Jolly Roger Thor
5 Seasons Westside

 

750mL bottle at the brewpub.

Pours almost black, but not completely opaque, with a big fluffy tan head that recedes very quickly and leaves almost no collar and little lacing.

The aroma is still predominantly the underlying Thor, with the heavily roasted dark malts, roasted coffee and hints of Belgian yeast. The rum is present but not overpowering - the spicy oak is almost more noticeable than the rum.

So that's where the rum went. There is much more rum in the taste, though the chocolate malts and coffee are still fighting through. The finish is where things start to swing toward the oak and rum, much more so than the aroma would suggest.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with soft carbonation and much drier than the original beer due to the oak.

I enjoyed this one more slightly more than the Cowboy Thor and I think the rum really adds some complexity. Tasted like a chocolate covered rum cake.

Thor infused with Rum-Soaked (specifically Niessan's Rhum) Oak Chips.

Appearance: Pours out a foreboding black body with a lasting, finely-textured, tan-colored head.

Smell: Starts roasty, even toasty, and with a good, pervasive whiff of spicy oakiness and a jigger full of expertly crafted Caribbean rum. Generous amount of chocolate-scented notes, though, the strong fruitiness I associate with the standard-issue Thor seems rather muted here, with the rum and oak taking its place.

Taste: Rich roasted maltiness covered in shaved baker's chocolate and dark chocolate chips. Right away, there's a delightfully engaged spicy oak component, coupled with the spicy phenolics from the Belgian yeast. Regularly, the Thor has a punchy fruitiness, but here it seems to have been swapped out with the fine tastes of both rum and oak. Finishes dry and fairly effervescent with a lingering hint of chocolate-flavored rum.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-high carbonation.

Drinkability: Well, that was very nice, indeed. Regrettably, it's not everyday you come across a beer infused with top-shelf rum. The oak is just the tree-flavored icing on the cake!

Bottle purchased from the brewpub. Regular Thor aged in rum barrels.

Pours black with a one-finger light brown head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells very similar to the base beer - lightly roasted malts with hints of dark chocolate and bananas from the Belgian yeast - however there are boozy undertones with earthy notes as well.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Solid roasted malt flavors with dark chocolate up front are joined by muted Trappist yeast flavors - bananas mostly with hints of darker fruit - midway through the sip. The ending is mildly bitter and leaves a good deal of slightly fruity and leafy flavors - a sort of combination of gin and rum.

Mouthfeel is good. It has a smooth thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have another.

Overall I thought this beer differed a lot more from the normal version than did Cowboy Thor. Both were solid but I was a fan of the subtle differences imparted by the barrel. Worth a shot.