Barley Johns The Dark Knight (Returns)

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

On tap at Barley John’s. Black with small, dark caramel head. Aroma of molasses and alcohol. Surprisingly bright flavor, burnt espresso malts with dark, overripe fruit sweetness, but with a effervescence that shoots straight up your nose. A bit of sour follows, and finally a lingering cough syrup flavor partly covering up a nice bitter and pronounced alcohol warmth. Very good with enough surprising elements that I need to try again.

A definate liquid kick in the nuts. When handed a $6.50 mini 5 oz. glass, one would normally think it was April Fools Day. Nope, just the Dark Knight Returns at Barley John’s Brew Pub. Black pour with quickly diminishing head. Nose like you dropped a shot of whiskey into a dark, subtle beer. mouthfeel is like your rinsing with chocolate-flavored rubbing alcohol. And that’s not a bad thing. Taste is heavy alcohol cut with any dark beer. The beer flavor lingers like a blown kiss on a windy day. A good beer, but the 5 oz. is enough. No wonder the growlers cost $70.

TAP: at Barley John’s, 3.6.09. Nice dark pour, with bourbon, vanilla, and some esters on the nose. Taste is complex - dark fruit, sweet, boozy, and plenty of sweet chocolate. Very good.

(Hand bottled from OSLO and Guerde thanks a bunch!) Pours opaque black with some dark brown bubbles on top. The aroma is extremely fat, a wall of boozy bourbon greets your nose with tones of vanilla and intense fresh wood alongside smaller notes of creamy cocoa nut. Underneath there is medium roasted chocolaty, espresso-like malt, rum raisins, arrack, prunes, sal ammoniac, salty soy and hints of vinous dark fruits. The alcohol is almost a bit minty in the nose. The flavour is medium to sweet and light to medium bitter with complex tones of oak/bourbon/fresh wood/vanilla beans, molasses, creamy dark chocolate, toffee, rum raisins, arrack and light notes of coffee beans. Bit vinous with notes of red wine, plums, blue grapes and black berries. A good alcohol warmth Strange hints of sugar peas. The mouthfeel is fat, oily, quite silky, only light sticky and light carbonated. Aftertaste of bourbon wood and dark malty notes like dark bread and chocolate. Near full bodied. The flavour is balanced and complex but the bourbon notes in the aroma is almost over the edge - still a fantastic beer.

Winterfest 2009. Pours a deep dark brown with minimal carbonation. The nose was a strong bourbon & toasted malts. It comes across the palate with toasty malts, a little smoke and mild bourbon and vanilla. A very good beer.

Enjoyed at Winterfest 2009. Dark black/brown pour with minimal carbonation. Aroma was very bourbon and boozy. Flavor was of toasty malts, a little smoke and weak bourbon and vanilla. A very good beer, but not worth the hype around it.

Bottle shared with Sparky27...never thought I’d get a chance to try this...THANKS ERIC!!! This one packs a Mike Tyson-like uppercut...will knock you on your ass if you aren’t paying attention!!! Not a sliver of light is able to escape this black-hole colored beer. A diminutive burnt caramel head builds but quickly recedes. Aroma is brown sugar, heavy bourbon, dark fruit, molasses and vanilla. Heavily charred oak, bitter chocolate, and aggressive bourbon flavor. Warms the belly and numbs the mind. A truly great beer.

#900! Hand bottle courtesy of Guerde – thank you Andy! Pours a pitch black with a minimal tan head. The nose is dark fruits, bourbon and strong barrel tannins. The taste is spiked plums, oak, roasted barley, vanilla, and booze. Very warming. Medium mouth feel. Great impy porter – thanks again Andy!