Barley Johns The Dark Knight (Returns)

Brewed by Barley Johns Brew Pub
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
New Brighton, Minnesota USA

A bit flat and a hint of maderisation, probably from the hand bottling and subsequent travel, but the character of the beer still shows through. Aroma is a nice whiskey/Kahlua blend. Flavor is a pure blast of chocolate. Walleye nailed the plums in the background, they are quite distinct. Very nice overall

Thanks goes to hellomynameis for this hand bottled bomber. poured used motor oil black with a dark brown head. aroma bourbon, chocolate, , plums, coffee, brown sugar as it warms. flavor every thing the aroma has but multiplied by 5. this is one of the better bba that I have had the bourbon wasn’t over whelming thank you big time Zac

Hand-bottle 12oz from Stine. Interesting that I’m having a much larger sample than probably most people, who were forced into 5oz. This is one hell of a beer. A total monster, that’s for sure. Intense vanilla bourbon aroma. Roasty, boozy, wet, and just massive. Flavor has that and more, with a brilliant chocolate sweetness, fruitiness, and delicate oak notes adding a huge complexity. Though it’s clear this beer is huge, it in now way seems to hit 13%, at least in direct alcohol taste. Even 12oz isn’t enough for this beer. This shit is amazing!

growler which held up very nicely for a couple weeks.....poured with a medium thickness. black as night with the thinnist of thin tannish head. looks very nice.....aroma: holy bourbon batman! dark fruit, alcohol, vanilla, molasses and a good kick of bourbon......taste: ain’t for the faint hearted that’s for sure. sweet chocolate and bourbon mostly. toffee and an ever so slight bitter and warming finish play a back-up role. very chewy. this is an in your face brew which has some resemblance to GI’s BCS. Is this really categorized as a porter?! Best porter I’ve had to date then.

Handbottle, courtesy of hellomynameis (HUGE THANKS!), pours black with a fizzy dark tan head that quickly dissipates to a thin ring, no lacing. Amazingly diverse aroma of brown sugar, vanilla, chocolate, dark fruits, molasses, bourbon, espresso, oak, and on and on. Flavor follows the aroma nicely with much coming along from the aroma, a nice warming alcohol,. and just a touch of sweetness. The bourbon notes compliment everything very nicely. Palate is full, smooth and creamy, with little carbonation. Wow, this stuff is amazing, and a porter like no other! Thanks again Zac for sharing this special treat.

Tap at the brewpub. Thick, oily black with not much of a head. The nose is the only thing that lacks in this beer. It could stand to be more pronounced. It’s quite viscous on the palate. An absolute explosion of flavor: coffee, malt, toffee, oak, bourbon... wow. This is some truly complex stuff. Unlike any porter I’ve ever encountered. More along the lines of an imperial stout. The bourbon flavor was very pronounced... almost too much. Original rating 6/14/2007

Re-rate 10/12/2007 Whoa! This one has changed quite a bit, Sticky malt with LOADS of bourbon alcohol on the nose. Lacking the coffee and vanilla of a few months ago. Still pours a viscous, oily black with brown sticky legs. The bourbon on the palate is quite pronounced now as well. Even more than a few months ago. This is still a well crafted beer, but... for gods sake, lay off the bourbon.

On tap at the Barley Johns brewpub. Pours an opaque dark brown body brew with a small dark tan head that disolves quickly. Aroma of roasted chocolate, raisins, dark pitted fruits and some sour coffee. Taste is thick and chewy with very low carbination. The finish is where I detected more of the bourbon barrel aging. Finish is high alcohol, with a lingering sweet bourbon aftertaste.

Poured from a growler of the 2007 Dark Knight. Dark inky reddish black color with a short brownish tan head. The aroma is complex and multi-layered. I first sense a pronounced bourbon barrel aroma with a jolt of alcohol very much like a fine small batch Kentucky bourbon. There are also aromas of vanilla, dark chocolate caramel, molasses, and sweet malt. The flavor explodes in the mouth with notes of alcoholic bourbon, sweet caramel malt, chocolate, and a slightly bitter coffee finish that balances nicely with the sweetness. It is rather light on the palate with pronounced alcohol, which is not a problem for me as it adds to the bourbon feel. I do however wish the alcohol were a bit more concealed on the finish. Overall this is a truly fine porter - probably the best I have had to date. Definetly worth the effort to acquire, especially for those into barrel aged beers... Highly recommended!