Benthic - Immortal Vintage Blend
Half Acre Beer Company

12oz can, dated 10.16.2023, poured into a stemless wine glass. Enjoyed on 04.02.2025, reviewed from Tasting Journal.

The beer pours a deep jet black color, super thick and viscous, sludge with a thick khaki head, moderate retention and nice spotted lacing. The aroma is excellent, tons of barrel character, hot spirit, charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, roasted coffee, toasted coconut, toasted grain, stone fruits, very rich and decadent. The flavors are fantastic, luscious chocolate, toasted coconut, roasted coffee, fruit forward and rich, charred oak, earthy and chewy, excellent bourbon spirit, vanilla bean, stone fruits, licorice, tobacco, and smooth dark grains. The mouthfeel is great, coating, thick heavy body, super smooth with a very warm finish.

Verdict: An excellent Benthic variant. The barrel character is excellent, the adjuncts shine and the beer is wonderfully rich, great depth and complexity.

 

 

 

12 ounce can into a snifter. Canned 10/16/23, had 5/24/24.

Pours near black and opaque, with a slight head, oily cling and light foamy lacing. Aromas of coffee, coconut, bourbon, roasted malt, vanilla, some chocolate and oak. The flavors mostly follow the nose- coffee, bourbon, coconut, roasted malt, vanilla, light oak, a little chocolate. Smooth, fairly creamy, a solid full body, appropriately carbonated.

This is mighty good. Rich, flavorful, aromatic, and intense. The distinct coffee, coconut and barrels all stand out. A top level Benthic variant.

2023 can. Tan head. Dark brown/black color.

One of my favorite benthics. Love the coffee, love the coconut, love the barrels. Warming, lots of bourbon. Heat. Fudge, chocolate cake, coconut, caramel, dark fruits in the finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

This smells very coconut forward, but quite roasty, as the coffee used seems to be quite bitter.

This has a super soft and pastry heavy coconut vibe to it, but there’s a ton of char and roast here as well. It would not probably appeal to the most sticky and glutinous pastrybois, but it works well for me. There’s smoke, licorice, oak, roast, char, and vanilla here, with a wonderfully soft and toasty coconut sweetness keeping it all pretty well balanced.

This is thick, but not syrupy and sludgy, with very little booziness to it.

This was highly complex and overall quite delicious.

 

 

 

 

2023 can pour - dark brown head that dissipated quickly. Thiccest variant I've encountered this year (only 2x4 remains). Nose is barrel, cocoa, and a nuttiness. Coffee is sweet and not at all bitter, pulling the barrel notes down to a balanced note. I still don't get much coconut, though I can feel its presence in the sweetness. Finish is long but fitting.

Canned 10/16/23; drank 11/18/23 @ the Yarchives.

Midnight black appearance.

A rough pour yielded a big dark tan head; strong lacing remained.

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

Thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Coconut & rich milk chocolate flavors up front; medium roast coffee bean notes on the finish. Bourbon heat emerged as this warmed.

Pretty much no wood notes despite the extended aging. Really sweet, really sticky and just not where I'm at currently with this style. I hoped the long time in the barrel would cut the sweetness & add some big wood notes.

poured from a 12oz can into a TG DBA tumbler. pours shiny black with dark brown foam cap that fades to a thick collar around the rim of the glass. bourbon, oak, chocolate, coffee, coconut and vanilla all on the nose. the bourbon and oak fly just slightly above the base beer and it’s flavor additions. taste is rich chocolate and sweet coconut with a coffee and bourbon finish. thick, full mouthfeel with an oak-forward finish. damn good stuff. you get all the benthic adjuncts with an intensified barrel treatment.