Oak Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
The Spencer Brewery

 

Sampling from an 11.2oz bottle, picked up at Lazy Dog recently for $6.75. Maybe my last chance to try this? Enjoying out in The 'Zebo.....

Pours jet black, like crude oil, dense and opaque. Had a creamy, frothy, mocha-hued head, which lasts decently at about 1/4". Lacing left behind is solid as well. Aroma has dark choco, vanilla, some bourbon, and prunes and dates. Also getting a little coconut. Body is medium-plus, with a nice, smooth feel.

Flavor mostly mirrors the nose.... roasty, malt notes, more dark choco with a touch of bitterness. Some vanilla, figs, prunes and dates. Again, some coconut and a hint of licorice. The roasty, bitter character is a bit too much for me, but it's still a solid brew. Prosit, Spencer - you will be missed.....

4.04/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

2353

 

 

Pours with a surprisingly large dark head. Fairly dense and takes a bit to settle down. I'll have to do 2 pours in this small snifter. Boy it is dark though. Very few highlights on the edges (brown and a little red). Aroma holds a nice blending of bourdon, vanilla, a rich dark malt with some fruit highlights (but this is definitely in the background). Nicely complex flavors with fruit noted here but still strong foreground of the bourbon, wood and vanilla. This one dries out quite a bit on the finish and lingers a good long time as well. Rich as heck and has a filling quality from that. Very smooth body but not all that bigger than moderate. Alcohol flavors grow and it moves away from bourbon to boozy as it opens up. There also develops a little tartness or sour flavors. Seems possibly yeast related.
This is good, but there are many that are so much better.

11.2 oz. Bottle
BB: 01/14/24

Poured into a tulip a very nice dark brown/black color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice thick/creamy one-finger plus tan head, with a pretty nice oil slick, and also leaves some very nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is pretty nice, malty, hoppy, kinda yeasty, with a pretty nice touch of chocolate/toffee, vanilla, pretty nice dark fruit complex (grapes, cherries, figs, plums, raisins, prunes, dates), pretty nice bourbon/oak notes, some licorice. The taste is very nice, malty, hoppy, kinda yeasty, very nice chocolate/toffee, very nice dark fruit notes (grapes, cherries, figs, plums, raisins, prunes, dates), nice vanilla sweetness, pretty nice touch of bourbon/oak, licorice. Full Body, ABV hidden very well, this is a very tasty complex brew. Overall, a very tasty brew, worth checking out. Glad to see it around here.

 

From a 330 ml. bottle with a best by date of 01/24/24. Sampled Aug 25, 2021.

An extraordinary dark brown to near black pour under a silky, long lasting tan head. Lacing. Never full fades out.

The aroma boasts dark roasted malts, coffee, raisins, black licorice and an oaky and boozy barrel character. The barrel-aging is there for sure.

Medium to about full mouthfeel.

Those slightly sweet dark roasted malts and licorice play up big in the flavor. So does the barrel-aging and alcohol. Nearly 12 %. Yup! I mean you can tell it has been simmering away in a barrel someplace. I have a couple in the cellar to try in the next year or two. Delightful.

 

 

Best before 2024/01/14
Pours a tan fizzy bubbly head with med retention, bit of lacing, decent legs, jet black color

Nose wow buttery oak, overpowering buttery chardonnay like oak maybe even diacetyl, some vanilla, dark chocolate, little fruity possibly infected character, alcohol

Taste brings more of the fruity infection character, diacetyl mixed with buttery oak and artificial buttered popcorn, dark chocolate and cocoa, little coffee, caramel, perfumey alcohol, some bitterness, drier finish, big cocoa and buttery again

Mouth is med to fuller bod, fair tingly hot alcohol, prickly higher carb and some acidity I think, slick diacetyl

Overall sad, there was some form of infection or continued unwanted fermentation in the bottle with that fruity spicy infection character as well as diacetyl

 

De Labirratorium. En copa de caliz de Grimbergen. Jugando a Darksiders 2 y, luego, a Tell me Why. Con queso de oveja de Codi. Notas muy agradables a madera de roble, aunque se hecha en falta más de presencia de la imperial stout que hay de base. Se bebe muy fácilmente a pesar del alto abv, dando peligrosamente la sensación de llevar menos alcohol del que lleva

 

 

750 ml bottle into signature chalice, best before 11/3/2018. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark bread; with lighter notes of dark fruit, coconut, licorice, molasses, pepper, smoke, herbal, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark bread; with lighter notes of dark fruit, coconut, licorice, molasses, pepper, smoke, herbal, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/roasted bitterness and peppery yeast spiciness on the finish. lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, dark bread, pepper, light licorice/smoke, herbal, yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet and yeast spiciness balance; with zero acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/velvety, and lightly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Mildly increasing warmth of 8.7% after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged Russian imperial stout! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to sip on for the big ABV. Quite a big difference from the base beer. Far less bitter and fruity/yeasty; with rich/balanced malts and barrel complexities. Much smoother and silkier mouthfeel from the barrel. I thought the base beer was awesome, but this is even better; and feels more like a proper Russian imperial stout, rather than a Belgian one. A highly enjoyable offering.