Phantom Ships & Seas
Bare Hands Brewery

2024-12-13
16oz can served in a snulip. PKG011623. Got it from @ovaltine in NBS BIF #18.

Pours dark with a medium sized hard head that settles into a thick ring and a broad, thin island with a couple tiny little lumps in it. Active carbonation is there, but not huge. Smell is roasty coffee and dark chocolate, a nutty, almost coconut vibe.

Taste is similar -- tons of roast, now the nuts are almost burnt, not coconutty. Definitely on the bitter side of big stouts.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied or a bit thinner. Overall, very nice. Almost RIS territory, but leans more toward clean bitterness than black licorice.

Can received in bif17 from at Ovaltine

Chilled can poured into a snifter produces a dark color brown flow with a two finger brown foam cap , excellent retention, settles to a pencil thick layer

Aroma is roast malts, chocolate

Taste is roasted malts, chocolate , hops , roastyness, nuttiness

Smooth , creamy , gentle hop nibble on the finish

Good beer, really like how they blend with roast malts with the hops. The hops make it very enjoyable , like this one Mike, thanks

Pours an effervescent mahogany with a thumb of mocha colored head. Below average head retention & lacing

S: Cocoa, a touch of iron, a little vanilla & roastyness. Dark fruits & a little coconut once warm

T: Follows the nose, roasty with dryness & a touch of nuttyness & some woody hops up front. More roastyness, molasses & dryness as this warms along with woody hops, a kiss of hazel nut. Dark fruits, roastyness, a little vanilla & coconut in the finish, plus a little woody hop profile

MF: Medium body, slightly sticky, subdued carbonation, warming

Drinks great for the ABV, working well on this cold raw November day

 

Courtesy of @ovaltine NBS BIF 15...

Pitch black, slow and quiet viscous pour, slow and dense forming light brown head; settles to a see through layer of same creamy light brown. Swirling around that creamy head clings to the glass and oh so slowly goes back down. A beautiful beer.

At first smell there is a noticeable dark fruit note and some hops; followed up by some wafer like chocolate.

Ok here is where this beer really steps apart; there is the same dark fruit and hops in the taste. Then with no indication from the nose an insanely rich creamy dark dark chocolate taste that lingers. Couple with the dark fruit it’s almost verging on like chocolate cherries. The hops again come back in the finish.

Big body, viscous, low smooth and creamy carbonation with a very appropriate nice kiss of bitterness on the finish.

Pours dark cola brown from the can, but settles in the glass as black in the glass with mahogany brown on the edges and a dense, creamy tan head that sticks around for the duration of this beer.

The nose has rich milk chocolate notes, a nice amount of char, and a healthy dollop of hops (citrus AND pine) for good measure. This is a style Bare Hands does really well, and the nose suggests that is the case again.

Rich milk chocolate flavors greet you on the taste, with a bit of char and a surfeit of hop flavors that are warming and welcome at the same time, because there’s no evidence of the 10.5% ABV anywhere during the journey with this imperial stout.

The mouthfeel is full and creamy, spot on for the style. I am a fan of the brewery, and this beer illustrates why this is so.