3 Minutes To Midnight | Bellwoods Brewery
Brewed by:
Bellwoods Brewery
Ontario, Canada
bellwoodsbrewery.com
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 10.00%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
Based on our award-winning recipe that debuted at Cask Days 2012, this smooth elixir is your partner in crime. In second-use cognac barrels (previously housing Bring Out Your Dead), this rich and complex imperial stout gains a complexity that can only come with age, aided by the addition of cherries, raspberries, and cocoa nibs. Deep roasted flavours hint at all the black coffee and dark chocolate you could ever want, and the cherries create a complimentary tartness that marries the fruit and malt perfectly.
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 80 | Reviews: 21
4.35/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours dark - almost black with tastes of cocoa, cherries, and vanilla. Full bodied beer with low carbonation. Good nose with cherries as well as coffee.
152 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours dark - almost black with tastes of cocoa, cherries, and vanilla. Full bodied beer with low carbonation. Good nose with cherries as well as coffee.
152 characters
4.58/5 rDev +7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.31/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A 500ml bottle at the brewery, December 2016 vintage, poured into a Bellwoods tulip glass.
Appearance: It was black in colour with pretty much no head and only sparse lacing, although what was there was mocha in colour.
Aroma: Cherries, prunes, raisins and oak with hints of coffee and chocolate.
Taste: Cherries, oak and raisins with hints of chocolate malt and cocoa.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Very nice body, tastes great, and a very enjoyable sipper.
487 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A 500ml bottle at the brewery, December 2016 vintage, poured into a Bellwoods tulip glass.
Appearance: It was black in colour with pretty much no head and only sparse lacing, although what was there was mocha in colour.
Aroma: Cherries, prunes, raisins and oak with hints of coffee and chocolate.
Taste: Cherries, oak and raisins with hints of chocolate malt and cocoa.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Very nice body, tastes great, and a very enjoyable sipper.
487 characters
4.29/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.53/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.6/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pitch black color with dark brown head. Aroma has cognac, dried figs, some molasses, fruity berry notes in the background. Taste starts with sweet dried figs, black bitter cherries, just a hint of fruit tartness. Cognac notes throughout, finishes has caramelised fruit with some smoked/burnt notes. Full bodied, really smooth. A really complex tasting beer, smooth, easy drinking with a very well hidden ABV.
408 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pitch black color with dark brown head. Aroma has cognac, dried figs, some molasses, fruity berry notes in the background. Taste starts with sweet dried figs, black bitter cherries, just a hint of fruit tartness. Cognac notes throughout, finishes has caramelised fruit with some smoked/burnt notes. Full bodied, really smooth. A really complex tasting beer, smooth, easy drinking with a very well hidden ABV.
408 characters
4.6/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from fridge temp. Pours jet black with little carbonation. Smell is cherries, chocolate, and bourbon. incredible. Taste is a cherry chocolate. Slight bitterness - makes it a dark chocolate taste. Incredible mix of cherry, bourbon, and chocolate. Alcohol is hidden. Unbelievably smooth beer. Some roasted malts. Body is full and thick. Overall, amazing beer.
364 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from fridge temp. Pours jet black with little carbonation. Smell is cherries, chocolate, and bourbon. incredible. Taste is a cherry chocolate. Slight bitterness - makes it a dark chocolate taste. Incredible mix of cherry, bourbon, and chocolate. Alcohol is hidden. Unbelievably smooth beer. Some roasted malts. Body is full and thick. Overall, amazing beer.
364 characters
4.23/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.34/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.87/5 rDev +13.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.08/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.58/5 rDev +7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Bottle received in a trade.
This one pours a nice, dark and menacing black, with a really long-lasting brown head (seriously, it was there practically to the end of the glass- nice), and a little bit of lacing.
The aroma on this is basically heavenly, deep fudgy chocolate, a bit of sweet coffee, roasted malt, tangy dark cherries, a hint of vanilla, and just the slightest waft of cognac.
As the barrels were second use, this is not the most barrel-heavy stout that you'll find. And that's fine- it allows the cherries and the outstanding base beer to shine. It's got a wonderful thick fudgy chocolate flavor, which melds incredibly well with the sweet and slightly tangy cherries. It's still a bit bitter and roasty, which is certainly welcome with the sweet cherries. There's some vanilla from the barrels- possibly, but I don't pick up any oak. There are nice dark coffee notes, too, along with just a hint of cognac on the finish. This is a '15 bottle, and I don't pick up any booziness on it, which is cool.
This has a really creamy, and pretty rich mouthfeel, with a lower but still present level of carbonation. It's just there enough to prop the beer up, and provide that super long lasting head.
What a wonderful beer- I need more stuff from Bellwoods, stat.
1,273 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Bottle received in a trade.
This one pours a nice, dark and menacing black, with a really long-lasting brown head (seriously, it was there practically to the end of the glass- nice), and a little bit of lacing.
The aroma on this is basically heavenly, deep fudgy chocolate, a bit of sweet coffee, roasted malt, tangy dark cherries, a hint of vanilla, and just the slightest waft of cognac.
As the barrels were second use, this is not the most barrel-heavy stout that you'll find. And that's fine- it allows the cherries and the outstanding base beer to shine. It's got a wonderful thick fudgy chocolate flavor, which melds incredibly well with the sweet and slightly tangy cherries. It's still a bit bitter and roasty, which is certainly welcome with the sweet cherries. There's some vanilla from the barrels- possibly, but I don't pick up any oak. There are nice dark coffee notes, too, along with just a hint of cognac on the finish. This is a '15 bottle, and I don't pick up any booziness on it, which is cool.
This has a really creamy, and pretty rich mouthfeel, with a lower but still present level of carbonation. It's just there enough to prop the beer up, and provide that super long lasting head.
What a wonderful beer- I need more stuff from Bellwoods, stat.
1,273 characters
3.78/5 rDev -11.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.18/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Seems rather thin after the Hellwoods.
Fruit is subtle in the aroma and flavour, but works reasonably well with the roasted malt... though a bit more chocolate would step it up a notch. Definitely some alcohol warmth here, with a drying finish.
Thanks BakaGaijin!
266 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Seems rather thin after the Hellwoods.
Fruit is subtle in the aroma and flavour, but works reasonably well with the roasted malt... though a bit more chocolate would step it up a notch. Definitely some alcohol warmth here, with a drying finish.
Thanks BakaGaijin!
266 characters
4.57/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.58/5 rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.81/5 rDev -11%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3 Minutes To Midnight from Bellwoods Brewery
Beer rating:
4.28 out of
5 with
80 ratings
0 characters. We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters.
Explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.