Rare DOS 1
Cycle Brewing

 

4.33/5: One of the better whiskey BA stouts I've had in a while; incredibly bold, flavorful, and complex, but with a modicum of elegance and delicacy

 

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a short tan head that quickly settled down, leaving a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate to strong aromas of dark malts and whiskey are present in the nose, the latter of which becomes stronger as the beer begins to warm up.
T: The taste has lots of flavors of whiskey along with strong underlying notes of dark and chocolate malts.
M: It feels full-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer packs in a lot of whiskey but feels like it is seamless integrated in the beer and doesn't overpower the underlying stout and hardly exhibits much in the way of alcohol in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forgot to rate when I had it. Special Tap Event at the Brew Hub Taproom - St. Louis, 02/01/2020.

Stewed dark fruits and mild barrel on the nose. Full, rich flavors of raisin, bourbon, hints of vanilla, & undertones of baker’s chocolate. Well-balanced, subtly complex. Very well done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

22 ounce bottle into snifter, 2017 vintage bottling. Pours dense pitch black color with a small dense dark brown head with good retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, vanilla, whiskey, toasted oak, roasted nuts, fudge, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, whiskey barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, vanilla, whiskey, toasted oak, roasted nuts, fudge, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, roast, charred bitterness; and whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, vanilla, whiskey, toasted oak, roasted nuts, fudge, biscuit, dark bread/crust, coconut, dark fruit, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, whiskey barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a fantastic roasted bitter/sweet and whiskey/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 11%, with zero lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged imperial stout. All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, whiskey 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 silky/smooth/soft feel from 1+ year barrel aging. Perfectly balanced super rich malts and whiskey barrel presence/integration; with mild earthy hops and fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing top tier quality style example as expected.

Medium black with tan foam. Smell is laced with whiskey, with supporting wood, chocolate, molasses, vanilla, and coconut. Taste is where this beer shines, take all the flavors from the smell, then add marshmallow, fudge, brown sugar, soil, char, and slight maple, all amalgamating into a viscous delight. Thick, chewy, boozy and warm in the feel. A heavy stout for whiskey lovers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed from (very) long-standing notes. Poured from the 22 oz. bottle into an El Catador teku glass. Bought 8/16/17, consumed in October 2017.

A: Very, very dark brown to black. Opaque with a low amount of visible carbonation. Forms a half-finger of tan head that recedes fairly quickly. This even looks thick during the pour.

S: Whiskey, chocolate, and oak. Vanilla and oak tannins, dark roasted malts with mild coffee presence and just a hint of char to it. Nice aroma here – solid, obvious whiskey but not overly hot. This won't singe your nose hairs or anything.

T: Follows the nose pretty closely. Whiskey and chocolate roasted malts dominate. Dark roastiness mixes with barrel tannins, mild coffee and vanilla, light tobacco and toffee. More whiskey and chocolate with some mild bitterness near the end.

M: A thick heavy sticky body, though it's not overly sweet on the whole. Low carbonation sensation, but it fits this monster perfectly. Alcohol is obvious for sure, but integrated into the flavors.

O: Really good. Beautiful body, and wonderful integration of the whiskey and barrel flavors. Very nicely executed, clean non-additive stout.