Thundertaker
Revolution Brewing

 

Well this is unsurprisingly not shy. The barrel notes are huge, tons of rich booze along with old pipe tobacco and woody vanilla. There is also plenty semisweet chocolate with undertones of spice. Not a lot layers, little nuance, and no subtlety but damn this is a great one.

Dark reddish brown body; initial thick head that settles to a thin wisp, khaki colored. Deep, dark malt mixture; richly balanced; dark chocolate with a hint of barrel wood; subliminal spicy rye notes. The taste follows the nose, perhaps a bit sweeter; milk chocolate; boozy; figs and tobacco juice; low-level earthy spiciness. Slick and heavy body; velvety residual sugar feel; fairly intense alcohol warmth.

Mmmm. I like this beer. Its richness and depth of flavor come across quite nicely and result in a very satisfying dark beer experience. A beautiful behemoth of a beer.

Pouring temperature: 42 °F; canning info: FILLED 07/27/2022
Source: @ChicagoJ

2020 Vintage 14.6%. Drank out of a tulip on 6/20623. Pretty amazing, thick full sweet, a little less barrel presence than I was thinking, kinda overshadowed by the sweetness but really can't complain. As someone said, a beast of a beer.

Not gonna lie - I don’t know what a “Thundertaker is. Is it when Thor has to take a number two? Man, imagine the smell of that bathroom…

Anyway, here I am (and so are you if you are reading this). And I just want to let you know that I am stoked. Imagine your very best birthday as a kid: the cake was legit, the fruit punch was on point, and when you smacked the piñata, you blew that son of a gun to hell. That’s this beer for Raul. And it’s all about “moments,” right, my children?

Rawhide.

 

 

2020 Vintage drank in 2023.
Delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

a beast, a masterpiece even, but it seems like these guys do a fair few monster stouts in barrels that are worthy of such praise, this is absurd, strong and sweet and loaded with whiskey richness and decadence, a small doses thing for most drinkers i assume, but wow, this is bold and awesome, cool how they can it too, less good for cellaring, better for pricing, being unpretentious, and just cracking one open whenever you want. still special occasion beer by any standard though, the vanilla from the bourbon is real strong in the aroma and flavor, the roast is as high as they come, but much like their coconut deth i had in the same session, there is quite a lot of malt nuance too, this time milk chocolate, dark bread, and the spicy rye malt thank goodness offsetting some of the sugar. this is a genious addition to this, saves it from itself a little bit, and its not subtle, love this element. the whiskey is the dominant flavor, and the quality is evident, brown sugar, toffee, wet tobacco, milk and dark chocolate, coffee, light smoke from the barrel char, the oak itself, and warm vanilla and cooked sugar and alcohol on the swallow, not quite a firebreather, but close. palate coating and rich, but also extremely complex and layered and slow to unfold, raisin and fig too, bitter from the roast, smooth and full and eventuallly fading out. impressive beer, neat for deep fall weather, and another beast from these guys, didnt really know this side of revolution before, but i sure do now! i wont soon forget this one...

 

 

Maybe a bit sweet for a rye stout but the rye is still very evident regardless.

On tap at Revolution Brewpub

Man, I did not realize how highly regarded this one was when I order it. Not quite in the BA top 250, but sitting close under at #372 at the moment, and #97 for the style. Let’s find out if this no frills approach works out for Revolution

Pours completely pitch black with a finger of creamy light tan head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

Oh man, this is very sweet and boozy in the nose. I don’t know why, but I was expecting something with more bite. Still, I like it. I’m picking up on aromas of toasted coconut, sweet vanilla, oak, chocolate fudge, molasses, brown sugar, light raisin, marzipan, and light rye

Likewise in taste it is quite sweet, without much punch to keep it truly balanced. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting molasses, sweet bourbon, toasted oak, honey, spicy rye, caramel, light coconut, black cherry, and brown sugar. The swallow brings notes of brown sugar, molasses, spicy rye, sweet bourbon, caramel, toasted coconut, oak, and milk chocolate

A full body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a boozy sweet beer. Finishes neutral with a bold sweetness

From the Revolution Stouts I’ve had, I’ve noticed that many lean more into Barleywine territory. I don’t mind that, but in this one it’s perhaps a bit too sweet. Still, it’s enjoyable other than the feel being hurt a bit

 

12oz can, dated 07.07.2022, poured into a 12oz lowball glass.

The beer pours a deep jet black color, thick and viscous, motor oil sludge with a tan khaki head that has moderate retention and spots of lacing. The aroma is nice, bursting with licorice, dark chocolate, strap molasses, charred oak, toffee bourbon, spicing, coconut and vanilla. The flavors are very good, black licorice, anise, molasses, charred oak, rye bread, toffee, brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, coconut and lingering stone fruits. The mouthfeel is great, coating, thick, heavy and full body, creamy and smooth with a warming finish.

Verdict: An excellent rye stout from Revolution and Binny's. Definitely showcases the barrels well while maintaining a distinct rye character and an exceptional balance of flavors. No adjuncts necessary, just a world-class beer.