Heckin' Chonker
Fair State Brewing Cooperative

I came back on BA just to review this fantastic beer.
Canned on date was: 12/30/2019
Poured into a Tree House Brewing 16oz stout glass.
The beer poured smooth and the head was orange to reddish-orange.
The initial notes on the nose were chocolate, barley and cinnamon.
This beer has aged very well and I am fortunate enough to have one more in my cellar along with the BBA apple brandy MegaChonker beer variety. The beer tasted very smooth with light notes of chocolate and cinnamon. As the beer warmed up the cinnamon turned more to a berry note much like raspberry or blueberry.
Overall I am so glad I cellared this beer it warmed me up on this very ,very cold night.

 

 

16oz can. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of fluffy foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of chocolate, vanilla, bourbon and charred wood. Sweet, rich chocolate taste with toffee, vanilla, bourbon and oak notes.

Heckin' Chonker pours black, with a small head. Barrel notes, very sweet, very rich vanilla notes. Flavor is sweeter, lots of vanilla and barrel notes. Good body and feel.

 

Thanks to Jeff for this one. 16oz. can into Tree House stemware.

Pours pitch black and viscous. Dark, oily, sticky legs. No head, spotty lace. Nose is roasted malt, vanilla beans, sweet cream, and brownie. There's some booziness here but not much barrel character. Beer opens vanilla, sweet cream, and lactose. Super creamy. Almost whip cream. Chocolate, roasted malt, and sweet soy sauce in the middle. Booze, more roast, and molasses at the finish. This one brings me back to some Old Money Imperial stout flavor profiles. Body is full with minimal carbonation. Slick, oily, and chewy on the palate and goes down warm, sticky, and viscous. Spot on for the style.

The nose and look isn't great here but the flavor and feel are spot on. I'd highly recommend this for people looking for a classic barrel-aged imperial stout.

Rich and loaded with flavor..roasted grains...sugar laden dark fruits (plums, raisins)....hersheys chocolate syrup....full bodied....smooth velvet like texture....not very complex.....it's good beer but nothing I would revisist. Really sweet without a lot of dimensions....I'd have never guessed this was barrel aged...

 

 

From a 16oz can . Pours thick jet black with a thin tan head. Smell is roasted malts ,chocolate vanilla and barrel Taste is thick and follows nose with desert chocolate , with whiskey and vanilla. A thick mouth feel ,very sweet desert pastry stout. 8 plz is plenty ,it was too sweet for me

16oz can into a pint glass. Canned December 2019, so 2 years old.

Jet black body, but the head fizzles out very quickly. I know it's high abv, but still ..

Nice bourbon vanilla mix on the nose.

On tasting, it's very well balanced. Both bourbon and vanilla are front and center, but quite smooth. It's also a little sweet.

Mouth barely reaches medium, finish a warming bourbon note with a little sweetness thrown in

Overall, not bad, not bad at all. Just falls a little short in a couple of areas.

 

 

Canned 12/10/19

Pours a dark brown. Not even a finger of dark brown head forms then quickly dissipates.

Nose is malt, huge amounts of brown sugar, some bourbon, barrel char, booze. This reminds me of BCBS on the nose. Really great.

Taste is a little lacking compared to the promises of the scents. Malt, char, and booze show up first. A little aggressive on the approach. Some vanilla and sweetness afterwards. A small amount of bourbon.

Mouthfeel is fullbodied with mild carbonation. Standard fare.

This brew feels like it's going to so much more but it seems subdued. The nose promises greatness but the taste falls short. Still a solid brew, but I had hoped for more.

 

 

Thanks to Vidblain for tossing this one in!

Pint can - dated 12/30/19 - poured into a squat pint at 42°F.

Pours a stout black - thinner looking, topped with two fingers of tan head that recedes pretty quickly to a thin tan collar.

Nose: Lots of malt with notes of caramel, toffee, brown sugar, milk chocolate, faint vanilla, and only a little bit of roast. There is a whiff of bourbon, but it's quite faint and thetes no real barrel. Maybe a hint of vanilla bean.

Palate: Usually, it's flavour that doesn't live up to the quality of the aroma. Here, it's the opposite. The aroma was fairly bland, muted, and one dimensional, and the real stout notes only come out on the palate. The beer opens up with a healthy amount of roasted malt bringing semi-sweet chocolate, chocolate liqueur, and lots of caramel. The vanilla bean is prominent amd unmistakable, while remaining very natural. There is definitely some bourbon influence, but because (I'm assuming) it didn't spend much time in the barrel, it actually reminds me more of Irish whiskey. This, paired with the vanilla, caramel, and chocolate notes give this a real Irish cream/Bailey's character. The bourbon peaks early, whole all these flavours carry into the finish. The vanilla fades away and the roastiness increases a touch, lending some subtle coffee notes. Very little char or bitterness, and I feel the vanilla, even while diminished in the finish, helps to dial back that char. Ultimately lingers with vanilla. I am 100% sure this does not have lactose in it.

Mouthfeel/Body: The beer is definitely on the thinner side for a barrel-aged imperial stout. Even at only 10.5% ABV, it lacks the chewy viscosity and slick heft that many of the heavy hitter stouts display. It's not a small beer - it's still quite full-bodied, and it still had some chew to it, so it's not watery by any means. You could also argue that this just means its easier to drink. It's not a huge knock. Effervescence is on the lower side.

Overall: It's not going to change one's life, but it's hard to honestly knock it. When I think of all the canned local BA stouts I've had, they've all been pretty disappointing, and this is probably the best one I've had. Now it has its flaws and it isn't perfect, it it delivers everything it promises to, and it's an enjoyable vanilla stout. I'd drink it again.

A 16 oz. can which I had to look up what the hell a chonker is, so props for teaching me a new word. I guess. One I hope I never use.

This odd black stout doesn’t bring a lot of aroma – light barrel, vanilla, sweetness. Eh.

Heckin Chonker is the Nickelback of beers, appearing to take chances but really created by a consultant via whiteboard. There is vanilla, mild roast, general sweetness, wood, bit of barrel on the finish. Nice & thick, which is the best attribute.

A rather routine attempt at a barrel aged beer in a scene that is riddled with them. Pretty good effort.