Barrel-Aged Black Dolphin
Marshall Brewing Company

 

Shiny metal-black and no froth. Aroma is redolent with thick notes of dark chocolate, brown bread, cherry and plum. Tastes of milk chocolate followed by a hint of dark chocolate, dried dark fruits, cotton candy, oak and a faint hop bite. Not even heavy and little alcohol is noticed, which is not surprising considering the ABV.

A nuanced Imperial Stout that doesn't have to pound its chest to make its point.

Pretty average looking for its style, little in the way of foam or lace. The aroma is somewhat different from most bourbon barrel stouts, there is a hint of coconut and even dill that reminds me of beers aged on new white oak, but it is something I have also gotten from the barrels of one whiskey producer in Florida, very unusual and perhaps a bit out of place in this sort of beer. The flavor is more in line with expectations, fairly sweet, but not too thick with lots of cake batter and marshmallow and lingering burnt sugar. Not bad, but it somehow comes off too sweet up front and a bit astringent in the finish. Worth a try, but there are certainly better barrel aged stouts to be found.