Darkstar November
Bottle Logic Brewing

Look - black and thick with a tan head and great rimming
Smell - molasses rye barrel and chocolate
Taste - chocolate rye barrel molasses and booze
Feel - full body with a lighter crisp carb

 

2025 vintage, into a snifter.

Pours an oily black with dark brown foam, some residual foam on the glass but not much. Aroma is fudge, coffee, and a little red fruit. Distinctly whiskey-forwards and less chocolatey than a lot of rye stouts I've had. Flavor is all in on the unrefined sugars. It's impressively savory and feels much more malty than most stouts. Not hoppy or especially bitter like some RIS, but less sweet, just vaguely dry, and heavy on the tobacco and dark unsweetened cocoa. The Buffalo Trace comes through well as boozy vanilla and slightly dry oak, which helps smooth out the other flavors. Finish is shockingly dry. This is not a pastry stout at all, and while there are layers of chocolate, it's mostly rather dry. The dark red fruits up front are a quintessential RIS note, and it feels very much to style. The molasses sits on the mid palate, just adding another form of boozy note besides whiskey and huge malts, which comes across a little as a dark rum sort of idea. It's a welcome extra sugar to this heavy, dark, unsweetened monstrosity. Feel is great. Huge body, very much a sipper, but not boozy or hard to drink at all. I found the complexity easy to enjoy, and the beer had nothing that put me off of it whatsoever. It wasn't too syrupy as was typical for the style, but not as refreshing as a fresh RIS. Still, this wasn't a pastry stout or a BBA monstrosity; much more subtle and less oily.

Overall, I really paid for this bottle, but I think it lives up to the hype. This is a proper Russian Imperial Stout down to the dry finish, and the molasses and rye come through well. The barrel presence is subtle but adds a lot, but isn't needed to make this beer exceptional. The Bottle Logic stuff that gets to Tennessee can be rough (I really enjoyed the Fuzzy Logic peach NEIPA even with some age, but it wasn't worth the price), but this one is an all time great for a reason. Great stuff.

 

 

Appearance: Pours pitch black with a one finger tan head that fades to a ringlet and archipelago; leggy with a splattering of lace

Smell: Blackstrap molasses, roasted malt, rye, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and Bourbon tones

Taste: Roasted malt, blackstrap molasses, caramel, dried plum, chocolate and vanilla all emerge, in the front end; the Bourbon is enhanced by the Rye, in the mid-palate, and makes a big impression in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied and creamy with low carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: I am a sucker for Rye barrels but this one is different, using Bourbon barrels with rye being an adjunct; color me impressed

2025 Edition

Bought at San Diego Wine and Beer. Around $26 for a bomber. 2024 edition, consumed on 10/27/25. Left out for ~30 minutes and poured into a Spiegelau stout glass.

A&S: Dark black beer with almost a red hue to it. Doesn't have much head, even with poured with vigor. The head that was there was a nice, deep brown. However, it still somehow has some lacing legs on the glass. Very rich aroma that primarily contains peppery rye, black licorice, and Coca-Cola. I am also getting vanilla, dark malts, blackstrap molasses, and espresso. Reminds me a lot of Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout with less vanilla tones.

T&M: Very peppery from the rye. I am also getting wood, tobacco, and toffee (especially in the finish). Heavy on the palate. Mouthfeel is thick and luxurious, but still contains a carbonation bite and has a chew to it.

Overall: this beer did not disappoint. Wow! I saw the rating before buying (which I try not to do), so I had high expectations, but I would say it even surpassed them. According to my rating, this one is far better than Fundamental Observation; however, I only see it slightly better after having both. Even still, falls right outside my top ten and, unless something else comes up, will be my top beer of 2025.

 

 

 

 

Look - Pours a pitch black color with a dark brown head with slightly larger than normal bubbles that quickly disappears.

Smell - Smells of malt, rye, and bourbon.

Taste - Molasses comes through in the taste, along with malt, cacao, brown sugar, and rye.

Feel - A bit dry, lightly carbonated, and perhaps thin for the style.

Overall - Not a bad stout, though for some reason, while I love maple syrup, I've never been a huge fan of maple stouts.

2024 bottle

Review: 2376
Name: Darkstar November
Brewery: Bottle Logic
Location: Anaheim, CA
Style: Barrel Aged Stout
ABV: 14%
Canned: 2021
Date: 25 April 2025
I remember that when I got this beer, I was trying to find several beers that were hard to obtain. I have purchased several beers from Bottle Logic since then. I am serving the beer at 50 degrees in a tulip glass. The pour created an airy, one-fingered, dark tan head with average retention. The slow dissipation left no lacing on the glass, only a dark tan ring around the liquid. The color is pitch black with a mahogany-red hue and is semi-transparent, charting at 36. This beer's appearance is average; I would have liked to see a longer-lasting head, but it is understandable because of the ABV.
Nosing the glass, I smelled black strap, anise, bourbon, oak, char, leather, floral, raisins, dark brown sugar, earthiness, dark chocolate, espresso, caramel, spicy rye, black pepper, dark roasted malts, malty sweetness, and toffee.
Sipping the beer, I taste dark chocolate, espresso, bourbon, black strap, char, Maillard, leather, wood resin, treacle, caramel, toffee, oak, floral esters, spicy rye, dark toasted bread crust, malty sweetness, anise, and grassy.
The mouthfeel is slightly astringent, finishing smooth with some dryness. The body is heavy and has medium-low carbonation.
Darkstar November is a perfect example of why I love Russian Imperial Stouts; the beer is crammed with flavor and balance. The hop profile is aggressive but not off-putting. The deep, rich malt profile and the barrel aging added depth and character to a complex beer. The molasses is akin to a black strap without the bitter sulfur. I love the rye complexity; it adds another layer to this intricate beer. Fantastic beer!

500ml bottle courtesy of @Beersnake (received in the Barleywine/Stout BIF #2)
Poured into a Baerlic Belgian-style tulip

2023 vintage

P black w/ a tiny foamy tan cap; no noticeable lacing
N med-bold to bold nose of barrel, choc, plum and other dark fruit; inviting for sure
T huge profile of chocolate, jammy dark fruit, dark sugars/molasses, vanilla, and barrel; zesty rye notes throughout; light med warming finish; outstanding
Mf med to med-full bodied; smooth; soft-med carb
O an exceptional BA imperial stout; so happy to have finally been able to try it; a big thanks again, 'Snake!

Review date: 03.15.25
Bottle date: 2023

This is the 2020 release and Batch 007 of the "Stasis Project." This seems to have gone through some evolution but still the molasses and bourbon barrel aging (not Buffalo Trace). Also I don't see why this is not an American Imperial, but maybe that was added in later years.

Pours a dark brown, near black with a lack of foam in the chalice. Appealing boozy smell. Mouthfeel is unctuous with plenty of spritz still dissolved. This does seem like the most alcohol tasting beer I can remember, at 14.76 percent. The flavor is all heat and darkness and sugar. Quite interesting and smooth, but certainly sugary beyond any expectation in a beer. Helps it last, I guess. I don't notice any rye flavor or very much bitterness, but it's a big sweet stout without any silly flavoring. From the 500 ml bottle purchased at O'shea Brewing.