Barley Johns The Dark Knight (Returns)

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

Superb barrel aged beer, not too overwhelming by any means. Very dark black pour, with alcohol absorbing most to the nose, with hints of the bourbon, chocoalte, some vanilla, tiny amounts of fruits. Very roasty keeps you warmed up for sure. Quite mellow. Big thanks to Footbalm for this rarity.

bottled by footbalm. delicate aroma of a chocolate raspberry truffle with a bourbon center. plenty of alcohol edge which detracts ever-so-slightly, but this beer is a monster. it even smells like 12%. quite malty, like a regular porter with a half-shot of jim beam or hennessy. tart cherries and more raspberries, with a powerful alcohol presence. long sticky finish from the alcohol that leaves legs on the glass. awesome beer. it gets smoother with less of an alcohol bite as it warms. drink this slowly, let it work up to room temperature. more chocolate and fragile fruits show up later. it’s a porter on steroids.

Hand Bottled from Minn/St. Paul
Dated 11/11/2004
Aroma: carmel malts, some acetone, roasted malts, thick sweetness, bourbon, cherries and alcohol scents
Appearance: very dark, near black, tan head, lacing
Flavor: very sweet, dark fruits--like cherries, roasted malts, some alcohol, some bourbon--especially at the back of the throat
Palate: sweet and thick, very smooth, nice burnt malt/roasted coffee bean aftertaste mixed with some bananas
Overall: excellent...thanks footbalm!

Bottled from growler: pours black with little head. Very rich aroma of walnuts, cherries, alcohol. Flavor is very full with lots of fruit and alcohol, chocolate, nuts, bourbon. Potent!

Very alcoholic aroma, but a rich raspberry chocolate flavor, some caramel as well. Dark brown color.

This sample was bottled off of a growler. Potent aroma, very fruity, lots of higher alcohols, rich chocolate. Intense flavor, very sweet, caramel and chocolate, lots of alcohol. Full bodied and syrupy, warming. Very nice. Thanks to Silphium!

(Dark Knight) First of all, HUGE props go out to Footbalm for getting me this beer. Tasted side by side with its non-aged brother, Alfred’s Porter. 12oz hand bottled bottle. 54.6°. NB worthy glass. Poured a dark, dark black color with no head to speak of except for some bubbles and a slight khaki-colored haze. Upon swirling, I find it coats the glass. You can smell the bourbon barrel on the nose. Along with the dark malt, you pick up the wood with its vanilla and woodsy flavors with some sourish notes early on. Flavor is overly influenced by the barrel. The flavor is very woodsy, with an abundance of oakish tannins. Sourish dark malt comes through at first; then the hops impart their flavor, giving a spicy feel. The finish is more of the same barrel flavors, the wood and to a lesser extent, vanilla, with some hops coming through and fading into roasty barrel flavors. The barrel flavors, in this beer, overwhelm its great flavor. Nice mouthfeel. The Alfred’s Porters was much more complex and was a clear favorite. I finished the last few sips @ 63°; it had a huge alcoholic burn.

Bottle: Great aroma. Malt, wine, vanilla, and oatmeal cookie. Pours a dark brown, virtually black, with almost no head (just tiny bubbles around the edges). Lightly sweet up front. Lots of chocolate in the middle. Light coffee in the finish that lingers into the aftertaste. Wine makes it’s presence in the middle, but really fades in the finish. There’s a light alcohol burn in the finish. Thanks to Styles for sharing this great brew. Excellent!!