Grandfather Raven
Black Raven Brewing Co.

3.42/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from FalconA. Thanks! Reviewed from notes.

A: Thick, oily black with a foaming mocha head. Suprising lack of legs.

N: Roasted coffee, licorice, cocoa, and hints of molasses. Fudge, some moss, caramel, vanilla, and some cinnamon.

T: Very roasty with a heart of bitterness and a roundness of malt sweetness. Very similar to a mocha with licorice flavors. However, the bitterness has bite, and this can get somewhat harsh.

M: Thick and robust. Alcohol is very pronounced.

O: Nice beer, but the overwhelming bitterness is a big detractor for me. A little bit of aeration seems to help, but I'd place this in the middle tier of RISes.

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4.09/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter.

4.5 A: Black color. Two and a half fingers of frothy light brown head. Retention is very good given the ABV and a lattice of lacing is left behind.

4.25 S: Bold, yet delicate. Supple roastiness which is balanced by layers of caramel, milk chocolate, molasses, and coffee notes. Licorice and a touch of smoke underneath.

4.0 T: Very tasty as well. Plenty of roast, which leaves a soft bitter aftertaste. Caramel, chocolate, molasses, and coffee all with some potency. Vanilla, licorice, and smokiness underneath.

4.0 M: Heavier medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Pleasantly creamy with a mild burnt finish.

4.0 D: Very good RIS. Lots of flavor and subtlety without anything offputting.

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4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

3.38/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

$ 11.56 (Including shipping)/capped bomber ($ 0.526/oz) from Tavour, Seattle, WA.
Bottled 10/6/17 marked on the label, stored at 42 degrees and served at 57 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 4.25.
Body – Dark brown, opaque.
Head – Large (Maximum 5.3 cm, aggressive pour), tan, dense with surface rocks, average retention, diminishing to a three mm ring fed by slight effervescence and a thick, complete layer with rocks. Head retraction leaves columns of lacing.
Lacing – Excellent! Overlapping wide complete bands of tiny to small bubbles – thick enough to have a true three-dimensional appearance.
Pour – Dark brown, clear.
Aroma – 3 - Chocolate and some coffee.
Flavor – 3.5 - Roasted, slightly burnt coffee predominates with some roasted malt in the background. Ends moderately bitter with an annoyingly long hang time. No hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Medium, almost creamy, soft carbonation.
Impression and summation – 3.5 - The aroma and the palate are the minimum that would be expected from any non-BA Russian Imperial stout. The flavor is definitely at the bitter end, so much so that the bitter burnt coffee is what I’ll remember about this brew, long after the excellent appearance is long forgotten.

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4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.27/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

4.39/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into chilled pint glass. Deep, dark, opaque black color. Nice (albeit thin) tan/beige head, which dissipated quickly. Very even and persistently sticky lacing throughout the experience. Nose reveals chocolate and dark coffee roast, with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. On the palate, the flavor profile replicates the nose, although spicy roasted coffee is more pronounced and dominates over the chocolate and other flavors, which are more subdued, while a bourbon barrel aged character emerges. Interestingly, however, there is little evidence of heavy alcohol here, which helps the flavor profile sustain throughout the finish. I tend to like my stouts a little less roasty and a little more chocolate/bourbon like in flavor, but this is one roasted coffee bomb that I really enjoyed. Definitely worth your time and attention.

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4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle - 22 ounce to snifter
black, dark brown foam that slowly dissipates
fragrant, nice aroma, roasted nuts
low bitterness, some sweetness
creamy
very good-excellent, one of the better stouts
drank: February 9, 2017 10:42 PM

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4.02/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

4.75/5  rDev +11.2%

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.13/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.18/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

4.62/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

3.77/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

3.5/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5