BA20 Vol. 1: All Monde
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew

6 oz pour on tap at Lures Bar & Grille. Pours pitch black with a medium tan head. Nice lacing. Aroma and flavor feature dark malts, vanilla, oak, bourbon, dark fruit, coconut, and roasted nuts. Pretty much as expected, very smooth and flavorful. Great stuff.

BA Vol. 1 2020 from Oskar Blues is an all around good stout. The roasted almonds pair up with the chocolate malts perfectly. It's not too boozy either which allows for a balanced finish.

IG: @firesidewithphil

 

Pours a dark shiny black color. Thin tan head dissipates leaving no residual head.

Aroma has notes of roasted malts, vanilla beans. chocolates, a generic nutty aroma and some bourbon and oak notes.

Taste follows the nose, with a nice roasty malt base followed by notes of vanilla, cocoa, toasted almonds, and a nice robust musty oak and bourbon flavor on the back end. In spite of the components all being rather sweet, the beer is not overly sweet and is nicely balanced.

Feel is medium bodied, a bit on the fizzy side with the carbonation. A bit on the dry side in the finish.

Overall a delicious BA stout - I would expect nothing less from Oskar Blues.

 

L: A brown to black liquid with a couple fingers of caramel cream head that fade slowly to a cap and ring and leave some decent lacing behind.

S: The vanilla and is intense but not out of balance with the dark roasted malts, cocao, oak, and bourbon. There is a cereal quality as well that adds richness to the nose.

T: Very good, the cereal comes out as it warms to a more almond marzipan splendor. Much vanilla and oak to accompany. The booze is well masked here.

F: Clings to the glass, creamy, and viscous. A very solid mouthfeel that few achieve.

O: Underrated at 4.27. Criminally! This is one of few stouts that stand up against the BCBS of old. An exceptional brew that is deserving of serious props.

A: Pours a near pitch black color with 2 fingers of head that fades down to a thin cap

S: Roasted malt, bourbon, vanilla, some almond/cherry, and a bit of oak

T: Follows the nose. Starts off with the roasted malt, bourbon, vanilla, and caramel. Goes into a bit of oak, tannins, and almond. Finishes with lingering roast and oak

M: Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation

O: A solid BBA stout that makes for a nice sipper. Definitely on the boozy side at 12.5%. Worth checking out

 

 

 

 

Can from Market of Choice.

Jet black with a dense dark brown head with good retention and lacing, this looks great. The nose opens with licorice, anise and with some bourbon heat, paired with vanilla and a mild toasted almond note. Malted milk chocolate notes are present. This isn't particularly decadent, there's a semblance of balance here. The palate opens full, boozy and hot with a noticeable alcohol burn along with vanilla, licorice and anise. Mild leather as well. Full in body with soft carbonation, this beer finishes with a moderate amount of roast and grainy bitterness. Rather boozy, the heat clashes with the silky smooth mouthfeel, really detracting from the experience. Solid stuff.

 

 

 

 

Pours a nice dark brew no light getting thru this thick brew. Head is nice two fingers coco colored that falls slow and laces very well, good looking stout.

Aroma is light oak and bourbon, big roasted malts good chocolate notes with lighter coffee and vanilla. Nice but not over powering also not really getting any nuts in the nose, just some light toasted notes, but solid non the less.

Taste is damn thick and creamy roasted notes, chocolate, lots of vanilla, oak and bourbon floating around on the tongue. As it lingers on the tongue some toasted nuttiness hints along with coffee bitterness which must be from some hops to keep the cloying down and light bourbon burn in the finish to let you know its a big brew.

Mouthfeel is big and chewy a nice full flavored and bodied brew with just the right amount of carbonation.

Overall nice brew almonds come of more as toasted notes with slight nuttiness at least to me. Glad I found the last 4 pack at my local liquor store.

Not a fan of the can art, but onto what matters.

I can't pull much out of the aroma for some reason but this has it where it counts. Deeply assertive roasty and fudgey goodness are noticeable first and only get stronger. The vanilla chimes mid-palate and is thankfully subdued. The nuttiness at the finish is where this one gets interesting. It comes across to me as a dramatically intensified roast primarily. I can't say I discern actual almonds, there is a nut like flavor that I not experienced in beer before now. Goddamn this is tasty, happy I found a single for now but I hope to find a pack or two.

A - Dark brown pour that's borderline black with dense toffee colored foam and lacing on top. Lots of viscosity on the sides of the glass, nice legs.

S - Nose is full of toasted cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, oak, and bourbon.

T - Follows the nose (big surprise). Vanilla, oak, toasted almond (that comes across similar to coconut), vanilla, bourbon, some light chocolate char / roast. Ends with a lingering caramel, bourbon, and toasted cocoa.

M - Thick, viscous, and light warming on the way down. Very dry on the back of the tongue and wet around the rest of the mouth.

O - A pretty fantastic beer. Oskar Blues has a home run with this one.

 

 

 

 

I was able to purchase a four-pack of this from my local beer bar during our growlers-to-go quarantine phase, and the owner told me the distributor got five cases for the entire state of Indiana. Lucky me, but unfortunately, I cannot taste the rare. Thankfully, it's a solid beer, as I would expect from an Oskar Blues BBA release. All the purported additives come through as a balanced whole, though not as loud and clear as some of the really over-the-top dessert pastry beers from smaller operations.

S: vanilla soft serve, muffled (presumably the almond) bourbon heat, a touch of oak, cola, and toasted cookie edges

T: first impression is semisweet chocolate with a persistent nutty blanket. Mid-palette, a nice floral quality (barrel? Vanilla?) plays well with creamy vanilla as a woody quality lags along. Bourbon barrel felt most on the finish, oaky with some vanillins and a hint of char from the base beer, the barrel, or both. The almonds are hardly additive--light nuttiness mid-palette--and tone down the base beer and the barrel character

F: full-bodied without unnecessary heft or sweetness. Carbonation is spot-on

Overall, not an incredible beer, but very good even for a BA imperial stout. Between this, Willettized, Bourbon County, BA Ten Fidy, and Parabola, I sometimes question why I continue to trade for BA beers . . .

A: Poured a quarter full into a duvel glass, so not much head appears, only a thin dark-khaki film. It's pitch black in color. What you'd expect from such a stout.

S: The vanilla and almonds come through in the aroma. Chocolate and barrel are there.

T: A wave of vanilla fudge and toasted almond hits up front, and the bourbon barrel stays for the ride. Very balanced. The almond flavor is subtle but definitely there. Caramel, cookie dough, and roasted marshmallows.

F: Oily thick but creamy, smooth, chewy. The roasted almonds linger in the throat.

O: This is a wonderful BA stout. For me, the almonds add something very special, and they bring the vanilla, bourbon, and chocolate flavors together in a wholesome way. Well done Oskar Blues!