Barley Johns The Dark Knight (Returns)

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

Small sample at the pub. Very complex aroma, chocolate and caramel stand out. Bourbon flavor was there, and blended well with the others. Very good.

many thanks to Footbalm for bottling this up, poured a jet black color with a thin, but solid coffee colored head, which was a bit surprising for something so dark and barrel aged, imo.the aroma was magnificent, chocolate, bourbon, coffee, vanilla, and burnt malts were abounding. the flavor was just as well rounded and smooth, the bourbon was a background element, not a dominating one, which to me, is a very large bonus. the aftertaste was sweet, the chocolate and vanilla tones holding on from a very thick bodied brew. possibly the best porter ever.

Tap at brewpub. Nose-maple syrup, butter. Dark body with a thin wispy ring of bubbles. Taste-butter cream, milk chocolate, dry bakers chocolate, baklava, sweet cola, malt powder, perfect alcoho9l, watered down bourbon. Excellent in every way. Big with out being TOO big.

Bottle from EDA at the Jimmack "06. This was a small sample , and I wish I had more. The pour was dark, small dark head. The nose had lots of complexity, but licorice stood out. There was also wood, and vanilla, roasted chocolate, and I believe heaven as well. The taste, well all the taste from the nose rushed over my tongue. The bourbon was ever present, but kind of like cloudy on a bright sunny day. There bit complementary. The alcohol was also in the after taste and plenty of warming. Oh, to try a bigger sample, and to try this again. Loved this. It was way beyond the hype.

(11.2 oz bottle filled from growler: Obtained 17-Jun-05 in trade with footbalm, thanks Eric!) Been in my fridge since I got this 9 months ago. I opened this bottle thinking it was "just a porter". But pouring the beer into my tulip glass and taking one short sniff and I know just how mistaken I am. The aromas of bourbon, very sweet dark malts, sweet molasses, some earth and gentle roast are intoxicating. But with as sweet as the nose was, it still didn’t prepare me for how sweet the flavor is. Don’t get me wrong, I love sweet, dark beers, but this is enormously sweet and almost too much for me. Bourbon is also very prominent, which is fine with me, but the alcohol is a bit hot for my tastes and needs to be scaled back a notch or two. Real nice chocolate flavor in the finish after the bourbon and alcohol fade off the palate. Full bodied and lightly carbonated, but the hotness on the palate is a bit unpleasant. Carbonation is mild overall, but being a hand-bottled from a growler, carbonation is more than sufficient; the heavy wax dipping I’m sure had a positive effect on carbonation retention. Medium-dark brown, opaque only through the center of the glass. Almost no head, only a few pour bubbles that soon dissipate, but it’s a nine-month old, hand bottled, high-octane beer from a growler, so what do you expect? Overall, very bourbony, too alcoholic, shockingly sweet, so could probably use a bit of restraint. I wonder, too, if the aging has diminished the hotness at all? And with this being the second use of the barrel, I can’t imagine how bourbony and alcoholic this beer must have seemed on the first batch. Nevertheless, despite the excesses, it’s still damn tasty and enjoyable.

How have I notrated this beer yet!? This is the original dark night I had. Quite dark that poured with some lumpyness of chocolate. Well developed head that looks oh-so-nice. Mostly roast and chocolate on the nose. Fantastic taste dominated with caramel, and bourbon flavours. The bourbon was a bit overbearing, but I’m not really a huge bourbon fan either. Some coffee flavours that have a hint of tobacco. Probably the best porter I’ve had, and most certianly complex with lots of big flavours. I’ll dock the flavour a point for the bourbon that I’d prefer not to have so evident. Maybe the ’Returns’ version will change my mind.

Wow, thanks a lot for sharing this hand bottled beer, Duane. I realize it took hand bottling and some trading to get this one. The body is black with no light showing. I couldn’t get any traces of light in my glass. The aroma was roasted caramel and dark chocolate. There is also amaretto and vanilla. The taste was high quality tobacco with sweet caramel and roasted hazelnuts. The medium body was complemented well with the soft mouthfeel. Nicely made.

now this is my kind of beer!!!
Huge props to OhioDad for sending this special bottle my way in a recent trade. the aroma was like being in heaven, chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, oak and some licorice. color was just as blaclk as knight with a hint of a ruby edge. full-bodied, buttery on the tongue and slightly sticky on the lips. flavors were just a perfect blend of the previously mentioned bourbon, vanilla, oak, licorice, chocolate with additional flavors of some coffee and black cheeries. without a doubt, one of the all time best ever, thanks Scott!