Boo Berry over Count Chocula, wins by KO. Really solid blend of base beers that, in my humble opinion, was ruined by what seemed artificial. I've got a black eye from a perfume punch of blueberry on opening the can, and the heavy, syrupy, gooey taste was like eating an entire box of that cheap sugar cereal with a side of coconut lotion. Yet there was a really nice barrel-aged chocolate stout underneath all of that nonsense. This one just wasn't for me.
I made the mistake of rinsing this glass and pouring another beer in it after I was done. The aroma was still heavily present for that beer as well.
I think you meant it's the first with Blueberry since they released Blueberry pancakes a few years back. That particular beer was flat out awful IMHO, but I'm more hopeful about this one (I haven't cracked open my can yet). That being said, I confess I'm a bit concerned about some of the other comments I'm seeing in this thread. Artificial flavor and a "cough syrup" berry flavor were similar problems I detected in Blueberry pancakes. Over the years, I've come to realize that Great Notion's style (when it comes to fruit flavored pastry stouts) isn't for everyone. So far their original Double Stack continues to be my favorite, but I'll continue to sample their other stouts when I have the chance. In this particular concoction, I'm hoping the coconut will blend in well with the Blueberry and help to tame some of the syrupy fruit flavor.
If they called this a blueberry pancake pastry stout, I’d believe it! The bounty of blueberries on the nose balances against the coconut and barrel aged flavors playing the role of syrup. Gorgeous and amazing beer, with a lot of things to think about, considering the high ABV!
Thought I wouldn't like this since it had blueberry in it. Not a fan of fruit in my stouts. So I drank it first, and man was I blown away. This is something I'd want to drink over and over. It's like a blueberry muffin with some coconut on top.
I only have 2 beers left and this is by far the most disappointing beer in the box. I get absolutely no barrel (wood) from this. A correct label would read Imperial Porter Aged in Blueberry Maple Syrup barrels.
Smells like blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, heavy on the blueberries. Pours oily black with a half finger beige foam that falls into a ring quickly. Taste is fairly sweet and slightly tart with a moderately bitter edge; flavors of blueberry, coconut. Not getting a whole lot of barrel character, which would have elevated this to an all-time classic. As it is, it's still amazing. Lovely velvety mouthfeel. Wow, very delicious. No offense to Aardwolf and that Bananas Foster beer, but this is how pastry stouts are done. Also, a little surprised at the folks who couldn't detect the coconut. My beer has it in spades. Not sure if it varies from can to can. 4.4/5
I think the blueberry in here was a bit too syrupy for my liking, and it was quite boozy too boot. A bit better in taste and the coconut came through more which dried it out along with some chocolate, roast, and other notes 3.96/5 rDev -7.9% look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My 2nd beer from the box: 4.36/5 rDev +1.4% look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5 A: Pours an opaque yet still clear thick viscous jet black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint dark chestnut brown + dark cola brown colored highlights. The beer has a three finger tall creamy sudsy foamy dark mocha head that slowly reduces to a large patch of thin film covering the entire surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed. S: Moderate to strong aromas of slightly sweet blueberries (like those you generally find in pancakes or muffins) over the top of slightly stronger than moderate aromas of roasted + toasted + caramel + chocolate + biscuit malts with moderate amounts of lactose + maple syrup-like sweetness. Moderate aromas of coconut + toasted oak + bourbon + vanilla. Overall there is a blueberry pancakes like smell when I first opened the can and poured this one. T: Upfront there are slightly stronger than moderate flavors of roasted + toasted + caramel + chocolate + biscuit malts with moderate amounts of lactose + maple syrup-like sweetness. That is followed by moderate flavors of coconut + toasted oak + bourbon + vanilla. Finally there are moderate to strong flavors of slightly sweet blueberries (like those you generally find in pancakes or muffins). There are light to moderate amounts of roasty bitterness which linger along with light to moderate flavors of blueberry coconut pancakes. M: Medium to full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth, almost creamy with a light amount of dryness in the finish. Hints of booziness in the finish as well. O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol considering the strength of this beer and a pleasantly smooth almost creamy mouthfeel. This beer is more of a dessert sipper for me but I could easily see it being a great brunch beer. Really enjoyable flavors and aromas from the blueberry + coconut + barrel-aging + base malt profile. Successfully works together to evoke blueberry coconut pancakes.
The blueberry flavor was amazing. The aroma for me was a little less clearly blueberry (my first impression was grape soda). But after you taste it, it blends together well enough. For me, the coconut was subtle (like most others who commented). But I found the coconut confusing (didn’t seem to fit with the blueberry). I kept wanting to experience blueberry pancakes, or blueberry muffins. But I found myself saying, “Why did they ruin it by putting coconut in it?” I totally forgot about any barrel elements… not sure they were there… maybe in the slight bitterness that barely reminded you that this was a Stout beer and not a liquid candy bar.
I liked the idea of a blueberry stout and I thought the coconut added an intriguing complement. Something about the finish put me off, however, as I think there was a bitter element that seemed out of place.
This is an interesting addition to the Extreme Beer Box. The Blueberry aroma is quite strong but when tasted everything blends together rather well. There is a smooth mouthfeel with a pleasant blueberry aftertaste. I don't taste any coconut as the blueberry dominates. I like blueberries so this is not a problem on my end. This is a great addition to the Extreme Beer Box!
Slowly and painfully drawing closer to the end... this is an interesting one and I'm not sure how to think of it. It's kind of like a blueberry pancake shoved into a glass of bourbon, maple syrup included. I don't really get the coconut either. It's still good and still a stout. Perhaps thrown off by the combination of blueberry and stout. For some reason, the brain can't handle it today. Very good as a dessert sipper, though.
