Vampira Benthic
Half Acre Beer Company

 

12 ounce can into a snifter. Canned 10/19/21, had 4/30/22.

Pours near black and opaque, thick looking, with no head and a little brief, spotty cling. Aromas of coffee, coconut, oak, roasted malt, chocolate, some vanilla and char, light bourbon. The barrels step right to the front of the flavors: bourbon, coffee, coconut, chocolate, malt, vanilla, oak, some char. Smooth, a solid full body, appropriately carbonated.

Strong barrels, the coffee and coconut shine, it’s solid from top to bottom. Pretty impressive.

2021 Vintage first enjoyed within 2 months of release.

Ultimately, this receives a slight improved rating for me over the rum, and I'm not sure if that is warranted or not. I think both are a 4 as a summary rating. Like the rum variant, this wasn't my favorite, and again it's not a bad beer, I just don't think it works as intended. It became quite drying, which really takes away from the enjoyment. The barrel (oak and char influence) were slightly too strong, but not as char-heavy or muted (flavor wise) as many other BA stouts. But, at the same time, given the extended aging and the 'select' barrels, the barrel didn't shine as much as it should have. Granted, this is a stout with coconut and coffee, but if we're judging this fairly, it should be judged off what it should be, not what nearly everyone else produces.

12 oz. can. Black body. Smells of coconut and bourbon with a rich coffee backdrop. Tastes of coconut, sweet fudge, and then bitter earthy flavors. Coffee and coconut bitterness. Heavy and pretty sweet. The aftertaste is a little unpleasant. Bitter coconut, oak, and bourbon. Small quantities are ok.

 

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like rich and roasty coffee, roasted malt, vanilla, toasted coconut, charred oak, bourbon, spice, and some light heat.

This is a more in your face of Benthic it seems. The barrel character itself seems a big stronger than it usually is with this beer. Perhaps the specific coffee used melds with the barrel in a more harmonious way. There's more coffee than coconut, but both are there, with additional nice notes of vanilla, brown sugar, char, and lots of spicy oak.

This is thick and creamy, with a pretty solid drinkability for the style. It's got a little bit of boozy heat, but it helps give the beer some character.

This is definitely one of my favorite takes in this great series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz can, dated 10.19.2021, poured into a Half Acre "occult" snifter glass.

The beer pours a deep jet black color, super thick and viscous with a tall head, dark caramel in color, fluffy, yet taught bubbles, dense and packed with great retention and nice webbed lacing. The aroma is very good, tons of barrel, char, oak, toasted coconut, bitter dark chocolate, brown sugar, dark grains and hot spirit. The flavors are great, dark chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar, tons of toasted coconut with a big barrel character. Bursts of bourbon spirit, hot and spicy, cinnamon, charred wood, earthiness, vanilla and pleasant stone fruits. The mouthfeel is good, heavy and thick, coating and creamy with a warm and mildly dry finish.

Verdict: A very nice barrel aged stout from Half Acre. This essentially reads like an amped version of Benthic without any added tricks or significant deviations. That being said, I think I prefer the finesse (if a huge BA stout can indeed have finesse) of the regular Benthic. While bigger and more aggressive, it's a little less complex and dynamic.

Canned 10/19/21; drank 11/22/21 @ the Yarchives.

Midnight black appearance.

An even pour yielded a big tan head; a thick curtain of tree-rung lace.

Rich coconut, medium roast coffee bean & chocolate syrup notes in the nose.

Thick, creamy mouthfeel.

Chocolate syrup, coconut syrup & coconut flavors.

It's bold, but a little too sweet & doesn't have a ton of barrel or depth. An enjoyable, if simple, pastry stout.