Velvet Glove (With Bourbon Soaked Oak Chips)
Iron Fist Brewing Company

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Iron Fist Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
+6 ratings needed
Avg:
3.37 | pDev: 8.61%
Ratings:
4 | reviews: 2
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 16, 2015
Added:
Feb 13, 2013
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

2.99/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Black pour, minimal foam. Boozy aroma dominates all other aspects.

Taste tons of booze, oak chips were too girthy. Tastes like those homebrews where they just dump a bunch of liquor over cubes with too much surface area to liquid ratio. This was more iron fist than velvet glove.

Base version > this
Dec 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 08, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by NickMunford from Wyoming

Oct 10, 2013
Photo of Beerandraiderfan
Reviewed by Beerandraiderfan from Nevada

3.22/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Deep black pour into a snifter glass at Churchill's Pub in November. Small head on it, I dunno what the difference head formation wise is when a beer is barreled versus soaking on chips. Aroma, wow, this was boozy, kind of enveloped all the usual roasting that stood out from the base beer. I guess I'd see it as a downgrade in the aroma department.

Taste, again, boozy, the rough edges of the oak chips are harsh, it really feels like they dumped some bourbon in this to get the abv up, to give the booziness a real taste perceptibility. Just not well integrated I guess. Chocolate takes a back seat to alcohol. Prune like notes jump out moreso than chocolate, coffee or malty roastiness. I think the body is a little thinned out in this version too.

I think we've all heard (well history students at least) the expression of a velvet glove over an iron fist, this one was mostly iron fist for me, very little velvet glove.
I'd take the regular version any day over this one. Too boozy, which is typical for when chips are used in my experience. Not impossible, but I suspect the amount of booze and oak used was just too much to have a nice meld.
Feb 13, 2013