Void Shaker
Funky Buddha Brewery

Dark black , but not totally a black out. Nice tan head. Strong bourbon, chocolate and coffee on nose. Same for taste but not overwhelmingly so. Done warmth on throat from abv.

 

Pours a dark cola brown and settles black in the glass with a creamy khaki colored head that lingers for a long while and settles as a rich f around the body of the beer. Beautiful BA impy stout.

The nose is led by a significant bourbon aroma after you pop the top, and there’s oak, dark chocolate, stone fruit, and roasty char notes as well. Lovely.

The taste is centered on the bourbon, oak, roasty char, and dark chocolate, and those flavors are quite delicious, with just a smidge of stone fruit and a nice warming alcohol note on the finish.

The mouthfeel is a little softer than expected, but this is still a big BA stout worth trying.

Note: I am in the process of moving all of my ratings from other beer sites to here, so that all of my ratings are consolidated in one place. The review below is an exact copy of my original RateBeer review from 08/21/2021.


12 oz. bottle, 11% ABV

AROMA: This beer has all sorts of wonderful aromas! It smells very sweet and has scents of malt, brown sugar, molasses, bourbon, and a hint of soy sauce. Unlike most beers, the aroma lingers for quite a while. Which really makes for a wonderful experience as you get a nice whiff with every sip.

APPEARANCE: Pours an opaque black with a dark tan head that moderately dissipates and has no detectable lacing. To be honest, I was a little disappointed that a beer that I otherwise found incredible, had a head that wasn't a little more prominent and lively. But that is just nit-picking on my part.

TASTE: This is an incredible tasting beer! From start to finish, the taste is very sweet and smooth. The flavors of bourbon, vanilla, and cocoa are fairly predominant, while flavors of coffee, oak, caramel, and raisins remain a little more subtle. It has an incredible flavor profile that doesn't really change that much as the beer warms to room temperature. Too often, I've had beers that were sweet when they were cold, but as they warmed they became overly sweet. That does not happen with this beer. About the only flavor that got amplified as it warmed, was vanilla. All of the other flavors stayed on an even keel.

MOUTHFEEL: Full-bodied and velvety-soft and smooth on the tongue. Carbonation is appropriately moderate, which helps to attain the overall smoothness. This has the best mouthfeel I've ever experienced with a beer. The only word I can think to describe it is, luscious!

OVERALL: I really didn't know what to expect from this beer, but it certainly wasn't this! I saw it at my local Publix and figured "what the heck, might as well try something new". I have to say, I am impressed! What's really odd is that, in general, I have been unimpressed with Funky Buddha's beers. I tend to find them to be mediocre craft beers. Yet, knowing that, I still went ahead and bought this! If they can make more beers of this quality, then I will be more than happy to give them my money!

12oz bottle received from @Roguer in the Barleywine/Stout BIF 2023; first experience with Funky Buddha
Poured into a Sunriver Belgian-style tulip

p- black w/ a small light tan head; quickly recedes to a ring
n- med-bold nose of sweet bourbon, licorice, cocoa, pipe tobacco; really nice; inviting
t- sweet cocoa, bourbon, vanilla, and a touch of toasty barrel; delicious
mf- outstanding; full, creamy, smooth, and satisfying; med to med-high carb
o- one notable barrel-aged imperial stout; delicious and super drinkable for the style; excellent aroma and mouthfeel to boot; well-executed all the way around, imo

review date: 02.27.24
bottle date: not captured

 

Pours a deep black. It doesn't look clear even when light is shined into it. But when you get near the bottom of the glass it becomes a clear, deep brown-burgundy when bright light is passed through it. The pour produces a thin finger of frothy, short-lived, light mocha head that leaves little lace, surface cap or collar. Aroma is rich, deeply roasted malt with notes of vanilla/oak, licorice, prune, booze and faint hints of chocolate and maple. Alcohol is barely detectable in the nose until the beer has warmed. Taste is extra rich malt, bourbon booze, woody oak/vanilla backed up by brown sugar, chocolate, licorice, fig and prune, the maple is more reserved than in the nose; earthy with pepper in the finish; a mild bitterness lingers in the aftertaste. Alcohol becomes becomes more apparent in mid-sip and blossoms from there. Its presence runs the spectrum of flavor/spice, warmth and bitterness all melding in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is heavy bodied with low carbonation, peppery, silky and creamy. An astringency develops in the finish and lingers long and prominent in the aftertaste. Very warming in the mouth and throat.

 

Appearance: Pours coffee colored with a one finger beige head that slowly fades to a ringlet and archipelago; squiggly lacing

Smell: Roasted malt, chocolate and Bourbon tones with vanilla underpinning

Taste: Chocolate and coffee forward with vanilla adding some sweetness; the Bourbon asserts into the mid-palate and brings a somewhat boozy finish; vanilla flavor is bold in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: A bit too strong on the vanilla for my palate but the Bourbon comes through in a complementary fashion, just as I like it

Found this in the back of the garage fridge. Probably aged 1 to 2 years. Popping the top the waft is heavy licorice, breadiness and cocoa and bourbon. Pours like motor oil into a pint glass with a 1 inch head that fades quickly. The mouthfeel is thick like a milk shake. Taste is sweet and milk stout like with a heavy cocoa component and some licorice and bourbon. There is a deep but reserved bitterness throughout. The taste seems to give away the 11% ABV. A few sips goes right to my head. This is not a beer for the faint hearted. It’s a complex ass kicker.

 

 

Florida beers struggle in general. This is no exception. Stouts are my favorite. Pours with little to no head. Color is nice and dark. Initially, a warm bourbon flavor gives hope, but it is quickly overpowered by a sweet syrup flavor. And there is little to no hop bitterness to counter. If you enjoy barleywine, you may like this. Not for me.

 

 

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter.
Pours black, very thin tan head that exits quick, no lacing, small oil rim remains.
Aroma is coffee, cocoa, slight hint of bourbon.
Tastes slightly sweet, there’s a decent barrel note, but the use of syrup is way evident.
Feel is low carbo, full body.
Overall, cutting corners to quickly produce beer by adding syrups that overwhelm natural process and flavors is sinful. Funky Buddha is well known for doing this. To a novice, this may taste good. But I know better.,.