Votive (No. 3)
Fox Farm Brewery

 

16.9oz bottle received courtesy of Roguer.

Viscousy black pour into a snifter. Virtually no sign of a head besides a few mocha colored bubbles. Understandable when one considers the amount of alcohol, but, damn, it ain't much of a looker.

Nose is boozy, bourbon-y at first, but as it warms, sherry-like notes emerge.

Whoa! Lots of alcohol heat here. Bourbon up front at first, then more like Sherry. This one is pretty raw right now, with a lot of sweetness and fruitiness. Lots of sharp edges to this right now. Perhaps it would've been wiser to wait on it for a while longer.

Fairly creamy mouth feel.

Wish I'd sat on this a while longer, but I'd already been letting it sit as it was. This is a BIG barrel bomb of a beer. If I were to find another somewhere I'd definitely let it sit for a couple more years. Some have liked it as is, but I think I'd prefer it with more age.

 

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells like dark chocolate, coffee, spicy oak, lots of dark fruit, and heavy booze.

This is definitely a bit harsher and boozier than I expected, but there’s still a lot to love here. The sherry gives off some nice spice and fruitiness, almost leather-like. All of the barrel aging in general provides a superbly oaky and boozy affair here, with loads of dark chocolate and a distinct roasty coffee note as well.

This is medium bodied, creamy, and bitter on the finish.

This won’t appeal to everybody, with how dry and boozy it feels at times, but it’s still a very impressive barrel aged stout.

A great beer all around. Warm and boozy with a fantastic barrel aging presence and outstanding mouthfeel.

Shared the beer with another BA (kind of a mini-bottle share) and didn't spend time taking detailed notes, but did jot down my scoring numbers and recall my general impressions of the beer.

Thanks to Roy_Hobbs for this one, a round in the barrage inflicted upon me during NBS BIF #15. 16.9oz bottle poured into 14oz teku. Poured a thick, viscous, solid, dirty motor oil black color with just the barest hint of brown head that had no retention or lacing.

A big hit of booze at the front of the nose, with a basic malty stout scent in the background. The booze seemed to mostly come from the bourbon, with just a bit of fruitiness from the sherry.

Lots of boozy heat all across the tongue. After a few moments, the heat fades and a notable roast comes into play. The sherry aspect wasn't as notable, but the bourbon flavor was still the dominant aspect.

The heat really burns at the back of the tongue on the finish, and lingers for a noticeable period of time. The finish was otherwise sweet, as is usual for the style.

Drinkability will depend on your fondness for bourbon and boozy heat. personally, I might have been served by letting this age out a few months.

Overall, a pretty solid and enjoyable beer, once I got past the heat, YMMV. Worth trying if you see it.

500ml bottle served in a Spiegelau tulip. Pours one shade shy of black with a no head, just a mocha-colored froth the immediately disperses towards the shoulders into a thin, broken band. Nose expresses a big hit of ethanol that’s lightly singes the nostrils - dark cocoa follows, as well as a hint of vanilla and molasses. Taste follows nose, with the addition of notes of coffee, burnt sugar and perhaps butterscotch and soy sauce. Mouthfeel is medium in body with an oily texture, an assertive heat from the barrel and an assertive carbonation for the style and viscosity. Overall, not my favorite Votive. Too hot and I’d be concerned with the aging potential given some of the soy sauce notes already present.

Modest head production, but excellent retention given the small amount of dark brown foam. Body is intensely dark.

Warm, boozy, and inviting aroma, prominently featuring the sherry and bourbon barrels. Additional aromatics include toast, caramel, red grape, light to moderate char, raisin, molasses, and chocolate.

Thick and chewy on the palate, with a lively sting about the gums and moderate alcohol burn. Just a bit too hot to savor the sip as long as I'd like. Effervescent finish.

Flavor profile lands somewhere in between American and Russian, with plenty of roasty bitterness along with notes of caramel, molasses, red grape, toast, raisin, and char. The barrel influence is most notable up front, and adds a wonderful depth of character, including notes of sherry, bourbon, oak, coconut, red wine, and cherry. Additional tasting notes include vanilla (primarily on the finish), toffee, pistachio, and honeycomb.