Barrel Aged Black Dog Stout
Bodacious Berries, Fruits And Brews / Big Barn Brewery

A 12 ounce pour from the tap at the brewery into a tulip glass.

Look- Black, opaque, sudsy medium brown head, below average lacing, average head retention.

Smell- Burnt oats, slight coffee, weak strength of scent.

Taste- Toasted oats, bourbon, watery flavor, medium strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, moderately bitter, moderately prickly, mildly mouth coating, mildly mouth warming.

Overall- Look was as expected with exception of lacing. Bouquet was weak and uncomplicated with very slight bourbon notes. Flavors were watery and not dynamic. Feel was thinner than expected and not smooth. The ABV of the base beer was listed on the menu exactly the same as the barrel aged version, I see this and my other observations, as a sign that the barrel aging was not nearly long enough.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a fine, two finger dark khaki head with great retention and nice lacing, looks great. Aroma of dark toasted malt with light char, oak, coffee, cocoa and a little vanilla. Flavor follows with dark toasted malt with good char, coffee, dark chocolate, woody oak and vanilla. Good woody, malty finish with hints of dark stone fruit. Medium bodied with moderate, silky creaminess and nice mouth feel. Like the base stout, this is kind of mellow at first, more like a milk stout, but the char and coffee notes build throughout the taste into a fine finish. Oak is the main barrelling flavor, so I'm guessing that this does use spirit barrels; if so, the liquor flavor is not obvious. A little over oaky in the finish, but overall well balanced. This looks, feels and tasted great. Well done.