Barley Johns The Dark Knight (Returns)

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

Very dark brown coloured. Prunes and cocos dominate this brew. Powefull chocolate finish. Bourbon flavour. Strong toffee notes. This beer is perfect in a warm winternight. I really enjoyed this amazing brew.

A deep red beer with a disappearing orange head. The aroma is primarily of chocolate, but combined with hints of wood and bourbon. The flavor is quite roasted with notes of chocolate, prunes, wood, and bourbon, leading to a dry end. The alcohol gives it a lovely burn in the end. Lovely.

Hand bottled by Footbalm from a growler. Bottle sealed with wax: Pitch black colour. Chocolate brown dense head. Chocolate, coconut, vanilla, sweetness, bourbon notes and alcohol in the aroma. Dense and full. Flavour of coconut, chocolate, light roast. Alcohol is quite evident. A surprisingly smooth mouthfeel. Is sweet and warming in the end, with a touch of sweet chocolate and bitterness. This is some brew. I’m impressed that its so good after a handbotteling and a long journey. I can imagine myself sitingt in Barley Johns Brew pub with a fresh pint of this. Thanks goes to Footbalm for sending this awesome brew.

Bottled. Very dark brown coloured. Strong aroma of coconut and bourbon. Very sweet coconut and bourbon flavour. Full bodied and very warming, but rather cloying. I am not very fond of coconuts nor bourbon.

There is no seeing through this beer. Smooth oily silky mouthfeel. Chocolaty aroma with some alcohol. Dark chocolate bitter flavor. Doesn’t seem like a porter at all. This is an imperial stout, no question.

The Lure:
Vinous vanilla and obvious, near-ostentatious barrel fumes. Grapes harboring black pepper and potent, sweet fruitiness.

The Festivities:
Bourbon alcohol pulsing through veins of vanilla and molasses. Sweet chocolate and silky black licorice submitted to salty infusions. Warming alcohol lends itself to a pleasantly easy finish.

Transcendence:
The slow caress of a velvet glove.

Very close to black, surprising initial head lasts a minute or close, light brown and persisting despite the high ABV and relative amount of time since this has been hand-bottled by footbalm. Strong overbearing sheer powerful nose. Bourbon character shines through the mellow and well stated roastiness and beefy chocolatey flavors. It creates an aftereight mint chocolate equilibrium through which vanilla and vinous peaks shine through. Very well balanced, the bourbon is just enough. I wish we had tried Alfred in the same sitting, but this would have been a bit much really. I sure did appreciate the dark chocolate and vanilla powers of this one, especially how the roastiness kicks in roaring with burnt fruit aspects (grapes). Lasting alcohol finish is not unpleasant at all. Not very thick body as seems to be the case with more barrel aged beers, but this is definitely most comfortable. If I consider the palate its only weakness, it nonetheless has an appealing softness and smooth carbonation to boot. Truly superb, one of my favorite barrel-aging jobs. Cheers to the man.

Oak, vanilla, marzipan, sherry and chocolate in the vinous, fruity and alcohol-laden aroma. Opaque black body with thin cover of brown head that recedes to ring with surprising lace considering the high octane. Chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, mint, oak and fruity flavours with a charcoal-like roastiness in the finish and strong notes of alcohol. Definite warming with medium-full body that feels very dry and somewhat thinned despite the sweetness - a trait I often notice with barrel-aged beers. Hand-bottled from a growler. Snifter, allowed to warm from fridge temp. Enjoyed with Claude, MartinT and Rastacouere.