Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star: Chocolate, Vanilla & Maple Syrup
Fremont Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle. 2019.

Tan head. Black color.

Chocolate, cocoa, and vanilla sweetness. The maple syrup blends with the barrels. Bourbon and heat in the finish.

Full bodied and very enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

Pours out pitch black with a single line of dark brown foam even on a hard pour.

Nose is roasty and aggressive. If I didn't know any better, I would have guessed this was a Russian Imperial. Medium bourbon and barrel presence with big, rich, bold roasty malt notes. This reminds me a lot of Parabola. I don't get Chocolate, Vanilla, or Maple unfortunately.

Taste is a little bit more expressive. Its that same big barrel aged stout beast but there are slight hints of chocolate. Quick flashes that give you images of brownies and baked goods. There is also slight bits of vanilla that brighten up the brew. While it is strong, its not as unrelenting as Parabola. Still im not getting Maple.

Mouthfeel is full bodied, smooth perfection. Very mild carbonation. This is what to expect every time you get a Fremont Oatmeal Stout. Amazing stuff.

Overall this one is a little far off home plate than what I expected. Still great nonetheless but I don't remember if the malt was quite as aggressive as Coffee Dark Star or Rusty Nail. I'll have to check back with my 2017 Rusty Nail bottle. Anyway, a great brew.

 

 

 

Brown tinted midnight black opaque body with a creamy brown head. Bourbon warmth and oak barrel set up the nose with the adjunct vanilla, maple, and chocolate, get some smoke, bittersweet chocolate syrup, oat, and roasted barley. Taste is the longest sip I can remember, it just keeps going! Char, earth, wood start our adventure, then the bourbon, molasses, and bitters, followed by subtle oat, brown sugar, maple, and bittersweet chocolate syrup before maple candy with a vanilla flair ends it all with a boozy bite. Drawbacks: wants more integration and gets very sweet, especially for an oatmeal stout. The feel is not dampened by the sweetness, great barrel character and oat/malt/barley base providing an earthy and rustic backbone.

 

Viscous tar black with a burnt mocha head that dies down quickly to a fluid but densely fine film and thin tan ring.

A delectably smooth and moderately thick body melds well with both the chocolatey malt and added chocolate that work perfectly together while playing well with a lightly charred, peppery bourbon barrel presence. Immediately accenting and even inching to the fore is a substantial vanilla contribution that has a creamy cupcake icing flavor to it, but also a deeper bean note in the background.

The maple doesn't seem to add a lot of character to the brew, but the barrel continues to shine on subsequent sips and especially on the exhale, with a tingly heat and a faint hint of campfire coal ash. The nearly full body has a fine carbonation running throughout, coming to a numbing, semi-dry and only minimally sticky finish.

 

 

On tap in Nampa ID.

A: Dark, velvety pour yields minimal head and lace.

S: Sweetness and spirit; maple is prominent as well as vanilla and bourbon, with milk chocolate notes and some roast character as well.

T: The maple on this draft is nice; there is a decadent sweetness but it isn’t overpowering, you still get plenty of dark roast, oak and bourbon. Hints of coffee too, with impressions of mocha.

MF: Velvety full mouthfeel, lower carbonation. Not quite the fullness of other Dark Stars I’ve tried but still ‘big’.

O: A very nice offering, I was stoked to try it and it didn’t disappoint.

9 June 2020 - Beer #115

Corona Day #89

Price: $24.99 at Bob's Liquors in Seattle, WA

Appearance: 5 - entirely opaque black with stunning tan lacing.

Nose: 5 - pretty much all barrel. No chocolate, vanilla, or maple to speak of, but the barrel is heavenly.

Taste: 5 - amazingly complex. Everything is just blended together so well, and the barrel is perfect.

Mouth: 5 - along the best mouthfeels I've experienced. Unbelievably smooth from the oatmeal stout base.

Overall: 5 - fantastic, a true standout in the series.

Stay safe out there, my friends.

Cheers!

On tap at Orenco Taphouse.

Jet black with a dense, dark brown head that falls off to a thin ring rapidly, this is solid. Maple and vanilla with a nice mellow coconut and bourbon heart along with a rich dark chocolate, dark honey, rich and creamy. The palate opens rich and balanced, a blend of bourbon, vanilla, maple, coconut, all from the barrel along with rich dark chocolate, mildly sweet, tempered by a moderate roasted malt bitterness that only serves to amplify the sweetness, particularly the coconut notes. The chocolate is rich and deep, with layers of bitterness and dark fruit, along with a cocoa note. The midpalate is particularly unctuous and decadent, creamy and rich like a good dark chocolate ganache. Full in body, softly and creamy in carbonation, this beer has a long, bitter finish with vanilla and a light maple sweetness. Quite excellent.

 

 

As fudgey as I've ever smelled on the nose of a beer, morphing into boozy brownie batter once it hits the palate. Rich and redolent, not overwhelming on the maple notes, which works for me. Moderately thin compared to expectations, but still pleasingly smooth.

 

04/20/20 bottle @ home

Pours thick, smooth and jet black with a finger and a half of chocolate colored foam.

Smell is rich and sweet with notes of chocolate, maple syrup, coffee, vanilla and some charred oak.

Taset is powerful and roasty with huge notes of chocolate and coffee along with plenty of charred oak and cocoa. Lesser hints of sweet maple syrup and nuts bring on a long finish with a bit of bitterness. Plenty of booze, but mostly in feel rather than taste.

Mouthfeel is thick and viscous with good carbonation.

Overall, an outstanding stout, everything I was hoping for.

 

Tremendous beer, well worth the trouble it took to acquire it online. 2019 edition. Pours a thick syrupy black opaque color with some fluffy tan head and just some small rings of lingering lacing. Smells nice, strong dark chocolate fudge and dark roast coffee, malt, caramel, vanilla, lightly toasted nuts, raisin, brown sugar, bourbon, oak and some weaker maple syrup in the background. Taste follows the nose, and I appreciated how the maple syrup sweetness wasn't overpowering or cloying. Nice dark rich flavors, complex and well balanced. A slow sipper but only a mild alcohol burn as the beer warmed. Smooth, sticky mouthfeel that coated the palate, perfect amount of carbonation. This Dark Star series has been a real pleasure.

 

 

 

 

Perfect for a cold day. Looks like used motor oil and a khaki head. Smells of bourbon, dark fruit, milk chocolate, and roasted coffee. Taste was Roast then to chocolate and vanilla, moving to that barrel mid palate, finishing with maple. Feel was slick, thicc and chewy. Overall this was solid but it is still a bit hot maybe another couple months before it’s at its prime IMO!!