, char, caramel... the list of adjectives goes on and on.

Taste follows nose. Tons of bourbon and dark roasty malt, sticky-sweet chocolate-covered black cherries, caramel, and loads of vanilla. A rich dessert sipper of a beer.

Mouthfeel is sticky and chewy, coating, heavy, decadent.

Overall a big crazy barrel-aged bourbon stout that managed somehow to exceed my expectations.

Bottled 09/14/13

A: pours pitch black. not much of a khaki head which scurries away to nothing upon blinking. Reasonable hiss upon opening a 12+ year old beer.
S: Dark chocolate. vanilla, charred wood, bourbon. maple syrup
T: Mostly the same here. Dark Chocolate vanilla and bourbon. A dollop of maple syrup on the tail end. An incredible amount of heat given its age.
M: low carbonation.. Creamy
O: Giving it a +.25 here just for its ability to offer impressive barrel aged characteristics after 12+ years. I don't recall any other BA beer holding up in this way over this amount of time. It is an 18.9% beer so perhaps it has an advantage in this way. Regardless, this is drinking quite well now. I can only imagine how much of a bruiser this beer is fresh.

2024 edition poured from a 375 ml bottle into a snifter. Listed as 19.7% ABV.

Inky black, even when held up to the light. Weak tan head with some lacing, but strong wine-like legs when the glass is swirled. Aroma is dominated by strong, tannic oak, with lower whiskey, prune and soy sauce notes. The flavors emphasize the aged, barrel character much more than the beer's inherent stout flavors. There is a depth and complexity of flavors, with prune, molasses, oak barrel, and bourbon. Thick, silky body that leaves a somewhat sweet coating in the mouth. Light carbonation, just a hint beyond still. Medium to high bitterness never leaves you thinking this is a sweet beer. Strong alcohol presence, but it is well-integrated with the massive flavors, so that it does not come across as boozy.

This is a strongly oaked, complex stout that is unlike any other I've had in this category. It is the opposite of a pastry stout, more like a filet mignon stout.

1/25/26 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Purchased at store temperature December 10, 2025 at Beer on the Wall Park Ridge for $29.06 including tax. Refrigerated upon returning home before opening this morning. 12.7 oz., no bottle date but a release date of 10/7/25, 19.1% ABV. Black Tuesday 2025 Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. Best stored and served at 55 F. Brewed & Bottled By The Bruery, Placentia, California.

Elegant, innovative, complex: Black Tuesday provides a uniquely elevated beer-drinking experience unlike any other. Rich, complex, flavor from time spent aging in bourbon barrels mingles effortlessly with distinct notes of creme brulee, poached figs, and milk chocolate. Surprisingly smooth at 19.1% ABV, this is a beer you won't soon forget.

Appearance: Full bottle pour into a GI BCBS thin snifter yields a very dark brown near black base, and a bubbly white light tan head that quickly dissipates into a creamy ring around the rim and two small islands of thin rising carbonation over the base. 4.25

Aroma: Very boozy, noted when merely opening the bottle. As this warms I get milk and bakers chocolate and roast malt, all backing the bourbon which is smoothing out after initial harshness. Strong like bull, holding on for the ride. 4.0

Taste: First sips nearing 15 minutes after pulling from the refrigerator yields the strong bourbon, though very smooth and enjoyable. Getting the creme brulee noted on the bottle, roast malt and the same milk and bakers chocolate noted in the nose. This is well executed and remains enjoyable as this warms further. An excellent blend of barrel and base. Excellence. 4.75

Mouthfeel: Gentle carbonation more heard than felt, medium to full body. Bourbon asserts domination as this warms further over all the other wonderful flavors noted early. Lightly dry, bourbon contains any excess sweetness, and how. 4.25

Overall: This is an excellent beer. Very strong barrel treatment, base flavors fight the good fight, but in the end, the barrel, a nice smooth bourbon, is the primary takeaway. Still works well both cool and warm, but 15-20 minutes from the refrigerator is peak performance. An overall very enjoyable experience. 4.5

 

 

 

750ml bottle poured into a snifter. 2023 vintage.

A: Jet black pour with what seems to be good clarity, as far as I can tell. A half inch of brown head sputters out pretty quickly. Just some tiny specks of lacing.

S: Burnt sugar and raw honey up front. German chocolate cake, dark chewy fudge, tootsie rolls. Undertones of french roast coffee and heavily roasted malt. Freshly doused campfire, far in the background. Custard. Some light estery notes of sugar dates and fig sauce. Perhaps even a bit of Chambord. The barrel is curiously quiet, but whispers of bourbon and marshmallowy oak come out with time and warmth.

T: Opens with the same burnt sugar and raw honey sweetness. The blanket of heavy roast that follows is a bit more pronounced than the nose suggested. Woody roasted malt, french roast coffee, char and smoke. Still some German chocolate cake and sticky dark fudge at its core. Blackberry reduction and Chambord are also a little more forward than on the nose. Bit of anise. Shot of peppery bourbon, boilermaker style. Barrel contributions of browned marshmallow. toasted coconut shavings, and bourbon ball candy. Figgy. Long, sweet finish of trailing bourbon, marshmallow, and fudge.

M: Thick and heavy with a runny, syrupy dextrin feel. Very much on the sweet side. Carbonation has a gentle prickle. Bourbon alcohol brings some peppery heat. Extremely mild oak tannin.

O: Very big and very sweet. It drinks more like a sugary cordial. The nose is a bit more vague about things, but in taste you get straight-up brawn. It does have some complexity to it, but the few more dominant flavors end up being more memorable to the final formed impression. To be very honest, this is one of those beers that I've always felt was a bit artificially inflated by the hype train. It's pretty solid as a sipper and shared bottle, don't get me wrong. For years though, it was treated as a whale and never really available on the open market. To me it is a step or two short of elite status, but still very good.

2024 bottle, 375 ml size

pours black in color, not much head, it fades quickly. strong bourbon aroma - boozy on top of roasted malt. similar taste, its a bit hot as expected for the ABV. a little black licorice. medium bodied, thinner that I'd like for this big of a beer though

I get that soy sauce thing in this, which I'm not a huge fan of. Reminds me a litlle of the last Abyss I had, but stronger. A very well made beer because at 19% alcohol is hardly noticeable, which is amazing. Im glad I tried it, but a little upset that I paid $28 for a bottle. A good beer but I couldn't drink two in a row, not just because of the alcohol, but the overwhelming soy sauce taste.

2025 bottle:

L - Deep black with mahogany highlights with no real head to speak of
S - Rich molasses and bourbon, caramel, charred oak, dark chocolate, roasted dark malt
T - follows the nose: rich molasses up front and throughout with charred oak and bourbon intermixed well. Bitter dark chocolate, caramel, roasted dark malt. Maybe some raisin
F - moderate to full bodied with light to moderate carbonation. Smooth
O - a BBA stout with very bitter/dark flavors. I like it. It lives up to the name.

On draught, a dark pour with a thin beige head that leaves no lacing.
Charred barley, caramel malt, blackstrap molasses, vanilla, bourbon.
A boozy brew that probably has more aspects of complexity that are masked from perception by the harshness.

This review is for a 2025 Black Tuesday. It's not as great as when I first tasted in back in 2014. That was deep, rich, smooth, vanilla, bourbon, thick, sweet-ish black syrup. And I mean that all in a GOOD way!

The bottling I got is thin, harsh, pronounced alcohol bite on the tongue, no smoothness, no roundness, it just slaps you upside the face like "Hey, I'm a high alcohol stout!" What happened to the beer that I fell in love with? Back in 2014 I told anyone who wanted my opinion that it was the best stout in the world.

Sadly, this 2025 is not it.

Disappointing. Thin. Unremarkable. Simple. Boring. I’m pretty upset this didn’t wow me. It’s strong, but who cares? Sierra Nev BA narwhal, for $5 a can, has more complexity, body, and barrel expression. A remarkable let down. Worth maybe $10.. but not $30

This is an absurdly strong beer. When I first had a BCBS 10 years ago, I thought 14% was about as high an ABV a beer could be. To this day, I honestly don't know how they even do this, but I'm impressed.

It's so smooth. From the taste, I would guess it's around the same abv as the classic GI offerings. But, at 19.1% alcohol, it's over 30% stronger than any of the ones I've tried from them.

Pours straight black and thick as hell. Surprisingly well carbonated, with excellent head retention. Nice classy label too. Love the implication that it should be drunk on a tuesday. Funny, I just realized bought it on tuesday.

I'm actually drinking it at 3 am on a thursday night; but I feel like that's still on theme.

Dank aromas of dark chocolate, bourbon, molasses, raisin, prune, pecan, caramel, vanilla, anise, milk chocolate, charcoal, medjool date, fig jam, whole wheat toast, leather, cream, brown butter, bourbon barrel and sweet red Virginia tobacco.

But honestly, the taste really carries this one. All the sweet notes are there, but the roasy chocolate bitterness balances it out perfectly, never allowing the sugars to overwhelm the palate. There's a strong acidity to it too, which gives a lingering savoury soy sauce impression near the finish, ending in cacao and clay. Incredibly complex on the palate.

I wouldn't call it dry though. Closer to espresso with a splash of heavy whipping cream and a touch of caramel to sweeten it up. Very heavy, but less than you would expect, considering its almost 40 proof. Expertly balanced.

Honestly, this really isn't my favorite beer style anymore, but this one was definitely worth trying. A head and shoulders above most of the competition, this brew is undeniably worthy of its notoriety.

90 A-