Revolution Deth By Cherries 2017

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company in Chicago, IL
Purcased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Revolution Brewing Tap Room in Chicago, IL; 2017
Style/ABV: American Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout, 13.1%
Reported IBUs: 27

In keeping with my plan to review Revolution's 2017/2018 lineup of barrel-aged beers, I'm looking at the 2017 vintage of Deth By Cherries. Deth's Tar is Revolution's barrel-aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout, and the base for their Deth by Cherries, Cafe Deth, VSOD, Double Barrel VSOD, and a handful of variants that were tap-only.

The can reads: "Unfermented tart cherries add a mild acidity and subtly rounding sweetness to our Deth's Tar Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. Flavors and aromas of bourbon and oak meld harmoniously with the fruit, each balancing the other. Enjoy now or store cold." 

The appearance is basically mantit for hipster tat to Deth's Tar. It looks stocky, probably under-dressed in clothes slightly oversized. It waits patiently in line. It's black. Wait...

Revolution Deth By Cherries 2017

This smells amazing, by the way. Take everything that could be better about Deth's Tar, dial up the chocolate, and throw in the cherries. My untappy notes said, "surprisingly balanced and barrel forward. Cherry w/ dark truffle, wood tannin, light kiss of bourbon and vanilla. Nice alcohol, whiskey." I DO get a lot of wood and barrel on the nose. The woody notes are really surprising. I also get a lot of chocolate a la those chocolate truffles. The cherry note on here is natural and integrates with the raisin notes from the whiskey. It definitely inspires some cherry-chocolate liquor comparisons.

So how does it taste? Well, amazing. This is really a pleasure to sip. The depth and duration are huge, and the layers are complex. The finish smacks you with vanilla and bourbon, and then lingers with warming alcohol heat and spice. The front end is loaded with fudge, chocolate truffles, bourbon, and then cherries. The cherry sweetness really shows up in the middle, with slightly tart natural cherries. I'm getting a lot of cherry skins, raisin-cherries, and light acidity. It never drifts into sour territory, and the cherry note is very much restrained. Unlike numerous other cherry beers (many featured previously on my blog), this never dabbles in cherry pie filling.

Fruited stouts are the type of thing that can divide a beer community. I would say this is one of the better ones. Aggressive sips are revealing for me some of that splintered wood and raw barrel power you get in the base. There's some anise hugging the edges of this too. I bet this ages pretty good for a few years. As it sits out, I get more fruit. Full-bodied, complex, long duration, good depth, good sipping beer...front loaded fudge/chocolate...fruity mids...fade out to vanilla, bourbon, and spice/heat.

Rating: STRONG Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd) 

Cherry pie, be gone! The fact that "cherry pie" or "cherry pie filling" are completely absent from my review should be a positive thing for 99% of beer drinkers. This is a legit fusion/addition of cherry to an amazing base beer, and the big ass wood, barrel, anise, bourbon, and Stout presence holds up and integrates well with the lightly tart cherry notes. Revolution, I tip my hat to you.

Random Thought: So where does this stack up as a variant? Or just in general? For me....I would go DBVSOD > VSOD > Deth By Cherries > Cafe > Reg. I understand RevBrew is doing a currants variant next year, I'm sure that will be awesome.

Revolution Double Barrel V.S.O.D. 2017

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company in Chicago, IL
Purcased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Revolution Brewing Tap Room in Chicago, IL; 2018 (filled 01-04-2018)
Style/ABV: American Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout, 17.0%
Reported IBUs: 27

So in some ways, tonight's beer is basically a copy and paste of last night's VSOD review. Except it really isn't. Because while VSOD was an exercise in how beer can be a vehicle for barrel character, DBVSOD -- IN SPITE -- of being more boozy and featuring more barrels (i.e. Woodford Reserve Double Oak and Whistle Pig 10 year Rye), is actually a return to beer-forward notes. 

Revolution Double Barrel V.S.O.D. 2017

Now I'll grant you the beer basically looks the same. "The beer produces a finger of brown head that fades into sweet nothings." It is dark, viscous, and Stout-y. And you really only catch glimpses of dark brown on the far edges of the beer when sticking it in bright light. [insert jokes about how this beer is dark like my soul or my preference in women or whatever]. 

The aroma is where things get really interesting. The beer is like a fusion of Deth's Tar and VSOD -- big anise notes, lots of the base beer, vanilla, wood, fudge, rye and wood spice, and maple on Eggo waffles. There's definitely some alcohol on the nose, which I'm frighteningly pretty immune/blunted to. There's also a good amount of caramel -- a note that is so common and taken for granted in beer you could easily miss.

This is aggressive on the palate, with an almost cola-esque quality up front as your palate gets walloped by 17% ABV, barrel tannins for days, and a fair amount of dark sugars. There's almost a Quad-like quality to the fruity aspects of this beer, with hints of cherries and raisins and overripe fruits. The palate duration which I'll talk about more in a second is off the charts, and the lingering profile in your mouth is blissful bourbon with rye-like notes, alcohol heat, wood, and grain. As the beer oxidizes a bit and warms up, the fudge, oak, coconut, and vanilla characters start to open up and pop. Oh, and there's a kiss of maple and Eggo waffles.

Obviously this is a sipper. This is a battered, worn-in beer. It's not T H I C C like some of those 10% pastry stouts, and I don't think it needs to be or wants to be. When you dial up a beer to 17% and barrel-age the bejesus out of it, you don't need it to be super thick. The slight thinning out of this beer is like the balding gym junkie who is pure testosterone, all muscle, and firing 8 hearty ropes. This plays off the barrel and the spirits, and so I'll accept that it is a heavy medium-full. Palate depth is in the land of sipping, as in you can take a sip of this, let it linger on your palate for 60 seconds, and go back for more. It's like the deep end of the pool at the YMCA. This is also super complex, which -- duh. The complexity is going to trip some people up and there will be detractors. This is not a beer to drink at any temperature below cellar and preferably room. This is not a beer to butt chug unless you're a masochist. This is a beer to pour in your glass and mull over for an hour or two. Because again, up front this is loaded with fruity notes, alcohol, rum, bourbon, and wood; the mids roll into anise and caramel and more overripe fruits; the back end is alcohol and rye and wood spice, with caramel and oak and vanilla and fudge coming along for the ride. 

Rating: Strong Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is like...the craziest shit Revolution has ever done, and worth every penny. Which isn't even that much at $35 for a 4-pack. Pound for pound this is up there with BCBS Rare '15 and Reserve, and it's cheaper and comes in a can. The downside is this was a very limited release, and the limit per person was two 4-packs. But...the good news is people are still trading this for absurdly below value. I don't think people quite comprehend what they have on their hands. I'll take all the Double Barrel VSOD. This is my Friday night beer. I love these big-ass, barrel-aged stouts I can sip on for an hour or two. Really awesome shit, and makes me really excited for what Revolution has in the works for their 2018 releases.

Random Thought: I should probably make my Superb Owl pick. As a lover of greatness, I am hoping the Pats win. As a realist, I think Philly has a really good chance. That Eagles team is stacked. Either way, both teams have hilarious and entertaining fan bases. Should be a hell of a Superb Owl.

Revolution V.S.O.D. (Very Special Old Deth) 2017

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company in Chicago, IL
Purcased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Revolution Brewing Tap Room in Chicago, IL; 2017
Style/ABV: American Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout, 13.4%
Reported IBUs: 27

Shit is getting serious now. VSOD or "Very Special Old Deth" is Deth's Tar aged for two years in barrels. This one actually clocks in at a slightly lower ABV than Deth's Tar.

But man, the pour on this is battered and viscous. The beer produces a finger of brown head that fades into sweet nothings. The only thing keeping any carbonation on the beer's surface is my sweet Revolution glass's laser etching. 

The aroma here is absurd. Front and center is an absurd amount of barrel, oak, wood, and vanilla. It's that splintered barrel aroma that is in your face and aggressive and poignant. To me it is reminiscent of the Reserve Bourbon County from 2017. Once you muscle your way through the layers of barrel, the aroma opens up into chocolate and brownie and fudge. 

The taste of this beer is boozy bliss. Straight away I'm noting chocolate dipped raisins/Raisinetts spiked with massive amounts of bourbon and rum. The barrel and woody dryness meets the tongue next -- as you might expect, there is a fair amount of oxidation here. There's ample amounts of coconut and vanilla, with some shades of maple syrup sweetness. There's also a fair amount of spice, and some lingering residual hoppiness. I'm getting some rye bread and notes that remind me of dark grains. Good stuff.

Revolution V.S.O.D. (Very Special Old Deth) 2017

What is there to say about this beer that you can't glean from the beer's description or infer knowing what the base is about. This is a full-bodied, complex beer that lingers on your palate for a long time. It has a lovely progression with oxidized wood, barrel, oak, and Raisinetts up front; the mids roll into rum, bourbon, spice, more dark fruits, hints of fruity and floral coffee; the back end drops coconut and vanilla and chocolate. The beer fades to black leaving kisses of drying alcohol and wood on your tongue, with lingering maple sweetness. It's wild. This is also a sipping beer. 

Rating: Strong Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

Random Thought: I want to spend some time taking a crap on Josh Noel's face, because I think his assessment of this beer was way wrong. But we should probably talk about price and format. I know this whole can thing has become a joke of sorts, but the price of these beers is insane. VSOD was like $30 for a 4-pack. That's basically $0.625/oz or $13.75 for a bomber. $13.75!!! And these are in fucking 12oz cans. So you can split a can with a friend, or solo-dome it and not feel like the world's biggest alcoholic. To compare, Goose Island Reserve was selling for around ~$24 and came in a 16.9oz format. Just food for thought...   

Revolution Deth's Tar 2017

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company in Chicago, IL
Purcased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Revolution Brewing Tap Room in Chicago, IL; 2017
Style/ABV: American Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout, 14.8%
Reported IBUs: 27

Revolution Deth's Tar 2017

In keeping with my plan to review Revolution's 2017/2018 lineup of barrel-aged beers, I'm looking at the 2017 vintage of Deth's Tar. Deth's Tar is Revolution's barrel-aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout, and the base for their Deth by Cherries, Cafe Deth, VSOD, Double Barrel VSOD, and a handful of variants that were tap-only.

I actually reviewed this beer back in 2013, and I remember it being pretty bourbon-y. To wit: "Honestly, there's a lot of complexity lurking beneath the bourbon, despite the fact that this is so aggressively bourbon-y." 

The 2018 vintage pours into your typical pitch-black body, and kicks up a finger of short-lived, brown head. I'm going to recommend drinking this towards room temp. At colder temperatures I pick up more fruity notes on the aroma, and it almost veers into anise and licorice overload. Oddly enough, when this warms up the aroma turns into boozy brownie batter, raisins, barrel, and dark fruits. At the very least, if you decide to take this beer on at colder temps, let it warm up as you go.

The taste follows through, with intense barrel, wood, fudge, and dark fruits and light raisin/oxidation on the back. There is a surprising amount of anise and hop complexity present in this beer. It's interesting to compare regular Deth's Tar to VSOD and Double Barrel VSOD...you can really see how the additional barrel aging has changed the base beer. And conversely, you can see how the 2017 vintage of Deth's Tar has a HUGE base. I'm tasting a fair amount of char in here as well, which really plays off the barrel and bourbon and compliments the anise and bold roasty malts. This is just a HUGE intense beer, and it feels substantial outside of just the ABV.

For me, this beer is a grower and not a shower. There's a lot of nuance in here, and I think this is a pretty complex brew. As this sits in my glass the oatmeal stout base comes out a bit more, and I'm getting some of that roast and caramel malt presence. At 14.8% you are talking about a lot of spirit and alcohol. And this has a medium-full to full-bodied mouthfeel. The duration is moderate to full with good palate depth and good complexity. Again, up front I'm getting a lot of fruity notes like cherry with a blend of chocolate and brownie. The mids roll into char and barrel with some bourbon, more raisins, anise, light baker's spice. The back end finishes dry with alcohol, spirit, rum, and more roast/char/barrel. It's also worth emphasizing that this year's Deth's Tar is slightly thicker and bigger than past years, which is ultimately a good thing.

Rating: LIGHT Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

This is an impressively solid Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, and reminds me of stalwarts like Bell's Black Note and Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin. This might be the least interesting beer of Revolution's 2017/2018 barrel lineup, but it is still a massive, complex, thoroughly enjoyable beer. And while this beer isn't quite a Bourbon County killer, it's still entirely nuanced and original and worth its own merits. Also, there is some reckoning. Namely in the form of VSOD and DBVSOD.

Random Thought: Things I won't be watching this weekend: the Pro Bowl.

Begyle Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas 2014

Brewed By: Begyle Brewing in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, 9.8

Reported IBUs: ?

After the dust cleared in Chicago following Black Friday, beer shelves were left stocked with hidden gems like Dino S'Mores, Backwoods Bastard, and Begyle's Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas. I'm not saying that says anything, but it seems like a lot of tourists and non-beer nerds show up to get their BCBS. And I'm okay with that....more tasty beer for me. About Begyle Brewing: 

Begyle Brewing is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois. The brewery's motto is, "A Community Supported Brewery," and that is how they promoted their successful Kickstarter and successful launch. The brewery was found on 2012, and offers a subscription for their growler program, as well as growler fills and bottles. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

The Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas is a "barrel aged imperial stout" aged in bourbon barrels. Per Begyle, this is their coffee infused oatmeal stout aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels. The Begyle Flannel Pajamas is an oatmeal stout; the Begyle Imperial Pajamas is an imperial oatmeal coffee stout; and the Begyle Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas is an imperial oatmeal barrel-aged coffee stout. Shit is getting real and deep.

Begyle Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas 2014

As you might expect, this pours into a black, opaque body, kicking up a finger of brown/tan head. The head leaves some nice lacing and alcohol legs, and has a nice ring around the glass with some sea foam/cauldron effect action. It's a good looking beer, but what beer isn't.

On the aroma: lots of bourbon. Lots of Heaven Hill sweetness, which has big notes of raisins, and lots of whiskey sweetness. The Heaven Hill barrel notes are distinct, and channel similar vibes found in the FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout - Heaven Hill Rittenhouse Rye Barrel. There is some big underlying sweetness on the aroma, with coconut, dark fruit, and cherries coming up. There's also a medicinal or cola-like note that I can't quite place. I'm getting some Twizzlers, and a lot more whiskey/fruit. Heaven Hill has #rekt this base beer.

Wow. This is unassuming upon first sip, with big whiskey and raisins sweetness not opening up into anything. But about 10 seconds into the sip, the oatmeal, coconut, and chocolate grabs hold, and the beer rattles the cage with subtle coffee notes, vanilla, bourbon, brownie notes, and tons of depth. As you acclimate yourself to the two sides of this beer, you pick up some integration between the whiskey fruits, cherries, Twizzlers, raisins, and intense bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, and barrel. This definitely has coffee in it, and the coffee plays with the alcohol in the beer, hinting at alcoholic coffee and vodka infused Kahlua. This is impressively complex, and continues to hit new notes for me: roast, faint espresso, macaroons, fudge, brownie, bourbon, and an umami note like soy-dipped chocolate sans any soy sauce. 

This is an incredible beer. Most barrel aged oatmeal stouts are, but this just hits so many awesome notes with so much complexity. It's an impressive package, throwing an imperial oatmeal stout into Heaven Hill barrels. At 9.8%, you do get some booze, but this is not hot. Palate depth is good, and this has amazing duration. This doesn't quite coat your mouth like some beers, but despite that fact, this still manages to come in as lightly full-bodied. I've heard some people call this beer "thin." Those people are wrong. This is not thin. This isn't as thick as other BBA stouts, but it's just dandy. Up front: waves of dark fruits, cherries, raisins, Twizzlers, growing bourbon and chocolate; the mids hit this fantastic coffee/chocolate/coconut thing, with some alcohol, Kahlua; the back end dips into barrel, more bourbon, more lingering one-off notes, and just tons of complexity. I could drink this all day.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. This is a great bourbon-barrel aged beer, would buy/drink again. I don't even want to pair this with food, just sip on this monster. The fact that this beer sat around on shelves for so long is perfect, I look forward to hunting this down next time it is released. 

Random Thought: 2014....RIP mufucka. 

Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

Brewed By: Mikkeller in Copenhagen, Denmark (Brewed at Lervig Aktiebryggeri)

Purchased: 12oz single bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois; 2014

Style/ABV: Imperial Oatmeal Stout, 10.9%

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the second Beer Geek beer of the night...About Mikkeller: 

Mikkeller is that European brewery that does things like an American craft brewery. The brewery was founded in 2006 by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, a humble math and physics teacher who enjoyed craft beer and homebrewing. Mikkel and his childhood friend Kristian Keller bought a few American books about brewing, and began brewing beer and entering it into competitions (and winning!) for two and a half years. Eventually, Mikkel and Keller began brewing beer at the Danish microbrewery Ørbæk, and Mikkel's twin brother Jeppe began selling their beer at his beer shop. Mikkeller's first big break came with their infamous "Beer Geek Breakfast." Since then, the brewery exports beer to over 40 countries, and brews the majority of their beer at de Proef Brouwerij in Belgium. However, Mikkeller is also nicknamed the "phantom" or "gypsy" microbrewery, as they brew at a number of host facilities in many different countries; they have also brewed over 100 different beers in a wide variety of styles. You can read more about the brewery here. 

The Beer Geek Brunch Weasel should not be confused with the Beer Geek Breakfast. The Brunch is amped up at 10.9%, clocking in at true Imperial range. The Beer Geek Brunch Weasel is brewed from with "one of the world's most expensive coffees, made from droppings of weasel-like civet cats." Yup, this is a shit beer. Literally. I already reviewed (and loved) the De Molen Kopi Loewak, so the bar is set. Will this top the fantastic Kopi Loewak? 

Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

I could be totally making this up, but I think the Brunch Weasel actually pours out darker than the Breakfast. The head is certainly a bit darker. Dem Black Patent Malts, amirite? Seriously though, unlike the Breakfast, the head does not hang around on the Brunch Weasel. Swirling the beer kicks up glossy alcohol legs, and you can revive the head -- but it's short-lived. 

The aroma on the Brunch Weasel seems more blunted than the Breakfast. I'm getting coffee, dirt, ash...the coffee is slightly less bitter and acidic here. There are some woody and roasty notes on the nose, with some hints of meaty roast. I'm getting a little baker's chocolate as well. 

Wow! This tastes nothing like the Breakfast...in fact, there is some much needed sweetness here. Not only am I getting coffee, but I'm getting some vanilla, espresso, and even a hint of mocha. There's some chocolate in here, with definitive chocolate sweetness on the back end. The beer finishes roasty and bitter, much like the Breakfast. There are some hints of earthy nuts in here, along with hints of boozy fruits. 

This is the full-bodied experience I was craving in an Imperial Stout tonight, and you feel the weight of this beer, 10.9% and all. I'm getting some booze, which I welcome from my Imperial Stouts at this ABV. Palate depth is really outstanding, but again I feel this could dial up the complexity even more. This tastes hoppy and bitter, and I wonder if aging this for a year would mellow this out. Unfortunately, that would be at the expense of the coffee. Up front: big sweet coffee, espresso, mocha, vanilla sweetness, chocolate; the mids roll into more espresso and mocha sweetness, straight legit coffee shop; the back end fuses mocha and espresso with hoppy sweetness, and the beer goes into roast, ash, dirt, bitter coffee, and finishes bitter and dry. The finish is one or two degrees away from being offensive, but it holds it together. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average here...at the respective price of $10 for the Brunch Weasel single, and $6.99 for the Breakfast single...I just can't justify these beers. They are good, but there are better coffee Stouts available. The Brunch Weasel definitely beats out the Breakfast. It's a bigger, bolder, sweet beer...and I want to pair this above beer with dry chocolate cake, chocolate chip pancakes, tiramisu, or even an aggressive burger or steak. This beer is probably worth checking out once, but yeah. Serious hesitation if I'll pick this up again.

Random Thought: I love Spring storms. A storm came through tonight and dropped marble-sized hail with some impressive lightning. It was quite the spectacle.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

Brewed By: Mikkeller in Copenhagen, Denmark (Brewed at Lervig Aktiebryggeri)

Purchased: 12oz single bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois; 2014

Style/ABV: Oatmeal Stout, 7.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

This beer and the Beer Geek Brunch have been on my to-do list for a long time, but damn these are expensive singles. About Mikkeller: 

Mikkeller is that European brewery that does things like an American craft brewery. The brewery was founded in 2006 by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, a humble math and physics teacher who enjoyed craft beer and homebrewing. Mikkel and his childhood friend Kristian Keller bought a few American books about brewing, and began brewing beer and entering it into competitions (and winning!) for two and a half years. Eventually, Mikkel and Keller began brewing beer at the Danish microbrewery Ørbæk, and Mikkel's twin brother Jeppe began selling their beer at his beer shop. Mikkeller's first big break came with their infamous "Beer Geek Breakfast." Since then, the brewery exports beer to over 40 countries, and brews the majority of their beer at de Proef Brouwerij in Belgium. However, Mikkeller is also nicknamed the "phantom" or "gypsy" microbrewery, as they brew at a number of host facilities in many different countries; they have also brewed over 100 different beers in a wide variety of styles. You can read more about the brewery here. 

The Beer Geek Breakfast is an Oatmeal Stout brewed with coffee. According to Ratebeer, the ingredients include water; pils, oat, smoked, caramunich, brown, pale chocolate and chocolate, roasted barley, and flaked oats malts; centennial and cascade hops; ale yeast; and gourmet coffee.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

As you'd probably guess, this beer pours jet black kicking up a finger of dark, mocha-brown head. There are fantastic alcohol legs, even at 7.5%, and greasy head leaves dark residual coats on the glass. There's something about seeing a hearty Stout that makes me happy, I wish my sponsor understood.

Even at slightly cool temps, this beer is exploding with aromatics. It's like opening up the cupboard that houses the coffee in the break room at work. I'm getting stale coffee, biscotti, mild coffee acidity, slight tang from the acidity, cherries, chocolate, chocolate-dipped cherries (duh), and some rich nutty notes. Peanuts and pecans come to mind. There's that oatmeal note on the nose as well....just a complicated myriad of good smells. 

The taste follows through with some of the nose, only with a slightly diminishing body. Honestly...I'm gonna let this warm up a bit, as right now I'm getting a lot of bitter hops and bitter coffee. You'll have to take my word that after this sentence I went to shower.....and I'm back. Yeah, as this warms up some of the coffee notes start to unravel a bit, with bitter, stale coffee. I'm getting biscotti, bitter coffee, spent coffee in the filter, woody notes, ash, dirt, some roast, and super bitter baker's chocolate. Cocoa, the legit stuff.

This is a medium-full bodied Stout, thanks largely in part to the coffee which cuts through the body like a sword. When you add the carbonation to the coffee, it really thins the base beer out, for better or worse. Palate depth is good, but complexity leaves a bit to be desired. At this point I'm well-versed in coffee Stouts, so I feel comfortable saying this could dial things up a bit. It's just kind of one-note. I do like how the 7.5% is completely hidden. Up front: acidic and tangy coffee, some fruity notes, hops, bitter coffee; the mids roll into more bitter coffee, woody notes, dark baker's chocolate, cocoa, dirt/ash; the back end is trailing bitterness, with more stale coffee, dirt/ash, and bitter. Not enough diabetus tones.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average here...the aroma promises so much, but I'm not feeling the vibe so much in the taste. This is a nicely executed, bitter coffee Stout. If you like that raw, bitter coffee note...this will be right up your alley. It actually reminds me of real cocoa, the bitter stuff. Baker's chocolate. I wonder if this beer would pair well with chocolate, or something sweet like vanilla ice cream. I'd even suggest pairing this with biscotti. I guess you could also pair this with breakfast trimmings, the coffee stands out loud and proud.

Random Thought: It's Brunch time, right?

Hoppin' Frog Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Oatmeal Imperial Stout

Brewed By: Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron, Ohio  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout, 9.4%

Reported IBUs: 60

It's Friday, and I have a hankering for some Whiskey/Bourbon and beer. About Hoppin' Frog:

Hoppin' Frog is a "small, hands-on brewery making very flavorful beers in the most flavorful beer styles." The brewery was founded by owner Fred Karm in 2006. The dude looks like he means serious business, and he has been brewing specialty beers since 1994. Karm came up with the concept of Hoppin' Frog, and has designed and produced 21 award winning beers at the Great American Beer Festival and World Cup.

The Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. adds the addition of whiskey barrels to the already spectacular B.OR.I.S. The Crusher Imperial Oatmeal Stout. The regular beer is one of my favorite all time Imperial Stouts, and definitely one of the best readily available Stouts in the States. 

Like the regular B.O.R.I.S., this one pours into a opaque, pitch black body. You do catch some red tones as the beer pours out of the bottle into the glass, but once it settles it's all obsidian and squid ink and outer space or whatever lingo you use in your reviews. The beer also kicks up two fingers of coffee-brown/mocha head. The head on this beer is awesome, and swirling the beer in the glass kicks it back up. I'd like to think that's the oatmeal at work, but I'm not a thinking man. There's some nice lacing and glossy alcohol legs with this, and there is some carbonation on the sides of the glass. [edit: in bright light you do catch some brown on the edges, so this isn't the darkest beer I've had...not by a long shot]

Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S.

Ugghhhh. Yeahhhh. Ohhh yeah. Mmm. Audible moans. That aroma is soooo good. It's up there with the Bourbon County Stout and barrel-aged Old Rasputin. Just delicious whiskey, oats, oatmeal, chocolate, truffle, and big coconut. There's some molasses and dark sugars, along with hints of fruit, and some hints of meaty notes as well. I'm also getting a dash of coffee. Just from the aroma alone you can tell that the barrel is well integrated with the base beer, and not overpowering. 

Like a milkshake, this beer is dense as hell and super rich. Sometimes the Bourbon/Whiskey overpowers the Stout base and thins things out in an unfavorable way, but this beer's giant malt body stands up to the barrel and throws things down. There's an assault of rich oats, chocolate, coffee, roast, and dark sugars, all juxtaposed with big whiskey kick, and then complimented with some woody barrel notes. As this warms, you get huge brownie, hints of dark fruits and raisins, fudge, brown sugars, coconut, and molasses...and then the whiskey and barrel show up to remind you that life is shit but that sweet burn solves most of your problems. It's like chocolate for adults. 

If you can't tell, I like this beer...I don't know if the barrel improves the base beer per se, it just adds another dimension of awesome. Sometimes you want that whiskey twist, sometimes you don't. The mouthfeel on this beer is huge. It's a full-bodied beer. Palate depth and duration are both outstanding (as with the base beer), and complexity is good. It's not as good as the Bourbon County Stout, but it's pretty darn close. This is also incredibly impressive for 9.4%. It drinks very dense for the ABV, but drinkability is good in that you don't pick up any overt alcohol. There is a little burn from the whiskey. Fat malts (chocolate, raisins, brownie, coconut) spiked with whiskey start things off; that rolls into coffee, roast, meat, more whiskey, more malts; the finish rolls in some nice barrel character and mild whiskey burn...dry, sticky, sugary finish. One of the best barrel aged Stouts you can get.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a Decent Divine Brew, on this, which is the same score I gave the base beer. This is just a world-class barrel-aged Stout. You owe it to yourself to buy a bottle of this, especially considering how widely available and easy it is to get. As I said already, I don't know if the whiskey improves upon the base beer in any way other than adding whiskey flavor...so it really comes down to your mood. Tonight, I was craving a Bourbon/Whiskey beer. Pair this with some pecan pie, a cigar, dry chocolate cakes or desserts, creme brulee, or even a raunchy burger with some super aggressive cheese and sauce and onion rings. Mmm.

Random Thought: Drink this beer at cellar temperatures or warmer. I'm serious. This beer doesn't open up until it starts to approach room temps, and if you drink this cold you are missing out. I usually don't give this disclaimer because "to each their own," but this beer is factually better when it is warmer. If you don't believe me, read my blog. SCIENCE, BITCHES. 

B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout

Brewed By: Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron, Ohio 

Purchased: Bodacious 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Russian Imperial Stout (Oatmeal Imperial Stout), 9.4%

The Stallone of brewers!

Hoppin' Frog is a "small, hands-on brewery making very flavorful beers in the most flavorful beer styles." The brewery was founded by owner Fred Karm in 2006. The dude looks like he means serious business, and he has been brewing specialty beers since 1994. Karm came up with the concept of Hoppin' Frog, and has designed and produced 21 award winning beers at the Great American Beer Festival and World Cup. As Ali G would say: "Respect!"

I have to wonder if Karm is a fan of the Melvins. Wait, let me backtrack. Who is Boris? Boris is that big Russian dude who shows up to your party, uninvited. He's a big guy, and he's probably in the mob. He drinks all of your vodka, and doesn't clean up his shit. He is a total fucking asshole. You just want to throw the dude out, but you know he will kick your ass, and then get the mob to kill you. What a prick.

Boris is also an ambient/noise/experimental metal band that hails from Japan. And their name comes from this song by the Melvins: Boris. Boris truly is the crusher. The song Boris is maybe in my top 10 songs ever, and it's certainly in my top 5 heaviest songs ever. The song is crushingly heavy, and the inspiration for the band Boris. If you haven't been pulverized by Boris, check the song out.

Okay, okay, enough with the Boris tangents. Let's talk about the beer. Hoppin' Frog's B.O.R.I.S. actually stands for "Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout." Yup, this is a Russian Impy brewed with oats. This beer has taken home gold medals at the 2008 and 2011 GABF, and is in the top 50 Russian Imperials on Beeradvocate. The beer is described as deeply roasted and full-bodied, with a robust hop character to balance everything out. Clocking in at an impressive 9.4% ABV and packing 60 IBUs, this is a big Oatmeal Stout. So let's turn on the song Boris, and pour B.O.R.I.S. into a glass and see how it crushes.
  
I've had this beer out of the fridge now for around 50 minutes, and I'm guessing it can still warm up a bit. There was some smoke when I popped the bottle cap, something I forget to mention with many of the beers I review these days. The pour reveals a pitch-black, dark as night beer, with a pinky's worth of dark brown, coffee-colored head. The head doesn't hang around for very long, but there is a nice cauldron effect on my beer. When held to bright light, the beer is still super dark, with maybe some hints of brown. There are huge alcohol legs on this beer, and some sticky lacing when I swirl it around. 

When I popped the bottle I was greeted with an aroma of wood, brandy, and malts. This beer is super raunchy, and has a giant malt profile. You get a huge sweet oat malt on the nose, some booze, big sweet, delicate chocolate, caramel, some of that meaty Imperial Stout aroma (it reminds me of mushrooms and steak), a hint of wood and roast, and some hints towards dark fruit. There's also a touch of vanilla that is bouncing around on the aroma.

B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher

I've had this beer before, and yeah. The taste on this beer is fantastic. The palate depth on this beer is A+ stuff. The duration of this beer on your palate is incredible; I took my first sip, and some 20 seconds later I'm still experiencing waves of chocolate and roasted malt. The body of this beer is basically perfect, with that medium-full to full mouthfeel, and HUUUUUUGEEEE palate depth. It's incredible stuff.

Really, let this beer warm up. We are going on an hour here, and I still think this beer can get a bit warmer. I'm pulling out HUGE malt sweetness in this: giant pieces of chocolate, cocoa nibs, big roasted malts. There's a sweet oat note in here, along with some sweet caramel, and you pick up on some booze which adds a nice, subtle, liquor/brandy note. Big roasted malts hit on the finish, with some campfire and tasty goodness. I'm also getting some coffee in here, likely from the roasted malts. Really though, what makes this beer so incredible is the HUGE palate depth. This beer really brings the big malt flavors. (As I dig a bit further, I'm pulling out just a touch of hops, with some hints of floral/citrus bitterness, but the hops really take a back seat to the huge malts in this one).

This is incredibly smooth, fairly complex, and very drinkable for the style. At 9.4% ABV, you do get some booze in the mix. It's not overly boozy, and if you do age this beer, I'd probably see how it is holding up after 2 years or so. Again, the palate depth is huge, with each sipping occupying 10-20 seconds of flavor. This is medium-full to full, and something you want to sip on. The fullness combined with the huge palate depth give the beer some "chewiness," which is a good thing for the style. But the oats smooth things out. Up front is some roast, huge sweet malts, and then some brandy/booze...this rolls into a middle of dark fruits, sweet malts, more intense roast...the back end is roast, some campfire/smoke, and lingering blasts of chocolate and cocoa nibs. There's also some hop notes that come and go. OMG this is ammmmmaaazzzinnnng! 

Rating: Divine Brew

I'm feeling a Decent Divine Brew on this. This is really a spectacular beer, if not one of the best Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stouts I've had. This beer is amazingly smooth and drinkable, while still retaining a huge palate depth, flavor, and chewiness. The only thing that could amp up this beer would be to age it in a barrel...and it just so happens you can get this beer aged in a barrel. That's likely going to be a purchase in my near future, with the only caveat being the price (around 17-20 for a bottle). But really, this beer here was around 10 dollars for a bottle, and is totally worth it. Each sip rewards you with a long blast of intense flavors, making this the perfect beer to sip on over the course of an evening. Or during the Bears vs. the Packers, like me. I'd pair this beer with a chocolate cheese cake, or a steak with potatoes and mushroom gravy. Or a burger. If you can get this beer, check it out!!!