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Double Barrel Vanilla Rare DOS
Cycle Brewing
- From:
- Cycle Brewing
- Florida, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 11%
- Score:
- 97
- Avg:
- 4.45 | pDev: 6.07%
- Reviews:
- 12
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 17, 2022
- Added:
- Jun 12, 2017
- Wants:
- 8
- Gots:
- 9
Bourbon Barrel Then Vanilla Bourbon Barrel-Aged Rare DOS Imperial Stout
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Tazmon:
Rated by Tazmon from Hawaii
4.28/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Apr 29, 2018
4.28/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Apr 29, 2018
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Beersnake from California
4.28/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.28/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured at fridge temp. Pours motor oil black with little head. Nose is vanilla, coconut, bourbon, chocolate, nutmeg, and a bit of lactose. The taste is really nice. Vanilla, bourbon, molasses, roasted malts, dark chocolate, and some nice dark fruit. The mouthfeel is creamy and viscous. Overall, a really fantastic stout!
Jan 17, 2022Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida
4.84/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
4.84/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Black with minimal ruby edges pour; dark tan with some fizzy and some rocky head; poor cap retention; notwithstanding thin ring, bands of sticky lace leave sudsy spots; medium legs sheet glass upon swirl. Nose is vibrant cocoa nibs, and vanilla!; bourbon right behind and present on the retro nasal. Taste is chocolate fudge!; bitter sweet dark chocolate, brownie batter, vanilla and oak; bourbon finish. Medium full body, smooth silky feel, yet not adjuncty; moderate minus carbonation; pleasant mouth warmth from 16% abv; dry oaky barrel finish on the tongue. Overall, so rich, chocolaty, and bourbony; amazed that 3+ years later the vanilla is still a player; Rare Dos base is always dope; a special beer!
Nov 13, 2020Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina
4.25/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.25/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 6/2017. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy tan head with solid retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, vanilla, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Very mild herbal, roast, char bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, dark/brown bread, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, light smoke/char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, vanilla, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a solid roast/hop bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, lightly slick, and slightly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 11%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic flavored barrel aged imperial stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, vanilla, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Amazingly soft/silky feel. Insane levels of vanilla with amazing balance of rich malts and bourbon barrel presence/integration. Mild hops and fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example as expected.
Aug 18, 2019Reviewed by Jeffo from Netherlands
3.74/5 rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.74/5 rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Got this one from Desp59 a while back. Cheers!
From a bomber into a snifter
Bourbon barrel aged THEN vanilla bourbon barrel aged imperial stout
APPEARANCE: Clear black pour yields a three finger, fizzy, crackly, foamy tan head with half-decent retention. Black body with no real carbonation evident. Foamy head crackles down to a good film and clings slightly to the glass. A ring remains but leaves no real lacing down the glass. The head is a little mundane on this one but the color is okay.
SMELL: Bourbon barrel, sweet cream, definite vanilla aromas with hints of milk chocolate on the nose. Vanilla comes through nicely and meshes well with the sweet bourbon barrel.
TASTE: Vanilla and bourbon barrel character up front. Boozy with sweet cream and some butterscotch at the swallow, moving into a boozy and bold finish of bourbon, milk chocolate, sweet cream and vanilla, some butterscotch and alcohol. Good stuff and plenty of vanilla and sweet barrel components.
PALATE: Medium body and slightly higher levels of carbonation. Not overly creamy, a bit prickly perhaps, goes down fine with a good burn at the swallow and finishes somewhat sticky. Decent about of heat lingers. Could be a little tamer, perhaps.
OVERALL: Solid stuff for sure, though the look is a little lack luster and the feel a bit pricklier than I’d like for the style. Plenty boozy as well, but I guess that’s what you get sometimes when it’s double barrel aged. A good beer by Cycle, as they all are, but not executed in a way that makes me want to crawl back like the vast majority of their other big stout offerings do. I’d go for another one in the double barrel Rare DOS series. Thanks again, Desp! Always a pleasure.
Dec 23, 2018From a bomber into a snifter
Bourbon barrel aged THEN vanilla bourbon barrel aged imperial stout
APPEARANCE: Clear black pour yields a three finger, fizzy, crackly, foamy tan head with half-decent retention. Black body with no real carbonation evident. Foamy head crackles down to a good film and clings slightly to the glass. A ring remains but leaves no real lacing down the glass. The head is a little mundane on this one but the color is okay.
SMELL: Bourbon barrel, sweet cream, definite vanilla aromas with hints of milk chocolate on the nose. Vanilla comes through nicely and meshes well with the sweet bourbon barrel.
TASTE: Vanilla and bourbon barrel character up front. Boozy with sweet cream and some butterscotch at the swallow, moving into a boozy and bold finish of bourbon, milk chocolate, sweet cream and vanilla, some butterscotch and alcohol. Good stuff and plenty of vanilla and sweet barrel components.
PALATE: Medium body and slightly higher levels of carbonation. Not overly creamy, a bit prickly perhaps, goes down fine with a good burn at the swallow and finishes somewhat sticky. Decent about of heat lingers. Could be a little tamer, perhaps.
OVERALL: Solid stuff for sure, though the look is a little lack luster and the feel a bit pricklier than I’d like for the style. Plenty boozy as well, but I guess that’s what you get sometimes when it’s double barrel aged. A good beer by Cycle, as they all are, but not executed in a way that makes me want to crawl back like the vast majority of their other big stout offerings do. I’d go for another one in the double barrel Rare DOS series. Thanks again, Desp! Always a pleasure.
Reviewed by Vidblain from Minnesota
4.5/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Plenty of barrel present in DB Vanilla Rare DOS - but, I was mildly disappointed that there wasn't more vanilla present. The beer drinks quite clean and pours beautifully - and there's lots of vanilla in the nose - but somehow, that doesn't translate to the taste. I don't know whether the barrels overwhelm that vanilla a bit, or if age has muted it.
Still, a damn fine beer. I just want more vanilla, damnit.
Apr 23, 2018Still, a damn fine beer. I just want more vanilla, damnit.
Double Barrel Vanilla Rare DOS from Cycle Brewing
Beer rating:
97 out of
100 with
71 ratings
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