Anniversary 10
River North Brewery

 

Bottle from Tavour. Ddark brown pour, thin beige head. Aroma brings roasty malts and bourbon, chocolate, anise. Taste is a smooth concoction of roast, chocolate, barrel, raisins and licorice. Nice warm feel will give you a glow.

Brought all the way to Africa to try! Poured at fridge temp. Pours jet black with a slight rim of head. Not much carbonation, I don't think. Looks....powerful. The nose is insane. Very intense aromas of black licorice molasses, bourbon, roasted malts, decadent chocolate, vanilla, marshmallows, and some sweet toffee. The nose is just so smooth. Nothing sharp or off-balance here. The barrels certainly shine through and form the perfect marriage with the stout. The smell is off the charts for me.

The taste is equally as intense. Boozy? Hell yeah. This is a Black Tuesday on steroids. Right away I get that boozy burn as it goes down. There is no way to mask the 22% ABV here. That calms down after a few sips. This makes way for the big molasses, chocolate, vanilla, black licorice, blackberries, maple candy, oak, and very slight roasted malts. The latter is really hidden by the barrel influence. The taste is incredible.

The mouthfeel is big and viscous. Just insane. Overall, probably the best (or at least the top 3) stout I have had this year.

Spoiler, but this beer is super impressive, especially when you take a peek at the ABV (22%).

It pours black with a finger of dark caramel foam. Heavy oily legs clings to the glass after a slight swirl.

Aroma is dense, stacking and layering molasses, toffee, and chocolate amidst bourbon. Bourbon adds complexity, without elevating heat. Char and roasty and toasty malts round out the remainder of the nose. Considering the ABV, this thing is remarkably smooth, it smells like something that would be ~10% ABV.

Flavor profile is just as complex, using roasty and toasty malts on top of char, barrel, and bourbon to build a firm base. Thick chocolate, brownies, and molasses develop some sweetness that gets sealed up by a little sterile alcohol at the back. Lovely chocolate throughout. Despite the mention of alcohol in the description, this beer remains smooth.

Mouth feel is thick, so thick it's nearly like drinking a brownie. Fuzzy creaminess adds a firm, consistent texture.

Overall, wow. Decadent. Smooth, especially considering the ABV. It has a lovely focus on chocolate stout notes, all paired up with whiskey, without the distractions of flavor additions.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 375mL bottle. 22% ABV.

A big boozy bold bomb of a beer. Dark malt, booze, dark fruit, molasses, cinnamon, and booze. Oh yes, did I mention it was boozy? A lot of body, thick, slightly syrupy, hot. I’d swear this beer is making me overheat/sweat. I like it, but I wonder if aging it would help it round out and lower the booze burn.

Remember that feeling when you first had a GI BCBS? Multiply that by 10 and you’re here. Just fantastic. Lively aroma. Super look. The flavor is an awesome sequence of the bourbon sweetness cut with a strong but pleasant whiskey bite on top of a superb stout base. Right amount of carbonation to balance the heaviness. 22% ABV. Yeah. Even I drank this one over two nights. I bought three, but now I wish I had more.

Very dark appearance with slight tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a pleasant blend of malt and bourbon. Taste is a strong alcohol blend of malt and bourbon. A little thin.

Jet black body; thin yet lasting light brown head. Huge roasted grain aroma with an edge of char; dark chocolate; oak. Tremendous flavors; bitter chocolate and milk chocolate; raisins and figs; cinnamon; a huge whiskey-like taste develops midway and increases in intensity at the finish. Heavy body; sludgy with an intense boozy burn towards the finish; thick residual sugar feel; dull, earthy sweetness throughout with a decidedly sharp dryness at the finish.

At 22% ABV; this is one tasty, crazy beer. There are immense complexities swirling about. A must try for fans of heavy-duty imperial stouts.

Pouring temperature: 55 F; bottling data: unknown