Portly Imp
Drake's Brewing Co.

 

On-tap at Drake's Barrel House

I approached this with trepidation, but I just had to do it. Pouts black with no head. As I feared: vinegar and acetone on the nose. Harsh alcohol, too. A bit of roast, maye some oak. Intense vinegar, almost burning. Sour cherry, more vinegar, and quite a bit of acetone. Medium bodied, low carbonation.

producer's description: Imperial Stout. Aged in Port barrels. Brewed in 2009. Blackberries added.

A: Black abyss. Tan head that dissipates quickly. Lacing minimal.

S: Fresh apricots. Some dark toasty malts, though not overly roasted like bittersweet chocolate. Tart blackberries. Oaky woodiness.

T: Bourbon. Wine barrel flavors that I associate with Sherry. Slightly tart in mid-pallet. Berry fruitiness. Alcohol present but adds balance.

M: Medium mouthfeel. Mild carbonation. Not too viscous.

O: A balanced, complex, fruity yet warming beverage. This is the kind of imperial stout I enjoy. Extremely drinkable, which I attribute to slight tartness and complexity from barrel aging.

 

Imperial stout? Really? Well, f* rating to style. This is a phenomenal brew! Oak dominates the nose but I'm not getting much of any port aromas... or really anything else for that matter. It's all American oak. The port comes through in the taste, which starts slightly sweet, quickly goes sour, and then dances around between cab sauv like blackberry notes, port intensity, and yep: there's the oak again. At the back end, the imp stout actually does show through a bit. Roasted malts and either mildly bittering hops or wood tanins... something bittering... finish this beauty off.

On-tap at Barrel House, blackberry version, first fill 2009.

A: thin head with amazing retention.

S: musty, funky cider, blackberry juice, a little bit of paint.

T: very berry, unbelievably sour berries and their sour leaves even, sweet port wine to balance the sourness, very vegetal--like flower stems--then finishes with some nice char and black malt.

M: really well balanced ABV, relatively smooth considering the bitterness.

O: absolutely delicious, so much berry and port in just the right amounts, a perfect blend. Really top-notch, probably the best sour stout I've had.

A - The beer was served a rich dark black color with a bit of brown mixed in and a thin finger of chocolate colored head with a purple hue. The head faded down to a ring leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a really great mix of deep roasted chocolate malts and tart blackberries. There are also some great bourbon elements including oak and vanilla as well.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet roasted chocolate malts and sour/tart blackberries. Through the middle, the bourbon comes through with some nice vanilla and oak flavor. The finish is a really nice balance of roasted malts, bourbon, and sour blackberries that linger.

M - Medium-full bodied with mild carbonation. Felt quite smooth with a nice mix of warming and sourness.

D - Very drinkable. The balance here between the bourbon elements, the chocolate malts, and the blackberry flavor here was spot on and made for a fantastic beer.