The Void
Drake's Brewing Co.

 

Pours an oily, jet black. Aroma is incredible blend of the rye whiskey roasty malts, chocolate with a hint of dark fruits. Very well balanced. No overwhelming aroma.

Big, deep flavor. Again, well balanced. In addition to the rye whiskey, malts, chocolate, and dark fruits that were in the aroma, there's a sweetness in the taste. The chocolate aroma is fudgy in the taste; and the dark fruits are sugary sweet.

Mouth feel is medium with a decent creaminess. Overall, a big, bold stout.

 

375ml bottle from Tavour. Near black pour, thinnest ring of head. Boozy, chocolate aroma, whiskey. Taste starts with the expected roasty malt and coffee flavors, then sweet chocolate and finally boozy whiskey with a fair amount of burn. Surprisingly smooth. I'll definitely feel this later.

 

Pours a used motor oil black with a half finger of khaki head that is more fizz than foam. Rest of the beverage sits still in the glass, establishing oily legs on the glass after the most subtle of swirls.

Right off the bat, aroma is roasty and toasty malts with a notable emphasis on roasty, uneven malts. That's not to say unbalanced, just porous between showings. Chocolate, toffee, and barrel work into the pores. Rye whiskey swells up at the back, adding a crescendo of heat that's remains balanced within the entire profile. As the beer warms, dark fruits begin to establish themselves, slowly subduing the underlying notes of fudge.

Flavor profile is roasty and toasty malts with huge dark fruits, caramel, and fudge underneath. Of the last three notes, dark fruits lead the way, establishing a sugary, creamy sweetness within each sip. The final third of the flavor profile experiences a swell of heat from rye whiskey and barrel, establishing some bitterness and heat that balance out the whole profile. Rye whiskey is a welcome addition after the strong initial dark fruit notes. While the balance leans more towards sugary when served out of the fridge, it shifts towards center as the beer warms towards room temperature, though it never feels oddly out of balance.

Mouth feel is medium-thick with a smooth, very lightly creamy texture. While it's got heft in the thickness, it's rather still in texture, sharing just a little life between the crevasses.

Overall, an incredibly hearty stout that manages to pair dark fruits and rye whiskey together beautifully. Thanks to the balance, this 17.9% ABV beer drinks smooth. Side note, I actually laughed when I saw the ABV label after writing this review, because it's impeccably smooth.

Must acknowledge the wax on this bottle, not because it was a deterrent, rather, it was so well done that it peeled away with a few skims of the knife (my usual method - whittling away of the wax around the cap, but in this case, the wax was so supple, it didn't take long to open. All that to say, I do not own a wax cutter - an breweries should not make this a requirement.)

Pours oil black with nearly zero carbonation and no head. This raised eyebrows. Aroma is deeply whiskey and rye with notes of chocolate and caramel. This is a 17.9% brew and it doesn't hide it. Taste is of whiskey, rye and oh so boozy. On a cold day, you will warm quickly. There's a subtle hint of molasses. The lack of carbonation holds it back and I suspect there could be even more depth if it had better bubbles. Still, hold on to your seats.

2021 edition, 17.9% ABV. Death to wax.

This pours flat and the body suffers for it, coming across as a bit watery. Nice and sticky though. The candi sugar makes its presence known, this is quite sweet. Chocolate syrup, charred molasses, the aforementioned sugar, and lots of booze that sweet throughout but adds a nice rye bite at the end. Not much nuance, but this is a fun ride.

 

 

 

2019 bottle. No head. Thick oily black color.

Tastes like port which is odd. Strong and lots of booze but in a port way. Warming and smooth. Dark dried fruits, oak, molasses. Rye whiskey in finish. Full bodied. Thick and fudgy. I really enjoyed this.

 

Another gift from Tavour in a 2019 375ML bottle that is, I must say, some cool packaging. Though I didn’t realize the ABV when I popped this open. I’m not terribly observant.

The pour is severe black & shows as much sign of life as (name redacted). The nose is gargantuan: chocolate nose plugs, hefty malts, & a hard pop of rye & wood. Smell marvelous.

The Void kicks harder than a bitter kangaroo. Booze! Alcohol lays ungentle feet on the palate to advertise this ain’t no session stout. Smooth Belgian chocolate melds with the Belgian candi sugar for a frictionless, sweet mid-palate along with bits of caramel. Rye & sharp green wood roars in on the finish to mop up & obliterate everything else (except the insane booziness). Harsh, then smooth, then sharp, which is a neato trick. This is sipping whiskey drinkable, i.e. slowly & in small quantities. 375ML seems like enough now, but ask me in another 100ML when I’m drunk.

Boozy, thick, full of barrel, this is a pastry stout a la Mark McGwire, brutal & bulging. Nothing subtle here, just a top-shelf barrel aged stout. Magnificent.

 

Medium, even a little light black, with a tan head that quickly fades. Big barrel in the nose, with that booze, rye whiskey flavoring, and wood ensnaring dark fruits, molasses, slight marshmallow, and semi-sweet chocolate. Taste is huge, again barrel is the base, then take everything in the nose with added notes of char, belgian candy sugar, caramel, vanillins and lush chocolate fudge. Feel is hot with booze but in a drinkable way, not super heavy as one would expect but very lush, full and dark. Very nice first beer from drake

2019 Edition

Pours like the void itself into my glass. It appears black. Almost no light penetration, even on the thin edges. A thin collection of rocky bubbles appeared on the initial, aggressive pour and disappeared quickly. This brew sticks to the glass wherever it sits. Thin lines extend into drops of what looks like sap slowly moving down a tree.

The nose on this is huge, aggressive as hell. Malt, bakers chocolate in strength, and the barrel...Smoky char, wood, whiskey. Not sweet like bourbon. The rye dominates. Absolutely dominates. This is powerful stuff. One of those brews that just yanks you in.

Taste is malt, chocolate, brown sugar/molasses, char, wood, and booze. The booze literally evaporates on your tongue. The presence of it is undeniable. A monstrous beast. The malt, brown sugar/molasses, and rye mix well. The chocolate is there much less, providing a bittering bottom end. The aftermath lasts forever. Lingering mild sweetness and dry rye are the main flavor notes.

The mouthfeel is fullbodied and, dare I say, sharp. I'm sure the alcohol is to blame. The carbonation feels like more than it is due to the huge presence of booze on the pallete. Aggressive mouthfeel, if that makes any sense.

This is a MEAN brew. Figuratively and quite literally. The ABV and amount of time that this one spent in a rye barrel made this an ornery bastard. Not a casual brew AT ALL. Now while it sounds like I'm bashing it, the opposite is true. This is as bold and rich as it gets. Definitely a contender for 3 years in a cellar. I'm not sure if that would even be long enough for this big boy to calm down. Anyway, this 17% beast has got me rambling. This is a delicious brew that should be shared with friends or family at a meal. I'm dumb so I'm trying to drink this by myself. Wish me luck. Cheers!

Deep, dark black body with a very thin yet lasting light tan head. Big nose filled with dark roasted and charred grain, cocoa; charred oak. Rich, sweet, and fiery flavors; huge milk chocolate and cocoa tastes; big bourbon and rye notes; some elements of dark, dried pitted fruits. Huge sludgy and viscous body; velvety and sticky on the palate.

What a fine, monstrous brute of a stout! The appearance is great for a 17%+ ABV (most high ABV beers have little if any head, at least we have a thin and lasting one here). The flavors are deep, rich, and alluring with a complementary heftiness with the mouthfeel. This stout is a wild one!

 

2017 vintage; drank 8/6/19 @ City Beer Store.

Midnight black appearance.

Almost no dark khaki head; almost no lace.

Dark chocolate, marshmallow, fudge, oak & whiskey heat notes in the nose.

Smooth, thick mouthfeel.

Dark chocolate & marshmallow flavors up front; fudge, oak & mild whiskey heat notes on the finish.

A robust, excellent barrel aged stout. I hope I have the chance to have another!!

 

Thick drips of hot dark chocolate mixed with caramel finished with your favorite single malt (even though this was finished in Rye barrels). This is so smooth for 17.5pct. It's deceptively drinkable with a nice blend of dark chocolate and cacao blend with some next level whiskey notes. Wish I had a cigar around.

A real surprise. Pours pitch black. Great nose and followed up with great taste that has some sweetness to it. Wish it was a bigger format...since at 17% it's aggressive to solo this.

 

 

A: black as the night. Has legs. No head at all. Like a black hole.

S: booze galore. Amazing. Whiskey. Spicy notes. Sweet caramel. Dates. More booze.

T: soooo sweet. Boozy. Chocolate. Figs. Dark cocktail cherries. Whiskey. Oak. It's almost too sweet, but not. So close. So much depth.

F: insane. So smooth and soft. Slick but creamy and light. No harsh alcohol at all. I'm blown away by the MF for this style.

O: amazing. I need more of this stat. An absolute home run

 

The Void - Intergalactic Stout - Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels (as noted on the bottle). And what a cool bottle! Flat black all around. It isn't noted that this was aged in port barrels - as well as the whiskey - but knowing Drake's MO for barrel aging in both whiskey and port (a la Headzo, Santa's Brass) my guess is that this has also spent time in port barrels. The nose, viscosity and taste all suggest port. Mouthfeel is smooth and heavenly - slight amount of heat - but not as much as one would expect from the 17.5%. Another exquisite barrel aged offering from Drake's.