Sea Monster Imperial Stout (Rum Barrel)
Ballast Point Brewing Company

 

 

On tap at The Federal Bar in North Hollywood, CA.

Pours an almost opaque super dark crimson-brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa powder, cookie dough, rum, and wood aromas. Taste is much the same with cocoa powder, cookie dough, rum, and wood flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roast and wood bitterness and an alcohol kick on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and dry mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer with great rum barrel aged qualities that are slightly better in the taste to me.

Serving type: on tap.

 

I liked the rum barrel flavor because as much as I like bourbon barrel aged beers, some of them run together after awhile and are hard to differentiate. The mouthfeel of this beer was a little thin though.

 

 

 

 

Pours pitch black with a thin typical-looking creamy light tan nitro head that slowly faded into a faint collar. Smells and tastes of sweet rum barrel, raisin, chocolate, booze, leather and faint dark fruits. Sweet brown sugar and spicy barrel are present as well. I'm getting tons of vanilla on the nose but less in the taste. Smooth and thick body but a touch watery with low carbonation. Warming finish but not hot. Overall extremely delicious.