Chocolate Noir
Prairie Artisan Ales

09/10/23 bottle @ home

 

A - Pours pitch black with a thin fizzy tan head. Light amount of oily lacing.

S - Aroma is dark chocolate, black coffee, oak and bourbon.

T - The taste is deep dark chocolate, vanilla, raisins, oak and some nice bourbon heat.

M - Full body with medium carbonation. Oily mouthfeel with a slick dry finish.

O - Really well done.

These guys are definitely top ten, maybe top five in my favorite barrel aged programs. Their adjuncts are always well balanced and strong in flavor while still bringing the barrel. This is no exception. Chocolate is strong, as is the barrel. Vanilla assets itself in a sneaky way-I taste it after I taste it, somehow. Only complaint is it feels a bit oilier than I expect from Prairie BA stouts, and that comes across more on the aftertaste. Maybe not one of their best, but yet another great Prairie BA stout.

12oz bottle. Bottle neck stamp has the bottling date of '10.20.2022'.
Black colored body. Only a very thin back lit edge. Brief lasting fizzy brown head. Film left behind but no lacing.
Aroma of bourbon barrel, oak, cherry and prune, chocolate and vanilla, and dark roasted malts.
Taste is a continuation of the smell. Thick with chocolate - milk and dark, vanilla, oak, and bourbon barrel. Dark cherry and exotic spice. Deep malt base. Chocolate covered cherries soaked in bourbon for the aftertaste.
Thicker mouth feel, with definite syrup. Numbing over time to the tongue and throat, but the higher ABV% is well managed. Supportive carbonation.
High test brew with depth and balanced complexity.

12oz bottle into a Prairie flute. Dark & opaque pour with a fizzy mocha-colored head. Was expecting more pastry than barrel character, so the bourbon character surprised me. Bit of kick and burn on this one, with some dark fruits and tobacco as well as vanilla. A big beer for sure, boozy at times, with the chocolate and vanilla characteristics playing second fiddle to the bourbon barrels for the most part.

Appearance: Black as night, little to no head, strong back light shows a little brown before the abyss swallows all light. First pour left some chunks of... something floating in the glass, going to hope they were bits of cocoa nibs. At this price point, really not acceptable.

Aroma: Heavy dark malt extract, chocolate, a light musty cellar note.

Taste: Boozy, malty, rum soaked raisins, chocolate syrup, slight metal in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, light chew, almost flat carbonation, a little oily but mostly clean finish. A bit of heat.

Overall: A big ole beer, I'm sure it takes a lot of malt which explains the hefty price tag. Is it worth it? Hard call, the chunks make me say 'no', but the flavor is nice. A dessert beer, probably best shared.

 

 

 

 

 

L: Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter - dark black pour with a quarters length of a finger of dark lacing.
S: Aromas of milk chocolate with vanilla. Can sense the bourbon in the back but slightly.
T: Big notes of chocolate, vanilla, some dark fruit in there, slight molasses. Reminds me of goose islands bourbon county.
F: Thick oily, sipper, ABV can be tasted but is very good.
O: This definitely reminds me a lot of goose island but I love this. Would recommend trying if your into the barrel aged stouts for sure.

Pours onyx black with a sudsy dark tan head that is SIZZLING and fades in seconds. The nose is heavy on the booze from the barrel, with significant milk chocolate and vanilla notes as well.

The milk chocolate and vanilla are forward on the taste, with the booze from the barrel lurking in the background like a gangster on the prowl. Really delicious stuff.

The mouthfeel is rich and substantial, as expected. Prairie’s big stout game is world class, and this beer illustrates their prowess in that space.

L: Pours a very dark, fudge-colored brown that is near-black. Forms a thin mocha head that dissipates at a rapid pace, leaving behind a frothy retention of bubbles on top, with some moderate lacing (especially when jostled). Held up to the light, the look is a deep chocolate brown, not quite black.

S: Deep bourbon barrel, cacao nibs, vanilla, and some coffee. Roasted malts and some molasses that lends sweetness.

T: Follows nose: bourbon barrel, vanilla, heavy on fudge chocolate/cacao nibs. Molasses and some coffee. Good layering of flavors and finishes smooth with some heat.

F: Full-bodied. Velvety and coating. Smooth finish.

O: This is a very strong pastry/dessert stout. Prairie has a good lineup of stouts and this is a worthy edition. Not cloying - good balance of sweet and heat, with a secondary bitterness.

Dark brown color, thin tan head, no lace.
Aroma of chocolate, coffee, booze, vanilla.
Chocolate/chocolate fudge taste. Bourbon, vanilla, a little coffee.
Incredibly smooth.

 

1849
Name: Chocolate Noir
Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Location: Kreb, OK
Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
ABV 14.3%
Date: 2022
Using my Bruery glass, I served it at 52 degrees. The pour created a frothy and creamy medium-dark tan head with average retention. The slow dissipation left no lacing on the glass. I was charting the color somewhere near SRM 32, dark brown, almost black. The overall appearance is average for this style.
Nosing the glass, I smell dark chocolate, lightly roasted coffee, nuttiness, earthiness, molasses, bready, vanilla, dark roasted malts, bourbon, oak, oak, and caramel.
The flavors in the beer are dark roasted malts, earthiness, a hint of floral, light roasted coffee, dark chocolate, molasses, caramel, vanilla, bourbon, molasses, oak, and a touch of char.
The mouthfeel is coated and warm. The body is full, has low carbonation, and a lasting finish.
A great beer with lots of bourbon barrel flavors and chocolate. I enjoyed sipping this one. I enjoy the beers that come from Krebs.