Dark Apparition - Vanilla & Coffee Bean
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a dark brown foamy head with some retention and some lacing notes. Aroma of chocolate notes with some bourbon/vanilla and some light coffee notes. Taste is also a mix of chocolate notes with some bourbon/vanilla and light coffee notes and faint residual sugar notes. Body is full with an oily texture and good carbonation with some discernible alcohol notes. Very well balanced barrel-aged stout with a mix of bourbon notes and faint coffee notes.

 

12oz draft pour into a stemless tulip glass, or giant glencairn, shows a deep, dark, lightless brown body and floats a 1/4" cap of dark tan bubbles that fades to an edge-hugging ring and leaves virtually no lacing.

Aroma is a sweet leaning roast coffee bean with dark fruit notes.

Flavor matches with more focus on the fruity coffee beans than the sweetness. Dark roast is obvious and appropriate. Bourbon background is clear, but not overpowering. Well balanced.

Mouthfeel is smooth and tongue coating with a slight roast remainder. Sticky lips.

Overall an exemplary representative of the style.

Review: 2367
Name: Dark Apparition Vanilla & Coffee
Brewery: Jackie' O
Location: Athens, OH
Style: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
ABV: 13.8%
Canned: 2021
Date: 20 April 2025
I was not impressed with the last beer I had from Jackie'O, so I am hoping this beer is much better. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 50 degrees. The pour created an airy, half-fingered, dark tan head with terrible retention. The fast dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The color is pitch black with dark rusty red hues, charting at SRM 38, and opaque. This beer's appearance is average, considering the high ABV.
Nosing the glass, I smell molasses, vanilla, dried cherries, dark roasted malts, oak, char, bourbon, raisins, dates, toffee, caramel, dark chocolate, espresso, and earthiness. Smelling the glass again, I noticed tobacco, light smoke, floral, and grassy notes.
Sipping the beer, I taste toasted dark bread, dried cherries, toffee, anise, vanilla, raisins, caramel, dark chocolate, Maillard, brown sugar, flower bouquet, grassy, light smokiness, oak, whiskey, char, dark roasted malts, espresso, and earthiness.
The mouthfeel is smooth and chewy, finishing slightly warm. The body is heavy and low in carbonation.
This beer is delicious. The depth of its finish in Maderia Barrels is like the cherry on top. The complexity and depth of the beer are unreal, and the balance and harmony are near perfection. I am sad the floor opened this beer early, but I am glad it is open.
This variant of Dark Apparition is much better than the Oil of Aphrodite. The adjuncts and barrel aging are more cohesive and balanced. The vanilla does not taste fake and overbearing, seamlessly blending with the coffee and bourbon. The coffee is intense yet not bitter; it is only flavorful and rich. I enjoyed this beer on a cool Easter Morning in Idaho.

 

6/14/23, We made it to Jackie O's Public House! Anniversary trip, 2023

Leah started with this one! Perfectly opaque with a tiny ring of fine bubbles gripping the edge of the glass.

The aroma is dead on! Immediate coffee, vanilla, and lingering bourbon barrel. Slight oak and molasses grab at the nose as well.

This baby is SO thick, it's almost syrup! Completely coats the tongue and slides right down the throat while the lingering burn of the alcohol seeps in.

The flavor is certainly not lacking! It's a one-two punch of flavor and alcohol. I think the vanilla and bourbon flavors are probably the most intense, but the coffee sure comes through and a very sweet molasses

 

 

 

 

Poured from a bottle into a tulip.

L: Inky, dark brown with a one finger tan head that hangs around for a bit.

S: Nice bourbon smell on the nose...oak, vanilla, brown sugar, molasses, nutmeg, spices.

T: Very complex, roasty brew here. Has a noticeable, but not overpowering barrel taste. The vanilla is extremely subtle. I haven't had the regular BBA Apparition, but it would be interesting to compare. Not super sweet, but it has a nice, roasty character. There is a pleasant bitterness and spice on the way down. Really not a lot of alcohol for a 12.8% BBA stout.

F: Pretty typical syrupy big body here. But, it still goes down quite easy considering the ABV.

O: This is a solid BBA stout, but it's an extremely bloated, competitive category. This is a very strong, roasty, bourbon stout. It's almost old school in it's taste. Reminds me very much of a BCBS from 10 years ago. Not a bad thing at all. The Jackie O's availability is wonky in IL, but this is worth buying if you're into this big, BBA stouts.

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark, mahogany brown / black color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was a quarter inch of foamy, tan-colored head that quickly dissipated. Pretty good lacing.

S: A big and bracing aroma of coffee, booze, vanilla, chocolate, malt, and molasses.

T: Tasted of bit of molasses (a sweet little tinge), a good amount of dark chocolate (a surprisingly subtle presence), some malt (present throughout), lots of bourbon (and its accompanying barrel), a good shot of coffee (a warming presence), and a hint of vanilla. This is a powerful and complex flavor. Delicious.

F: A below average amount of carbonation with a smooth, warm finish. Medium- to full-bodied.

O: A highly enjoyable stout. Drinkable.