Black Maria Chardonnay Barrel Aged
To Øl

 

Poured from 375 into big wine glass.

Look - perfect for the style. Dark body, big fluffy head that laces all the way to the end of the beer.
Smell - kind of odd. Hops and barrel are dominant with some roasted malts in the back
Taste - complex with a lot going on. At the same time, it came together better than I anticipated. Starts with heavy malts, hops cut through with a bitter aspect, finishes with a really nice barrel character that compliments this brew quite well.
Feel - pretty full and creamy mouthfeel. Really pleasant. Finishes kinda dry from the barrel.
Overall - pleasantly surprising brew. Will probably enjoy a second time.

Poured from a green 375ml bottle. This beer is black with a two-finger, mocha head. Retention is fairly good, with some nice lacing as it crowns.

The aroma is of dark malts & pine, with some roast, burnt sugar, wood and cocoa powder. There is a big vinious quality that reminds me of cordials and plum.

A blast of bitterness lets you know that you're drinking a black ipa, but I feel like the barrel has done terrible things to this beer. It's so over the top that it becomes a beautifully astringent mess. While the chardonnay is evident in almost every note, it seems to just get in the way. Luckily the mouthfeel is smooth and light, with a nice drying finish.

 

 

 

 

A 375ml green glass bottle with a BB of July 2015. Acquired a while back from the Brewdog webshop. Described on the label as a black IPA aged in chardonnay barrels.

Poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle conditioned. A dark brown hue that appears ultra-black in the glass - no light can penetrate it. Produces a vast head of creamy light-brown foam that lasts for a while before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. Nice lacing. Aroma of rich roasted malt with hints of burnt grain, coffee, chocolate, molasses, pine, earthy yeast, mild fruitiness, stewed hops, faint wood and undertones of white wine. Fantastic.

Tastes of intense roasted malt with a hoppy character and a powerful bitter finish. Notes of burnt grain, coffee, charcoal, bitter cocoa, chocolate, molasses, pine resin, earthy yeast, stewed hops, a subtle vinous quality, faint wood and a touch of white wine. The booze is well hidden. Highly attenuated, followed by an intense bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with pleasant carbonation and lovely body. Pretty astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of bitter roasted malt, stewed hops and earthy yeast.

Nice and nicely done. Looks great, while the aroma and flavour are an excellent blend of deep roasted malt, piny hops and earthy yeast. The chardonnay barrels provide an additional layer of character that elevates this brew above the ordinary. Excellent body - smooth and rich. A top-notch effort that goes down a treat; well worth sampling if you have the chance.

 

Look: Pours with fantastic, huge, creamy, solid mocha head. Slow retention. Big, thick layer stays on top, leaves lots of lacing. Dark, dark brown, some carbonation visible. It puts a lot of imperial stouts to shame (on the other hand, it basically is an imp stout).

Smell: Immediately fills the room with some dark, fruity, vinous notes, tempting. Closer analysis of the smell reveals sweet roasted, milk chocolate, toffee malts combined with fresh hop notes, mostly tropical, light citrus (grapefruit) and some pine, oak combo at the end. A complex bland that somehow works very well. The malt character is well developed for the style.

Taste: At start it is the classical IPA story, fruit, grapefruit and pine hops with some toffee but the medium malt soon comes running in. It's relatively strong, medium intensity sweetness, solid and consists of roasted and chocolate notes. It continues into relatively sharp, medium roasted, chocolaty (and a bit of coffee) bitterness with some pine and grapefruit hop bitterness combined. Both stay with you for a while, pine notes the longest. With pine lingers the oak character, grows with time.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, carbonation is suiting. Dry finish. Good sipper. Missing some of the creaminess.

Overall: Haven't tried the non barrel version, but this one was a pleasant surprise. Malt character is well developed and works well with the hop notes. Overall end bitterness is maybe a bit too sharp but still a well developed idea, would drink it again.

I never tried the non barrel aged version but heard big things and couldn't resist it aged in my favourite sort of barrels Chardonnay and it pours a dense black kola hue with a khaki long lasting three finger and lacing everywhere on looks I like her,the smell is massive war between the base beer and the barrels but its great its black dark malts and a everlinging vinous nose such a great clash,the feel is medium bodied and softly carbonated with tastes of fruit salad,tropical fruits,dark malts and finished with a warming vinous character and overall it's a tasty black ale which has gained some nice notes from the barrel ageing cheers.