Dark Fatha
Bent Brewstillery

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From:
Bent Brewstillery
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,835
ABV:
12.5%
Score:
78
Ranked #26,869
Avg:
3.35 | pDev: 26.27%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
55
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 07, 2024
Added:
Nov 05, 2013
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  15
Dark Fatha’s 2016 verison is aged in bourbon and StormBringer Spiced Rum barrels for a very distinctive hybrid flavor. Big and booming, yet, with a delicately light soul, Dark Fatha is a deep, rich, and velvety strong stout-like drinking a whiskey soaked in chocolate cake.

ABV varies from year to year.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by TCMike:
Photo of TCMike
Reviewed by TCMike from Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
My first beer from these newbies. Very impressed.

Produced a three finger, beige head. Beer color is so brown, that it's practically black.

The aroma is of roasted malts, and a hint of coffee and dark chocolate. Not very strong, but nice.

Taste is similar, but it does have a hint of hop bitterness, and dry finnish. Has a lower, heavy body, and medium carbonation.

Yum!
Jan 04, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.96/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
2023 version. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It left thin trails of lace on the glass. It smelled fo bourbon, oak, vanilla, molasses and chocolate. Sweet chocolate, toffee and molasses with bourbon, oak and subtle vanilla.
Jan 07, 2024
 
Rated: 4.34 by MykeJ from Minnesota

Mar 19, 2022
 
Rated: 3.98 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Dec 25, 2021
Photo of SaxmanRick
Reviewed by SaxmanRick from Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +34.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2018 version - Whiskey BA with toasted coconut and smoked chiles. Opened 12/10/19. 12.3% ABV. Very dark brown, essentially black with a 1-1/2 inch dark tan head which mostly remains throughout. Nice lacing. Aroma is rich and complex with dark fruit, chocolate, some type of liquor and just a hint of chiles. Taste is intense and complex. Spiciness started subdued and grew as I drank and the beer warmed. Otherwise, all the aromas play around each other - none dominating. Creamy mouthfeel flavors coating the mouth.

This was highly recommended and I was just a bit skeptical. This really came through and I sense that the cellaring helped.
Dec 11, 2019
Photo of Mindcrime1000
Reviewed by Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota

2.96/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Poured from a glass bomber bottle into a tulip...This is a 2016 bottle opened in 2019.

Pours opaque and black. Not brownish black, just black. At least it lives up to the name. A decent finger and a half tan head settles slowly into a foamy skein, with decent lacing, especially for the ABV. The pour is, rather "thin" for an AIS, most likely from the barrel aging.

Aromas of coffee, chocolate, amaretto, vanilla, rum barrels. The rum aromas come from both the "light" and "dark" ends of the spectrum. Hints of anise and evergreen. Toasted and sugary malts present. Hints of of oxidation.

The flavor is skewed sweet and boozy, with "burnt" versus "toasted" malts present. Despite the aging, the booze is very present. Light rum, butterscotch, caramel, vanilla/bourbon, dark rum, cherry, almond, espresso, ash and hints of dark chocolate on the palate. Multiple herbal and spice notes--anise, clove, white pepper as well. "Captain Morgan" comes to mind. Hints of hops. Astringent finish. "Char" and "booze" are the two strongest notes. Although the "booze" is strong in this one, it never reaches a burn. The aging has limited this to a smoldering, warming presence. All of that said, this feels more like a mixed rum drink or malt liquor than a beer.

The body is only medium-full. The barrel-aging and shelf-aging has mellowed this to a medium-full presence. The carbonation is still rather remarkably strong. Very drying at the finish, the booze, char, and hints of hops keep this from being "sticky."

I'm glad I aged this, otherwise--ye gods--what a boozy burner this would have been. A little too sweet and rummy for my taste. All of that said, this is a rather complex brew that pulls flavors from all over the map.
Mar 23, 2019
 
Rated: 3.49 by einman from Minnesota

Dec 24, 2017
Photo of Servocam
Rated by Servocam from Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Too sweet. Worth getting, but only once.
Nov 18, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by tvenne from Minnesota

May 11, 2017
Photo of Dulahan
Reviewed by Dulahan from North Dakota

5/5  rDev +49.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Complex is how I would describe this one. Reading the description I see it was aged in Rum barrels, and you can definitely catch some hints of it once you sip it and let the flavors mature in your mouth. It is particularly interesting how it's paired with different foods I've had. Wonderful with a German sausage and spicy peppers. Excellent with a burger topped with some cajun sauce. Oddly, not as good with a bacon and barbecue sauce burger, though that only because it seemed to hide the various flavors somehow.

Either way, this is a great beer for someone who likes darks with a complicated palette.
Feb 10, 2017
Photo of ta_hagen
Reviewed by ta_hagen from Minnesota

4.51/5  rDev +34.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
First off, I would like to give a shout out to Bent Brewstillery for tweaking their ingredients on this one. A sweet and roasty dark malt driven aroma with hints of chocolate and toast. Upfront dark roasted barley malts with hints of chocolate, coffee, burnt toast, biscuit, grains, oats, caramel, toffee, nuts, smoke, and yeast. Sweet scent of burnt molasses. Went from an 9.3% 2015 prior beers to 2016 Dark Fatha's 12.5% ABV. They also aged it in bourbon barrels and StormBringer Spiced Rum barrels. Big thanks to them on that. I would say this could be a nice entry level beer from a stout to a barrel-aged stout. The body is light but the ABV is their and hidden to almost nothing. Dark roasted barley malts with upfront notes of chocolate, dark coffee, burnt toast, oats, grains, biscuit, caramel, toffee, smoke, nuts, and yeast. Sweet taste of burnt molasses and a fruity dry finish. Overall, it's a nice entry level imperial stout. Will buy again!
Jan 29, 2017
Photo of NilocRellim
Reviewed by NilocRellim from Minnesota

4.39/5  rDev +31%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
*2017: Barrel-Aged Emperial Stout*

Aged in bourbon and rum barrels. Pours a motor-oil black colour. Boozy rum nose with vanilla, black banana, sticky dense tree fruits, whiskey oak, treacle, and a dense sweetness. Heavy mouthfeel and a thick coating of whiskey, burnt grain, and cocoa nib which lingers on. Boozy but balanced, and a lilt of carbonation to ease up on the sweet denseness prevailing throughout. I get the rum, vanilla, and black banana upfront, while the whiskey and roasty profiles are prevalent near the finish. Brulee and dark toffee body. Hint of dryness in the afterpalate.

*2016: Barrel-Aged Emperial Stout*

Aged in bourbon and rum barrels. Pours a motor-oil black colour. Rum nose, vanilla, whiskey, milk chocolate and syrupy sweet. Big alcohol bourbon upfront, vanilla, milk chocolate body intermediary, with a rounded rum finish. For the style, no heavy mouth coat or sweet finish. Carbonation is peppery enough to cut the malt. Dry enough aftertaste.
Dec 08, 2016
 
Rated: 2.91 by nmann08 from Virginia

Mar 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.41 by Hendrick24 from Wisconsin

Jan 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.58 by DaveAnderson from Minnesota

Jan 18, 2016
Photo of CraigP83
Reviewed by CraigP83 from Minnesota

3.21/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Almost pitch black, hold it up to the light and it's crimson around the edges. Smell is super boozy , but not bourbon or oak, almost white wine or a clear liquor. Coffee flavor, a bit thin bodied
Jan 09, 2016
 
Rated: 2.85 by millelacsmark from Minnesota

Dec 30, 2015
Photo of gregy55902
Reviewed by gregy55902 from Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I got and drank this today. Sure it's not super meaty and thick, but that is really the only knock on this beer. Light bourbon notes with a heavy dose of vanilla beans or at least vanilla extract. Toffee and cocoa were also noticeable. It was a good offering from a young brewery - don't know why people drain-poured this. Maybe the 2014 version was wildly different? Anyway, good dessert beer! I like it.
Dec 19, 2015
Photo of vette2006c5r
Reviewed by vette2006c5r from Minnesota

3.44/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5
Dark Fatha pours a black color with a small but lacing white head. Weaker aroma, but nice notes of bourbon and wood. Taste has a nice bourbon flavor, good barrel notes too. Flavors are very light, and body is watery. Overall while it is a good beer, it a fuller body would make it excellent.
Dec 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.99 by couchsitta from Minnesota

Dec 12, 2015
Dark Fatha from Bent Brewstillery
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 55 ratings