Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas
Begyle Brewing Company

 

 

 

2023-12-10
12oz can served in a little snulip. Canned on 11/3/22. Bought it at the brewery in June. The 2022 vintage lists its ABV as 13.1%.

Pours tar-black with no head at first, but eventually a super thin dark tan ring emerges. No visible carbonation. Smell is dark roast coffee and nearly burnt toast. Maple syrup sweetness.

Taste is boozy, vanilla and bourbon, sweetened oatmeal, caramel. Lots of caramel. Char bitterness balances it out a little bit.

Mouthfeel is thick, sticky, chewy. Overall, it's intense and good.

 

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!!