Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star: Coffee Edition | Fremont Brewing Company

4.18/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.85/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

4.12/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

4.35/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.68/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

I receive an abundance of Fremont bottles in the last year, both from scavenging around Denver during GABF, and from a regular trade partner on BA. I've let many of them sit for a bit - and I'm now regretting that. Whatever made me sit on beer, I'll never know.

Dark Star Coffee is a gem of a beer. It features a rich chocolate-coffee nose and a creamy taste and mouth feel. There is a wealth of oak and bourbon to the taste, and I never thought for a moment that it was even sort of thin - the oatmeal stout characteristics of the beer are strong, resulting in that amazing sweet, creamy, rich, dense, complex taste and mouth feel. When chilly the beer even has a bit of a dark fruit note to it. This smooths right out in tremendous coffee - no bitterness or acidity of note whatsoever.

I regret sitting on this one - it's nothing short of fantastic. Dark Star is such an underrated, undervalued beer, and I really respect that Fremont has kept the quality high, given the quantity they are cranking out. The differences between variants, too, is noteworthy - they're all their own unique beast and definitely require review.

Damn fine, Fremont - I'm a big fan. Keep up the amazing work.

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4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.52/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

3.78/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4.69/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

4.28/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.42/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.6/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.64/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pours black and despite pouring straight into the glass at a moderate pace, only a half finger of khaki fizz rose up at max. Head retention is poor. The second pour from the second half of the bottle headed a slightly larger and foamier head, but still not great retention. Aroma is dark, rich coffee right on the nose with rich roasted malts behind. Additional notes of toasted, caramel, and bread malts mingle with toffee, bourbon, and char to form a hearty, dark aroma. The 13% ABV peaks through the aroma letting the drinker know what they're about to consume. Flavor profile lands notes of roasted, toasted, and caramel notes right up front. Coffee, with a decadent chocolate note, and toffee, caramel, bourbon, and a bitter sting of char at the finish round out a deep, dark flavor profile. It hides its 13% ABV well. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a hearty, velvety, smooth texture that is warming and welcoming. Overall, a hearty stout with delightful notes of coffee throughout, exactly as the label would suggest. Great beer.

Served in a 12oz snifter from a 22oz bottle.

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4.52/5  rDev 0%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.66/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.75/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

4.58/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.54/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.58/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.97/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2015 vintage.

Look: Barely any head, very dark black body.

Smell : See below.

Taste : Rich dark chocolate, cocao, oats, mild bourbon, caramel, coffee.

Feel : Low carbonation, thick full body. Almost no alcohol presence despite being 14.5 abv. Mildly sweet upfront and in the finish. Super creamy mouthfeel.

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