Darkling - BBA and Apple Brandy Barrels (2019)
Night Shift Brewing

 

750 ml. bottle.
12.9% abv.
Bottled Feb., 2019.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one inch tan head over a black body with some sticky lacing. Head dissipates down to a ring in more than a few minutes. Nose of caramel apple, oak, dark chocolate, and booze. As it warms, dark fruit is noticed. Taste mirrors nose somewhat with the booze taking a back seat to the chocolate (dark and bitter) with a finish of apple and slight dark fruit. Real nice mouthfeel and overall, very unique, interesting, and delicious!
Cheers to the boys of Everett for another gem!

750ml bottle capped (!?) February 2019. Pours totally black with little head. Smell is vanilla bourbon with the brandy. Taste is the apple brandy with the bourbon barrel, overlaying the imperial stout. Feel is fluid with little carbonation, not biting. Overall this was good but overpriced.

 

L - pitch black. finger of light brown head

S - Lots of barrel: wood, oak, char, tobacco. Apple brandy dominates. Lots of cocoa powder

T - More apple brandy, sweet bourbon, lots of barrel, cocoa, char, tobacco, cinnamon, tons of vanilla

F - nice and thick, no booze

O - Incredible Double Barrel Stout that would get higher scores if it was DB Huna (Yeah, I said it)

 

I am a fan of this brewery however, this beer needs some retweaking.

The question is whether Bourbon Barrel and apple brandy barrel flavors meld .

It seems to me that the apple brandy detracts from the flavor and offsets it.
There is a vinegar-apple aroma and taste to this beer. A Bourbon Barrel aged stout has a stronger character which the apple brandy barrels in this beer deintensifies. The MF is a bit light.
Overall, a good imperial stout. I think that apple brandy and Bourbon flavors don’t meld.
Also,$20 for a bottle? That’s a bit steep.

Brownie batter, apple brandy, oak, bourbon, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, coffee