really enjoyed this one. reveals layers and layers as it warms and opens up. nice amount of bourbon barrel for only being half barrel-aged. cheers!!
Forgot pic, but this is a ferocious looking beer. I got a big, dark mocha colored head and the dark brown legs were crazy. What a great stout. The vanilla was blessedly subdued and well incorporated into a wonderfully fudgy base beer. The hints of bourbon and molasses provided nice accents as well. The mouthfeel waz very full and lightly sticky.
7th sample out of the EBB: Big Stouts. Ruby brown with a thin brown head. The aroma is sweet, with a lot of fruit (dates, raisins, even a hint of blueberry). I get a bit of rubbing alcohol too. Very soft mouthfeel. Boozy and very sweet for a RIS. I don’t get much bourbon barrel at all. And the vanilla doesn’t come across as a typical vanilla flavor, more of a spicy sweetness. Interesting. Enjoyable, even. Not quite true to style. But a very good offering.
Another winner from the Extreme Beer Box. In fact, they have ALL been winners so far. Poured at fridge temp. Pours motor oil black with almost no head. Looks thick! The nose is amazing. Vanilla, chocolate, malted milk balls, salted caramel, and slight roasted malts. I love when a beer just clicks and I want to keep smelling it. This is one of those. The taste is great. Brown sugar, malts, chocolate, toffee, vanilla, oak, dark fruit, a touch of cinnamon, and some tar. The mouthfeel is super thick and the aftertaste is mostly sweet toffee and chocolate. The ABV is insanely hidden on this. Super dangerous sipper! Overall, a fantastic beer! 4.39/5 rDev +1.4% look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Glad I didn't look at this page prior to tasting my first of two cans that was sent to me. 13.8% of stout motor oil. Didn't get too much vanilla in this, unlike others, for me it was all the thicc-boi juice that you could run a car on... ridiculous. Even my wife approved! 4.28/5 rDev -1.2% look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 L - Do you like the night? Good, good... embrace it - zero head, little lacing, all motor oil. S - More interesting, but still muted notes of charred chocolate, a little vanilla, toffee, molasses, brown sugar. *END* T - Finally, even more notable aspects of the FLUX motor oil as the toffee-chocolate, molasses-sugar continues to just pile on the tongue, not a ton of vanilla on the palate. Like a blind orgy on the tongue. Goodness. F - If you enjoy thick milkshakes or even thicker motor oil Stouts, look no further. I'm not sure I have encountered a beer this thicc before; ridiculous, but does hide that 13.8% wallop pretty well. Until it's too late and it's a week night. O - A really intriguing beer in the big box this year (2023) - it certainly is a quality stout even if it's like being hit in the face by Mike Tyson, over and over again. Good thing they mistakenly sent me two cans, so I can look forward to another oil stout drubbing. Cheers....
Whoa this was sweet. The high sweetness level works but is unexpected, I liked this one. I had my spouse try a few sips and he kept insisting there was a cherry/raspberry undertone to it. I don't get that at all, but maybe some of the oak touch to it tasted like fruit to him? Really glad this was in the box, I've never really had anything like this.
Got from the 2023 extreme beer box. Could barely read the side of the can - black on black writing? Drank it straight from the can so I can’t give much of a handle on look or smell. However a healthy splash of thick dark liquid splashed out onto my hand when I cracked it open. Quite sticky. Very sticky. This has a thick syrupy good richness to it, full of flavor. Finally a stout that advertises vanilla that actually has a quite a smooth full flavored vanilla bean taste to it. Heavy, dank, extremely malty, good thickness. And at 13.8% I can’t argue with this little delight. I drank it quite quickly, relishing in its flavor, and hell it’s only 4:30 so I’m gonna have a good night.
This one pours inky black, utterly opaque, oily in appearance, texture when poured and mouthfeel. I perceived a subtle note of tobacco in the aroma. I had worried about the inclusion of vanilla in this stout, but my concern was misplaced. The vanilla blended beautifully with the malts. Overall character seemed more consistent with a barley wine than a stout, which is fine in my book. The best of the first four beers I’ve tried.
Dark, thick, black body with sheets of spotted lacing legging it back to a headless, sheen-ed cap. At first, the 1/2" cap of cocoa powder colored head is impressive, and enticing, but it disappears. Really sweet, and the vanilla almost comes off as booze, almost.
When I chose the beers to consume I figured I'd drink the crappy ones first, (added junk laden), well I guessed wrong 'cuz this one was pretty bad too. This was 5 of 12, so far, not so good!
I wonder if your shipment got too hot or something? I don't think any of them were outright bad so this is surprising.
Poured in the dark, but it's safe to assume that it's pitch black. With the first pour, the beer feels heavy and lazy coming out of the can. It's thick and dense. Like molasses. Like crude oil. Tastes as advertised - heavy chocolate, vanilla, some booze. Sweet. A bit cloying but not unpleasant (looking at you PB Fusion). But, man, this one is thick and chewy. Not in a bad way. It's just its own way. The label is a bit boring, utilitarian but not offensively so.
#11 of 12 This is a nice, complex BA stout. There are great bourbon and oak barrel notes and the vanilla really comes through as well. It is a little on the sweet side- but very enjoyable nonetheless. Maybe the most interesting description of the bunch.
The effect creeps up, and delivers a real punch. High ABV% is well hidden but expresses as it is consumed. Very thick mouth feel, which tends to slow down the sip intervals (hold in the mouth and savor). Sweeter than expected but not overly so, and the vanilla is a factor here. Lots of fudgy chocolate flavor, and a definite kick from the barrel aging. As Barclay says, this stout will be a very good base for adding adjuncts.
This is an excellent addition to the Big Stout 2023 box. It poured with very little head, and my first impression was how thick it was. The vanilla stands out for me in a good way with the alcohol well hidden. This is exactly what comes to mind when I hear the words "liquid dessert" ! I've let this warm up a bit and am kicking back and enjoying sipping this one. What a great candidate for the Big Stout 2023 box. Very well done, Todd!
4.39/5 rDev +4.8% look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5 A: Pours a clear but opaque thick viscous jet black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint dark cola brown + dark chestnut brown + dark garnet red colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall dense creamy foamy dark mocha head that slowly reduces to a large patch of thick film covering the entire surface of the beer and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed. S: Moderate to strong aromas of rich chocolate fudge + cocoa over the top of slightly stronger than moderate aromas of roasted + dark + chocolate + caramel malts with slightly stronger than moderate amounts of lactose sweetness. Light to moderate aromas of vanilla. Moderate aromas of bourbon + toasted oak. T: Upfront there are slightly stronger than moderate flavors of roasted + dark + chocolate + caramel malts with slightly stronger than moderate amounts of lactose sweetness. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of rich chocolate fudge + cocoa along with light to moderate flavors of vanilla. Finally there are moderate flavors of bourbon + toasted oak. Slightly stronger than moderate amounts of lingering chocolate fudge + bourbon + vanilla. M: Full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth + creamy with a slightly hint of alcohol warming. O: Drinks pretty easily considering the strength and has a wonderfully smooth + creamy mouthfeel. Enjoyable with lots of chocolate + fudge + vanilla + bourbon flavors and aromas.
