Big Bad Baptist - Black Forest Cake
Epic Brewing Company

 

 

 

Pours a chill hazed mahogany with a pinky of mocha colored head. Viscous, zero head retention & lacing

S: Loads of dark fruit, leafy hops, dark chocolate once warmed up

T: Follows the nose, a little booze-soaked cherry with a little cocoa up front. Cocoa, a little mocha, dark cherry, woody hops, also some leafy hop notes mix with dryness once this beer warms up, hints of cola as well. Dark chocolate asserts a bit more, along with woody hops, pipe tobacco (cherry notes)

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, warming

This was alright, was hoping for so much more. Always a drag to open a large format bottle by yourself & get only better than okay beer. Whisky barrel presence is on the fringes

 

$11.49(+tax) at Liquor Shed. 2021 release #2.

It pours a pitch black with a small but staying head of tan foam, lacing seems to be spotty.

The smell is roasted malt, cocoa, some vanilla, whiskey, hint of coconut.

The taste is roasted malt, whiskey, cocoa, hint of coconut, no cherry to be found, even when I swish the beer in my mouth. Was it there when the beer was super fresh?

Close to full bodied.

Not quite what I expected from reading the label but it is good.

22 oz bomber bought at Epic Brewing in Salt Lake City. Release #4, Bottle 8495.
Poured into a snifter at 56°. Produced a decent brown foam that did not remain for long.
Smell is coffee, cacao, distant cherry, roasty malt, lil bourbon.
Taste is coffee, bakers chocolate, roasty malt, a tart bit of cherry, mild bourbon. The cherry makes the mouth water a little as the Stout tries to convince me I’m enjoying a Black Forest cake, but ‘no’.,.
Mouth is typical BBB smoothness, a little thick, and 11% ABV alky warmth.
Overall, I couldn’t find coconut, & the cherry was slightly NyQuil-ish. Glad I had a glass - but I surely did not pack a bottle to bring home to Florida.,.

 

6 oz mini-snifter draft pour at Lures Bar & Grille. Pours an opaque near-black with a thin tan head. Aroma and flavor feature sharp booze, dark bitter malt, bourbon, dark chocolate, and burnt coffee. No cherries or coconut. Does not taste like Black Forest cake, and it's not good as a BBA stout either. Really shockingly bad.

 

Pours deliciously black with a caramel colored head of foam one finger high. Aroma is whiskey and...whiskey. There's a lot of whiskey. Behind that, there's a tiny bit of chocolate and I swear a bit of cherry, though I may be conjuring that in my head. The whiskey is a bit overpowering. Taste is moderately carbonated, mild black forest cake taste -- chocolate and cherry mixed in with a well hidden ABV. Smooth, but not terribly complex. Enjoyable and a dessert beer for sure.

Look: From pint bottle to pint glass. Obsidian black with a thin copper head that quickly dissipated. Looks big, dark, and true to the style.

Smell: I’m getting the coffee and cacao nibs, and some malt plus the whiskey barrels, but not getting the cherries or coconut on the nose.

Taste: Starts with the whiskey barrel up front and then delves into the cacao, cherries, and a malty finish, in that order. The cherries are a nice addition to the taste despite being absent on the nose. The coconut still seems to be absent on the taste but it’s still very good nonetheless.

Feel: Heavy, bold, boozy. Mine got better as it warmed.

Overall: Not my favorite in the Big Bad Baptist series but still a solid offering.

 

L - Black with a tan head that dissipates somewhat quickly leaving behind some lacing
S - rich dark chocolate and fudge, whiskey notes, a little bit of coconut, molasses, but no cherries
T - pretty much dark chocolate forward and throughout with hints of whiskey, some coconut, and molasses along with roasted/toasted oats and barley - otherwise I'm really missing any hints of cherries
F - medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Not really what I'd expect for such a big stout
O - it's ok. I mean it's not a bad beer. It's a good BBA stout, but it does not have any of the black forest flavors present. I've had big bad baptista and that was really good but this is just alright.

Big Bad Baptist Black Forest Cake from Epic. 22 oz bomber purchased from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, on 10/12/21. $ 16.00 (including tax) ($ 0.727/oz). Stored at room temperature in store and at 40 degrees after purchase. Reviewed 12/03/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottle dated “2021 REL #2”. Served at 60.2 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 62.4 degrees.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), nearly opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When rear-lite, some light penetration at the edges, ruby.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.7 cm, aggressive center pour), brown sugar, high density with average retention, diminishing to a three cm crown and thin partial cap.
Lacing – Good. Tight band of extremely tiny bubbles.
Aroma – 3 – A weak ghost of cocoa, no coconut, no cherry, no roasted malt, no hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 3 – Begins slightly sweet with weak cocoa and no coconut, no cherry, no malt, no hops, no yeast. There is a weak artificial chemical-ish flavor present. No ethanol (12.3% ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma; however, there is immediate moderate gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Full, creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 I’ve consumed tons of black forest cake and there’s no comparison with the flavor of the cake and the flavor of this brew. It looks good and feels good but the aroma and taste are neutral at best. The gastric warming is comforting and never rises to a painful level. The price point is too high for what you get.

Pours a dark brown color with a minimal head that lasts quite a while. Aroma of dark chocolate, caramel and roasted malts. Taste is alcohol, chocolate and a hint of cherry. Thick and creamy.

 

Pour is jet black with a finger of lasting deep cinnamon head.
nose is soft bourbon, very subtle cherry, hint of coconut. roasted malt
Taste of dark chocolate, roasted malt, subtle hint of cherry and coconut in the middle which fades to oaky bourbon with a touch of alcohol heat. finishes with more fudgey dark chocolate and the slightest tart cherry. A lot of flavors that blend nicely. nothing dominates