DEEP DARK
Central Coast Brewing

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin dark khaki head that dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, chocolate, light coffee and a little dark dried fruit. Flavor is dark toasted malt with moderate char, coffee, dark chocolate and bourbon. Finishes with coffee, cocoa and bourbon. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess; nice mouth feel. I've been drinking a lot of barreled stouts the last few months and this was a pleasant surprise: a barrel aged Russian imperial style stout. The malt profile is excellent, the closest thing I've had to a Courage or other classic English RIS. Great coffee and chocolate notes. Bourbon was a clear element, but balanced very nicely with the other flavors. Well integrated, full flavored and delicious. Tiny can, but plenty to enjoy as a slow sipper. Wish I had gotten more than one.

Central Coast Brewing is unknown, but underrated. They don't make bad versions of any style. Mexican lager? Check. Schwarzbier? Check. Hazy IPA? Check. West Coast IPA? Check. And of course, Russian Imperial Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout? OF COURSE!!

LOOK - Black. Minimal head. I didn't get the immediate "motor oil" impression on the pour, but this is a black beauty.
SMELL - The most glorious cherry/black licorice/coffee/dark chocolate/holiday nose that I've experienced. I was wondering if there were candles that had this aroma. Let me know.
TASTE - "Smooth" is a stupid word to describe alcohol. But occasionally, it's appropriate. This is one of those times. It has all the nice complexity you want in an imperial stout - mild hop bitterness for balance, roasted malt flavor, warm medium/light roast pour-over coffee notes, but almost NO alcohol burn. I'm a bourbon fanatic, and only the highest notes of bourbon can be noticed here.
FINISH - Is it possible that this is the best part? Lingering roasty malt and coffee flavors, and finally some bourbon barrel notes (which if you didn't know, oak barrel aromas & flavors are almost impossible to dislike).

I recently talked to an acquaintance who lives in the UK. They said they weren't familiar with Russian Imperial Stouts. I'm now considering mailing them one of these bottles as an example of the style.

Look: deep dark brown, no highlights to speak of. Sparse mocha head.
Smell: coffee, subtle bourbon and barrel.
Taste: like the nose. A bit of bitter char in the finish

 

Appearance - From the can, the beer poured a color as black as night.

Smell - The nose was like fresh ground coffee beans, aged in a bourbon barrel.

Taste - The beer was so hot, it singed the hair on my back. The coffee was strong, but there was also a mighty alcohol burn. There was s sense of dry oakiness, with some vanilla toward the back. The beer burned all the way down.

Mouthfeel - The lower level viscosity keep the burn of the alcohol localized to my esophagus.

Overall - I do not think I would want to age this to mellow it. I liked it as is.

 

On draft at the SLO brewery in an 8oz glass. Great balance in flavors. Not too much bourbon. Nose is bourbon, caramel, chocolate, coffee. Very little carbonation. This one is a slow sipper. Overall a very well done BA stout.

 

Pours out pitch black with a half a finger of off white head. Solid. On the thin side. Good dark chocolate, roasted malts bourbon notes. Medium to thin feel.

 

 

 

I had this on tap at the Central Coast Brewing tasting room in San Luis Obispo. It was offered only in 4 oz. glasses.

Appearance: Very dark with a thick foamy head that remains for awhile.

Smell: I could clearly smell the booziness/bourbon as I slowly brought the 4 oz. glass closer to my nose for a sniff.

Taste: The taste follows the smell. Bourbon, dark chocolate, coffee. Warm booziness as it goes down. This beer is strong, but it is delicious. Really. It's delicious. Excellent taste.

Mouthfeel: Not too much carbonation. Goes down smooth.

Overall: I love this beer. It's awesome. I can't wait to have it again.

Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout, first I've seen from this brewery and well worth the wait. Great bourbon aroma and a taste that matches the aroma. Great offering in a bottle from a very little known brewery outside of the 805 area code. Will definitely seek this out in the future and also look for other barrel aged offering from them.