Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout | Great Lakes Brewing Co.

5/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

SAVOR DC 2018

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4.49/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.54/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.34/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Tasted in a snifter from draft at The Vine on April 28, 2018. Next time the power goes out, light a candle and pull this bottle from your cellar. Aged in bourbon barrels, our bold, roasty Blackout Stout imparts flickers of vanilla and cocoa with every illuminating sip.

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4.28/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.28/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Look: Opaque cola black with brown highlights. The head is thick for a barrel aged beer and is cream colored.

Smell: Smooth and spicy bourbon notes. Vanilla, baking spices, leather, dark chocolate fudge, oak, and, some dark pitted fruits.

Taste: Bourbon soaked date cake with drizzled chocolate syrup. Sweet but just shy of being too decadent. The bourbon is rich and complex. Much like the nose.

Feel: Prickly carbonation. Full bodied but smooth. Just a bit of alcohol. Thinner then most big stouts like this.

Overall: Excellent. The flavor is absolutely spot on. I wish it had just a hair more body because it can seem a bit cola like with some sips. A spectacular treat.

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5/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

4.09/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz Bottle at 2017 RIS tasting. Inky black pour small tight tan head. Nice smooth aroma, wood, vanilla,. Taste picks up with some gentle sweetness, slick and slippery. Not too strong, but bursting with complex flavors, delicious through and through.

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4.46/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to JLindros for sharing this bottle. 2014 vintage.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great a nice almost black hue with a thin mocha head that fades to leave thin wisps.

S - Aromas of dark fruits, caramel, nougat, molasses, little bit of faint roasted black malts, good chocolates, the bourbon is super super faint.

T - Taste is similar to the nose with real good chocolate and roasted malts, nice vanilla, really good dark fruits. Excellent base beer here with really solid barrel notes.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, good body, alcohol hidden nicely.

O - Overall this was a very good Russian imperial stout, aged very nicely.

Serving Type: bottle

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4.41/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2014 vintage
Light fizzy head, no lacing, very black beer, decent legs

Nose big dark malts, little roasty, tons of cocoa dark chocolate, little vanilla barrel and faint oak, nougat marshmallow like, very light sweet whiskey like, big fudge and expensive chocolate, caramel

Taste again big chocolate, expensive cocoa, little roasty and loads of caramel, fluffy nougat and marshmallow, touch nutty, little bitterness, mild vanilla barrel faint bourbon, dark chocolate late, drier finish no booze, powdered cocoa, fudge, little roast

Mouth is thicker little creamy, no booze, lighter carb

Overall base beer aged incredibly, wish the barrel was more.

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4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.34/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.84/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

4.23/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.46/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.34/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.27/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

3.68/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

The appearance was a decent jet black color with a quickly dissipating less than a finger’s worth of white head into the body. There was barely any lacing. The smell was a super strong alcohol. It was so strong that I had to let it warm up a good half hour just to let it warm up to my senses. Once that happened there were some light vanilla and chocolate characteristics. The taste was mainly sweet and alcoholic hot. The aftertaste was hot, sweet and sticky leading into the same sort of finish. On the palate, this one was a sipper, there’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. This was meant to be sipped. The carbonation was pretty smooth as well. Overall, I say this was a pretty good Imperial Stout well worthy of having again. Age this beer, don't drink this fresh, trust me.

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4.1/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2016 snifter pour

L - pretty lackluster. Very light for a stout. Medium brown with medium frothed khaki head.

S - faint everything. Faint bourbon, faint lactose, sour dark fruit. Base beer smells better.

T - sweet roast. Sweet char. Vanilla, lactose, cream. Mild bourbon and vanilla.

F - creamy, spicy, absurd alcohol for 9.5%. It's not hot, but I've had 15% stouts that had less detectable alcohol. This is okay that because I like alcohol to be present in a big beer.

Overall. Far from a world class ba beer. It's maybe not even as impressive as blackout stout. It's not bad, it's just not above status quo. The biggest selling point it has I'd being a solid sub double digit ba stout. If this were in a 12oz bottle and not brewery only release it'd have much merit. But as a limited bomber - it's one and done.

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