2014 Darkness: On Tap

Non BA Darkness '14 at The Happy Gnome is kicked.

 

The BA Darkness at My Burger are not 12 oz pours as they are not filling glasses all the way up but at 6 dollars I am not complaining.
Edit: BA Darkness is easily twice as good on tap as out of a bottle.

 

Opened my first bottle last night and thought it was every bit as excellent as I remember after having on tap at DD.

 

not BA. they have a BA keg they are tapping when this one kicks.

 

Tasted BA to me.

 

I truly do not get how people cannot tell if they are drinking BA or non BA Darkness. In both the bottle I had and the one time I had it on tap, the barrel flavor was very evident.

 

So wait, was the "BARREL AGED DARKNESS" that was served on tap AT Darkness Day different or the same as what they bottled this year?

 

I went yesterday and had a glass. Correct - not BA

cheers!

 

99.9% sure it was the same.

 

When I was there it was non BA confirmed by the staff but that's not to say they didn't tap a BA one before or after.

 

This is quite interesting... BA vs no BA... I've now had both on tap and man it is an interesting comparison... Had a good conversation with another quality BA'r about this - As far as RIS's go - Darkness has such a unique profile that makes it stand above the rest... I think the Barrel really mellows this part out - but doesn't go too heavy on the barrel itself - I think this is why it's a lot harder to tell...

My palate is more of a virgin than I care to acknowledge but when most people on here are having a hard time discerning... It brings up the fact that the mind can make ya taste what ya wanna taste...

 

Yes, but one tastes quite strongly of bourbon and one does not. I think it's funny too that the kegs are clearly labeled BA Darkness and there is still a strong amount of confusion with some places serving the beer.

 

Bourbon?

They used Rye Whiskey barrels not bourbon.

http://www.realmendrinkwhiskey.com/know-your-whiskey-the-difference-between-bourbon-and-scotch/

 

I drank a bottle...frankly I thought this had minimal barrel flavor...hopefully the "very limited" ba kegs are better...It was delicious as Darkness always is..so no complaints. I know everyone's experience is different..just sharing mine

 

My $0.02 -

Darkness:
It's a phenomenal straight up RIS - Without a doubt, #1 in my book...

The '14 BA'ing - Made it a really good BA stout - but it's got a lot of competition for that # 1 spot - BA silhouette, BCBS, BtD (I know, I know technically not a stout), Black Note, Rum King (each has it's unique profile) and the list goes on... and I don't think Darkness jumps to my #1 - but it's still damn good BA'ed beer

I had I hopes: I thought Barrel + My #1 RIS = OBVIOUSLY best BA Stout... Don't think that happened in my book... Curious to crack open a Murda'd Out and see if that hybrid changes things....

 

I just enjoyed my first Darkness bottle of the year tonight...almost as much as I enjoyed the ass-kicking the Packers laid on the Bears.....this is a fantastic version.....5.0 in my book when I rate it....love the barrel aged impressions...

 

Oh sure, now we have to get all technical.

 

If anything, I get stronger “bourbon” notes in the non-barrel-aged version than the barrel-aged version. I believe that the alcohol heat and the bourbon-like sweetness and vanilla quality derive from the base malts. The barreling in the barrel-aged version primarily has a mellowing effect, toning down the sweetness and the booziness and thus, ironically, making it taste less whiskey-like. I appreciate that mellowing, as I think the base 2014 Darkness desperately needs it. Nowhere in either version do I get strong hints of that characteristic rye whiskey spiciness, oak, or charred oak (beyond the vanilla that is stronger in the non-barrel-aged than the barrel-aged version). Everyone’s palate is different, and some are keener than others, but that’s my take.

My guess is that Surly is using High West’s 2-year-old 95/5 rye/barley mashbill barrels, simply because I assume that High West has the most of those available and sells them for the lowest price. Two years is long enough for the whiskey to sap most of the char flavor out of the oak but not long enough to infuse the barrel with a whole lot of whiskey flavor. Low flavor impact (along with availability/cheapness) is a key reason that so much non-American whisk(e)y is aged in gently used American whiskey barrels. Plus, I suspect that rye whiskey leaves less of a flavor impact in the wood than does bourbon, simply because rye is a subtler grain than corn. Therefore, I think a pronounced flavor infusion from the barrel aging isn’t particularly likely, so I’m not surprised that I, as well as many others, have trouble picking it up.

All that said, I'm a whisk(e)y guy, so perhaps the subtle whiskey flavor effects that come from barrel-aging beer (subtle, that is, compared to the flavor differences among whiskeys themselves) are lost on me, much as few craft beer enthusiasts can appreciate the nuanced flavor differences among pale lagers.

 

For anyone passing through MSP airport Darkness is on tap at Mimosa near gate G1. Unless my taste buds are fooling me this is the non-BA version. Pricy for about 8oz at $12 plus tax and tip, but considering that it's an airport bar it could be way worse.

 

I have a few pics of the barrels. A majority have '2' written on them in white chalk (?) but some appear to have a 5. I don't know if that means anything to you, but the rest of the information on it just seems to be the High West branding.