Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas
Begyle Brewing Company

Damned near black, thick and oily looking, small head vanished in seconds. Boogar factory says chocolate and bit of booze. Taste buds agree, but find some caramel, chocolate and vanilla. Notes on the cans tasting notes say oak, not being a beaver or woodpecker, I wouldn't know what oak tastes like. That being said this terrific.

 

12oz can pour into a Tyranena snifter.

canned on date 11/11/21.

Appearance: black bodied stout. medium tan head that rises three fingers tall after a hard pour. Nice lacing. eventually settles into thin cap on the top of the beer.

Smell: Light roast malt. bourbon. Chocolate. oak.

Taste: Milk chocolate, big dry oak, bourbon, and caramel notes. Light roast malts and oatmeal. Really enjoying the caramel notes that are so obvious in this stout. I think that is what makes this stout unique to me.

Mouthfeel: on the thinner side of medium bodied. Adequate yet low carbonation level. Fairly light creaminess in the body. Not boozy.

Overall: Hard not to compare this to Deth Tar. Pretty direct comparison for a craft beer. Bourbon barrel aged oatmeal stout brewed in Chicago. Quite frankly Deth Tar mops the floor with this stout. BA Imperial Pajama's is laying right about in the middle of the barrel aged oatmeal stouts, probably even above average for that matter. It's just that Deth Tar is easily the very best barrel aged oatmeal stout in existence. As I drink this stout... I keep thinking this is good, but Deth Tar is just so much better.

Bourbon - The bourbon barrel variant takes a great approach to a complex stout while restraining the sometimes overwhelming whiskey. I was pretty impressed by Begyle because I felt like they overdid it in the past. I think this could be a great multi-seasonal release.

 

Appearance - The beer poured a silky black color with a dark tan head.

Smell - The sweetness of the booze came out in the nose. It was somewhat chocolatey.

Taste - My first impression was sweet chocolate Twizzlers. There were also definite notes of caramel and liquified raisins. It was not overly sweet as it was balanced against a dark coffee backbone. The bourbon notes dominated the finish with just a touch of heat.

Mouthfeel - This was a full bodied stout with low carbonation and a fluffy feel.

Overall - All of the good press about this beer is for real.

2018 bottle poured into a snifter shows a dark, dark brown, opaque body that never really develops any head and barely a small island and ring of tiny chestnut brown bubbles. Sheets of spotted lacing runs back to the ring on agitation, but otherwise leaves a clean glass.

Aroma of bourbon notes: vanilla, oak, molasses, and leather are joined by chocolate and slight caramel malt notes.

The booze aroma is strong, yet easy on the palate and all the aromatics play freely. Slight ash, tobacco, and coffee hints round out a very easy sipping stout.

Mouthfeel is full and creamy, minor booze warmth back on the palate, and a clean finish.

Overall a well done imperial that has held up.

 

 

 

Tasted in a snifter from draft at The Vine on July 10, 2019. Look is dark brown with a tan head and lingering lacing. Notes of dark dried fruit, oak and bourbon. Recommended.

Yet another sample from the bottomless generosity of @FlintB during NBS BIF007. 2017 bottle. 13%ABV

Obsidian black with maaaaybe some browning around the edges, but man that is opaque. Beautiful dark cocoa brown head that dissipates in the time it took me to write the previous sentence, settling into a ring and galaxy swirl.

Smell is incredibly inviting. Elements of dark chocolate and well integrated oak and a hint of cooconut husk... This is extremely my jam.

I mean the last sentiment above is echoes here. This is a beautiful concoction of dark fudge ribbons and dark roast coffee with a bit of nutty character (think the coconut husk from the nose), oak, char, and then an alcohol spice that is unmistakeable but still manages to somehow not feel boozy. The alcohol character does seem to layer/build as I drink down the glass which is a minor nit pick, but otherwise: you KNOW that there's some octane here, but 13% is remarkably well integrated.

It's got a kind of dry/ashy finish, and it kind of cuts off the top of the flavour peaks to a certain extent. Not rounded down, just lopped off, like someone took a giant knife parrallel to the skyline to a mountain top. The alcohol was impressively well hidden initially, but as I work through the glass the burn builds and it becomes more apparent.
Overall this is mighty tasty and I appreciate Brian sending it my way. Thanks!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 vintage; drank 2/3/18 @ the Yarchives.

Truncated notes from a group tasting: all oak & mild bourbon flavors up front; faint cream notes on the finish. The booze & barrel dominated a weak base beer, even after only 6 months of aging.

Not worth tracking down.

2017 @ 13%

22 ounce bottle into a snifter. 2016 edition, had 5/19/17.

Pours near black, oily looking and opaque, with no real head and a little soapy lacing. Aromas of bourbon, malt, cocoa, milk chocolate, toffee, raisins. Smells great. The taste follows the nose pretty well- bourbon, malt, chocolate, caramel, raisins, oak, some vanilla, light molasses. Tastes great. Smooth, a little creamy, a solid medium to full body, well carbonated.

Wonderfully barrel aged- the bourbon is prominent but not overwhelming. Not overly complex, but great flavors and aromas. You definitely want to grab this when it’s released every year.

 

 

2017 bottle, poured into tulip. Pours a deep and dark brown, with small 1/2 finger head. It quickly leaves with no lacing. The nose is chocolate, vanilla, burnt marshmallow and booze. Taste has similar flavors. Chocolate, molasses, dark pitted fruits, marshmallows, wood and boozy bourbon. For only 6 months in the barrel, this beer has an impressive amount of bourbon flavors. Mostly slick and chewy mouthfeel. Overall, a solid BBA stout. Just a bit pricey at $17/ 22 ounce.

 

 

22 ounce bottle into snifter; 2017 vintage bottling, listed at 13% on the label. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, coconut, bourbon, toasted oak, marshmallow, fudge, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of nuts, smoke, char, molasses, licorice, raisin, plum, fig, date, cherry, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Touch of booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, coconut, bourbon, toasted oak, marshmallow, fudge, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of nuts, smoke, char, molasses, licorice, raisin, plum, fig, date, cherry, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild roast/char bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, coconut, bourbon, toasted oak, marshmallow, fudge, dark/brown bread, nuts, light smoke/dark fruit, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome roasted bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, velvety, and rich mouthfeel that is fantastic. Slight chalky roast, oak tannins, and drying. Minimal warming alcohol for 13%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV. Very rich and well rounded oatmeal stout malt complexity. Barrel integration and balance is absolutely perfect; never boozy, tannic, or drying. Nice pleasant fruity yeast notes in the way back. A really amazing offering, and spot on style example.

 

Oct 2019 Update

2017 vintage. Growler from Barrels &Vines.

Pour: dark, dark, dark. Small tan head that ends with a thin ring. Not much lacing this time.

Nose: dark, stone fruit. Caramel, chocolate, dark roasted malt.

Taste: follows the nose with a distinct bourbon burn. But a good burn. Slightly bitter finish

Mouthfeel: medium carbonation. Slightly viscous. Fairly clean.

Overall: love it. Balanced, relatively easy to drink.

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Nice and dark with a good head. Some lacing for effect. Chocolate, bourbon nose. Similar taste with coffee, booze and slight bitterness. Really creamy mouthfeel; one of my favorite aspects of the beer. No aftertaste but plenty of coffee, chocolate, toasty malt. Overall one of the better BA stouts I’ve tried recently. Would buy again. Curious how it ages.

Pours black with a light dusting of brown head that primarily lingers around the edge of the snifter. Appears opaque but relatively thin. Quite sweet on the nose and palate both, with little coffee flavor. This hits all the flavors for a really good s'mores stout, though: roasted malts reminiscent of graham cracker, chocolate from the coffee, vanilla and nougat from the Evan Williams barrels, and just a hint of smoky char from the oak. The Elijah Craig 12-Year is also a relatively sweet bourbon, so the total effect here is a BBA stout without much spice, but with nice woody character from the barrels and vanilla and malty sweetness from the spirits themselves. Very smooth and enjoyable as a dessert sipper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

650ml bottle, 2016 vintage printed on the bottle, poured into a Beglye Brewing snifter glass. Enjoyed on 2.5.17, reviewed from Tasting Journal.

The beer pours a jet black color, thick and viscous with a firm finger of khaki head, good retention but little lace. The aroma is good, very nice barrel character, plenty of soft oak, mild bourbon, a hint of vanilla bean with big chocolate and rich roasted grain. The flavors are good, rich chocolate, soft oak, strong bourbon, lots of caramel and brown sugar from the barrel with a hint of marshmallow sweetness and as it warms the oak becomes more prominent and brings out a nice earthiness that counterbalances the sweetness. The mouthfeel is decent, medium body that is pretty lively and carbonated that coats well with a warm but gentle finish that is lightly dry.

Verdict: A good barrel aged stout from Begyle, very rounded and approachable. Not the most complex beer, but it's hard to find a ton of fault as the barrel character is nciely developed and the richness is very enjoyable.