Assassin - Bramble Barrel
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

 

 

Matte black with a dark tan collar that's fuzzy but thin.

Strong roasts meet VERY BERRY and a little booze. While the nose nearly gets into cough syrup territory, the acid on the palate is tempered by a touch of peppery oak amidst some peanutty chocolate threads.

It's not quite PB&J, but doesn't strain the imagination getting nearly there. Tasty, but second tier compared to regular Assassin.

2022 vintage; consumed on 3/11/2024

Pours an immense, molten black viscosity capped with ¾ of a finger of near-creamy, hazelnut-hued foam; mediocre head retention leaves a glossy void at the surface, slim yet creamy collar, and minimal-no lacing holding to the walls of the glass.

Aromas of dark cacao soaked in boysenberry syrup open, with seedy blackberry trailing into a soft, oaky char over time as blueberry port residuals linger.

Taste opens to boysenberry compote and blueberry syrup, with charry cocoa in the backdrop lingering to a bourbon barrel subtlety past the mid-palate as a caramel underscore and distant char mark the final impressions.

Mouthfeel brings a medium-full body and lower carbonation, yielding slick textures into a building char turning creamy past the mid-palate; the berry-based twang is prominent yet unobtrusive on the back end, ceding to a quiet stickiness through the finish.

A jammy temperament largely overrides the barrel and bakers chocolate subtleties, espousing myriad dark berry detailing over a fundamental base roast; a touch one-note, though still an intriguing, well-made pour.

Anything but silent, and typically not deadly, Toppling Goliath takes their assassin on a ramble through the bramble. Their famed imperial stout, aged on dark berries and laid in bourbon barrels for an extra jammy experience.

Bramble Barrel Assassin sneaks into the snifter with a tawny black pour and with no froth to speak of. As its sultry scent of berry jam, chocolate, port wine and bourbon fill the nose, the first sip leans in with a decadent malt sweetness of chocolate, fudge, candied berry, brown sugar and molasses.

The fruits really come to life as the inky elixir veers from stout impressions and toward port wine, red wine, marsala and sherry. Stewed flavors of blackberry, plum, raspberry, cherry and prune layer on the tastebuds and give the impressions of chocolate covered berries. More sticky with chocolate than coffee-like, the late palate favors the bourbon and its caramel, honey, vanilla, coconut and toasted oak nuances.

Nearly recklessly full, rich and slathering the mouth with booze soaked sweetness, the dessert beer is a fair replacement for after dinner desert wine. A long finish of candied berries and mulled whisky lasts deeply in the next ever-so-savory sip.

 

2022 vintage

It has been quite some time since I’ve had anything from Toppling Goliath. Almost 2 years and almost 1000 beers removed from trying the legendary KBBS, I’m back with more. I picked this one up alongside a bottle of Vanilla Bean Assassin on MBC, which was actually cheaper for the two versus a single bottle I saw of VBA. Let’s see how this lesser known variant holds up

Pours a very dark brown with a finger of frothy dark tan head that slowly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

The berries definitely dominate the nose, but it’s in a controlled manner that compliments the other notes. I’m picking up on aromas of tart blackberry, jammy blueberry, cacao nib, sweet bourbon, burnt caramel, raspberry candy, vanilla, light raisin, and molasses

It’s much less about the berries in taste unfortunately but I can still get down with it. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting dark chocolate, raspberry candy, sweet bourbon, molasses, toasted oak, jammy blueberry, and light maple syrup. The swallow brings notes of jammy blueberry, earthy bourbon, dark chocolate, maple syrup, burnt caramel, molasses, toasted oak, light blackberry, and a touch of coffee

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes mostly dry with a nice tartness from the berries. The abv isn’t listed but it feels very low based on the mouthfeel

This one isn’t wildly complex and it could use a bit more fruit presence, but it’s still really good overall

Assassin - Bramble Barrel pours a thick black, petite, tan head. The aroma is delightful, with lots of berries. The flavors are filled with berries and finish with a sweet and warm bourbon. Good feel. Overall, big, giant flavors, very, very big berry flavors.

 

 

I will premise by saying I like berry stouts in general. This one has a good berry aroma that comes out from a relatively high amount of foam from a stout. The foam does dissipate quickly also but there's a hefty amount relative to imperial stouts in general. The barrel presence comes out in the flavor more so after it warms because initially the berry is quite strong, albeit not artificial tasting. Once warm, besides the barrel presence comes the smooth chocolate sweetness which is unmistakable. Thick, no doubt in feel. All in all, this on of the best berry stouts I've had. Not quite to the level of Backyard Rye from Bourbon County but it's just below.