Dark Apparition - Nano Beans
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

Brown, minimal head, substandard appearance. Aroma was a blend of coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Well done.

Taste mixed those three, body of average viscosity, integrates some toffee and caramel. Warmed nicely. Wasn't overly hot. Sturdy. Avoided too much ashy bitterness or dark fruit. Enjoyable.

 

12 ounce bottle, got this from Brad on a trip to Jackie O's quite a while ago, thanks! I'd guess this is a 2011/2012 vintage? It's been in the fridge for a while, might as well drink it tonight! Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with a thin tan head. Aroma is great, the brew smells like milk and bittersweet chocolate, caramel, vanilla and some dark fruit. It tastes like roasted malt, milk and bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, caramel, dark fruit (cherries) and some coffee. It's a mostly sweet tasting brew, very nice. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and creamy with moderate carbonation. I liked this a lot, it certainly aged well! Never turn down a Jackie O's brew, I haven't had a bad one yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to jh1982 for bringing this to March Madness '11, just getting some old reviews out of the way on a relatively slow afternoon. . .

Bottle with just writing on like a sticky note. Man, you know this is rare! Pours a brown beer, very thin head of 1/16" i'd say. Impressive chocolate and vanilla aroma, alright things are looking up finally.

Taste had some coffee thrown in with the chocolate and vanilla. Body is really not all that thick, but the flavor profile is. Pulling caramel as it warmed. Mouthfeel nice, flavors meld well, alcohol a little warm, not hot, everything playing well. This beer just kept getting better, chocolate kept getting thicker, darker, more prevalent as I got used to the vanilla. I never could officially tell if this was a bourbon barrel, yeah, it seemed to have some additional alcohol heft to it beyond what the body was carrying, but I never truly tasted bourbon, I just got a lot of chocolate and vanilla, which ain't a bad thing.

Doodler brought over a 12oz bottle of this stuff from the brewery. Ghetto, hand written, white label with just "Beans" on it. Cheers man!

From a 12oz bottle into a snifter
Vintage: 2011

APPEARANCE: A black pour is thicker than the regular version. Comes out like the vanilla variant for the most part. Small, tan colored head quickly recedes to a ring only. Black, slightly transparent body with no carbonation evident. a slight ring remains until the end but leaves no lacing down the glass. Thick enough, but needs better lacing.

SMELL: Heavy bourbon nose for sure. Oak, vanilla and milk chocolate, as well as some dark chocolate and molasses. Bold and quite good.

TASTE: Bourbon, oak and vanilla notes from the barrels up front. Some roasted flavors and sweet molasses make an appearance as well. Big, bold and lingering aftertaste of bourbon, milk chocolate, dark chocolate and sweet molasses. A decent alcohol punch at the swallow and a bit of a burn. Regardless, this is tasty stuff.

PALATE: Medium body and very low levels of carbonation. Silky smooth on the palate, though not carbonated enough to be creamy, unfortunately. Goes down fine with a bit of a burn and finishes somewhat sticky on the palate. A little flat and watery and needs a touch more carbonation. Still smooth enough.

OVERALL: I think the watery, undercarbonated feel kept this one from being all it could be. There is a lot of nice flavor in here with a potent barrel component, but more carbonation was needed to really let it all shine. Still, an enjoyable beer I was glad to have the chance to try. Thanks heaps for this one Doodler. Appreciate the generosity.

 

 

 

Ghetto 12oz, hand-labeled bottle that just says, Dark App - Beans.

Pours a viscous dark, dark brown/black, just like motor oil, with no head what-so-ever.

Aromas begin with huge notes of freshly scraped vanilla beans with lesser notes of fudgy chocolate and whole coffee beans. The bourbon emerges, along with some oak as it warms a little.

The tastes begin with some great fudgy chocolate and a huge, fresh vanilla bean presence that makes this a decadent dessert beer for sure. There are some notes of whole coffee beans and a touch of booze that is well masked by the vanilla. The coffee and chocolate emerge more as it warms.

The mouthfeel is viscous and thick with little-to-zero carbonation. Not Dark Lord or even BCS thick, but heavy on the palate because of the dominant RIS flavors and minimal carbonation. Bourbon appears towards the finish, drying out the initial sweeter vanilla and chocolate flavors.

Overall, this was an amazing version of Dark Apparition and by far the best one I have had to date. The rich decadent flavor profile is really intense and I was happy to share this small bottle with several others just because of the decadent flavor profile. Not sure if it is feasible to trade for but if you could, do so. I hope to be able to try more of the small nano Apps in the future, specifically the Nuts version.

Bottle courtesy of Eric (TurdFurgison) for my 30th birthday way back in June. Served in a tulip.

A - Pours virtually still, just like the rest of the Nano offerings from Jackie O's. Black body, a glint of brown at the edges, and a few tiny spots of lace.

S - Massive melted chocolate bar, intense vanilla, and notes of oak and coffee beans in the periphery. Ridiculously rich and sweet vanilla and chocolate flavors - like ice cream doused in syrup with chunks of fudge. *Perhaps* a hint of alcohol as it warms up.

T - Again, monstrous vanilla and milk chocolate, with light roast character, and faint smoke and tar in background. Not much barrel presence, as the barrel flavors have been obliterated by the vanilla bean addition.

M - Minimal carbonation, creamy and viscous full body, and some tannic dryness in the finish. Lack of bubbles isn't a big problem for this style. Not much alcohol presence.

D - I had this back in early June thanks to Mike (AgentZero), and it was significantly more coffee and whiskey-forward. It's still quite good now, but based on my limited data points I suspect this has peaked - drink 'em if you got 'em. My favorite nano, and a beer I'd gladly have again, but very rich and best enjoyed in small doses.

 

 

 

A - Black beer that looks a little brown on the edges. Small bottle, so on an unagressive pour there was only a little bit of brown head that rose up, didn't leave much on the sides.

S - Outstanding. Roasted malts, hints of espresso, baker's chocolate and fudge, vanilla, barrel, it's definitely a sweet one but smells amazing. Almost everything you'd want in a chocolate/vanilla barrel stout.

T - Decadent chocolate and great vanilla presence that is not artificial. It is a sweet beer, and would make a fine dessert. Roasted malt backbone with hints of coffee and toffee. Very full taste, no heat that I can detect.

M - Smooth, full bodied, soft carbonation.

O - Fantastic beer, thanks to beace for making this happen. Probably my favorite Dark Apparition variation to date, hope to be able to have it again in the future.

Thanks to popery for sharing.

A: Pours a very dark brownish-black with a small head that quickly faded away into nothingness.
S: Big notes of fresh vanilla with lesser notes of coffee and bourbon.
T: Potent vanilla but the coffee, chocolate and roasted malt is right there to support it. As I was drinking this I got a flash in my mind of Beer Geek Brunch Weasel in regards to the coffee. This beer has a similar exotic coffee profile.
M: Medium-full body with low carbonation and a tame alcohol presence.
O: Definitely a unique flavor combination that I’m glad I got to try, but it’s such strong beer with such potent flavors I wouldn’t want to drink more than a few ounces at a time.