30th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout With Cold Brew
Great Lakes Brewery

 

Got this one from hopsolutely and peensteen this summer. Cheers!

From a bomber into a snifter
IBU: 60
Brewed with cold brewed coffee, vanilla beans and cacao

APPEARANCE: Basically the same as the base version but a tad darker. Clear dark brown pour yields a 2+ finger, medium looking, slightly foamy, light brown head with very good retention. Black body with no real carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a full foamy cap. Splotchy wisp remains leaving touches of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Roasted coffee, vanilla beans, sweet cream and milk chocolate, some oak and well-measured bourbon on the nose. Decent strength.

TASTE: Roasted coffee, sweet cream, vanilla and some bourbon up front. Oak, vanilla and more bourbon at the swallow. A bold and slightly boozy finish of bitter coffee, vanilla beans, sweet cream and some milk chocolate, lingering on a base of oaky wood, bourbon and some sharper alcohol.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down with a burn at the swallow and finishes a bit mouth-coating. A slightly sharp alcohol bite lingers.

OVERALL: This is okay. I really wanted to enjoy it more than I did, given how awesome their recent barrel aged stouts have been. It was still better than the base stout, but the astringent coffee bitterness has been replaced by a somewhat sharper alcohol character in the finish. Still, this is a more enjoyable creation than the original and is worth a try if you’re a fan of the style and brewery, but I would unfortunately have to say that this isn’t quite up to their normal lofty standards. Thanks again, guys!

 

 

Bomber picked up at the LCBO; no bottling date. Served at cellar temperature. I wanted to pick a top notch brew for my 1700th review, and GLB beers are as close to a sure winner as you can get (at the LCBO, at least).

Pours totally black, generating nearly one finger of frothy, tan-coloured head; it gives up most of its ground within two minutes' time, leaving behind a creamy cap about a half-cm thick, as well as a narrow ring of lace. Its aroma is rich, complex, and utterly delectable - I am getting tons of dark chocolate and cocoa, alongside marginally less-potent notes of vanilla and coffee beans. There's also molasses, charred oak, licorice and whiskey - I'm even getting a whiff of s'mores from the neck of the bottle (though not so much the glass itself). There's some definite alcohol fumes, too... though I suppose that's to be expected when you serve a 12% brew straight out of the cellar.

Oh baby - make sure you're seated before you take a sip of this beauty. Molasses, fig and brown sugar sweetness get the sip started off, but things quickly spiral out of control from there - but in a good way, of course, with espresso coffee and French vanilla coming through clearly. Cocoa powder and baker's chocolate are also prominent, with this brew's roasted character only intensifying as you near the tail end of the sip; charred oak, bourbon and black (drop) liquorice are apparent, as well as an earthy, somewhat herbal kick at the finish. Ethanol warmth is an easily-discerned presence in the aftertaste, yet there is enough residual sugar sweetness and roasted coffee character to integrate it effectively. Full-bodied, with minimal carbonation and a slick, oily, almost velvety mouthfeel. A dangerous beer, but certainly not because the alcohol is masked (it isn't). Rather, it's just so goddamn silky-smooth and delicious that you'll need to deliberately pace yourself in order to extend your enjoyment.

Final Grade: 4.6, a superlative A+. I was expecting this to be great, but truthfully I don't think the term 'great' does GLB's 30th Anniversary BBA RIS justice - it's positively fantastic. Despite its steep price tag, this stout is completely worth the price of admission - you'd be a fool not to pick up a bottle before stock runs out. I will definitely pick up another one very soon (said stock is already dwindling), and this is quite possibly my favourite GLB product to date.

 

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of black chocolate notes with some bourbon, vanilla and light oak presence is quite enticing. Taste is also a great mix of creamy black chocolate notes with light residual sugar notes, some roasted malt with nice smooth notes of bourbon and vanilla with light char oak notes also discernible. Body is full with nice creamy texture with good carbonation and light warming alcohol notes. Really solid BA RIS that should be part of their regular line-up.

This is one of the best beers I’ve tasted in a long time. It’s the perfect time of year for this beer; Christmas but it would be amazing at any time of the year while you’re relaxing in the evening.

My son and I have opened a bottle from the LCBO on 27th Dec 2017 and we already want to buy 2 more bottles: one for now and one to keep for next Christmas.

It pour black with a surprising head for a beer of this ABV. The smell is boozy chocolate coffee with Christmas pudding, figs and vanilla in the background.

The flavour is a sweet boozy chocolate coffee whiskey bonanza. It’s definitely a sipper rather than a gulper but it’s making me chill out while we prepare to watch a movie. This is the best beer I’ve had all year; including beers I’ve had in BC. It even compares well with Brasserie Deui du Ceil (am I spelling that right?), the best stout ever.

 

1,350th review! 650 ml bottle served at cellar temperature into a goblet. An LCBO purchase for a steep $15.50 CDN.

Appearance - Pours a near midnight black beer with a nice finger and change of reasonably dark brown head. Frothy looking, good head retention and lots of sticky lacing clings to the glass.

Smell - Coffee most of all up front dominates, with some alcoholic bourbon notes in behind. Vanilla and caramel in behind. A tiny bit of marshmallow like sweetness.

Taste - Complex. Initially fresh roasted coffee with some vanilla and marshmallow malty sweetness. Kick of bourbon sets in then the coffee is back. Fairly bitter and finishes with a third round of coffee. Boozy, but not quite 12% so, feels more around 9-10%.

Mouthfeel - Smooth and velvety. Loads of body, some carbonation to break it up. Slick and slightly boozy sharp finish.

Overall - A really good stout, full of coffee bourbon, malty and roasty goodness that almost lives up to the extravagant price tag. There are certainly worse ways to celebrate a 30th anniversary.

Bottle from the LCBO for $16

 

 

Store version coming in at 11.9% ABV.

Look is black with about a pinky's worth of brownish head. Head breaks quickly leaving a small cap. Lacing is not bad.

Smell is a whirlwind of aroma. I get barrel, cocoa, vanilla, leather, coffee and cherry for some odd reason.

Taste is similar to the nose. I get a lot of sweet up front... chocolate and vanilla, then I get coffee and barrel.

Feel is medium full with good carbonation, creamy and boozy.

This is an interesting RIS, a flood of flavors and aromas. Coffee gives a nice balance to sweet and overall an enjoyable sipper.