Blue Mountain Dark Hollow Artisanal Ale

Brewed by Blue Mountain Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Afton, Virginia USA

Bottle courtesy of Retorp. Pours a dark brown cola color with thin tan head with reasonable glass lacing. Aroma is rich and malty with notes of barley, wood, vanilla, maple syrup, caramel, some hints of toffee and dark ripe fruits. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of vanilla, caramel, toffee, ripe dark fruit, maple syrup, brown sugar and just a hint of coffee and dark chocolate. Generally medium to full body with a pleasing malty finish with notes of warming phenol.

Bottle courtesy of Retorp. Pours black with a small tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of chocolate, caramel, dark fruit, roasted malt, and yeast. Taste is chocolate, dark fruit, caramel, roasted malt, and a hint of oak. Medium mouthfeel with a mild to moderate amount of bitterness and smooth alcohol. Very good.

Sample courtesy of Sparky27 at the hellbilly holiday tasting. Deep black body with a tight foamy tan head. Aroma is big on the bourbon barrels and dark roasty malt and chocolate. Flavor is deep roasted malt and grain, coffee and bourbon. Creamy and smooth on the palate. A great brew from a new state, it doesnt get much better than that! Thanks Eric.

Bottle of batch 3 courtesy of Alraomon and shared at hellbilly*s holiday tasting. Pours a pitch black with a tan head. Nose is bourbon, vanilla, oak and cocoa. Taste is burnt malt, toasted chocolate beans, ashy cocoa and irish coffee in the finish. Medium creamy mouth feel. Very good. Thanks Sean!

Courtesy of dkachur via trade

Bottle: (Batch 1) The aroma has lots of vanilla, bourbon, and light chocolate. It pours a dark brown with no transparency and a small beige head. The flavor starts with chocolate and caramel with a big vanilla finish and moderate bourbon. The bourbon flavor is very noticeable, but I wouldn’t call it hot overall. Instead it’s very smooth. It’s medium bodied with a soft mouthfeel.

review written from batch #2. Batch #3 would result in a slight increase in flavour, so I will balance it out between them: A jet black, as it should be... no light penetrating this beast. A nice, tan head, sticky & long lasting retention. Chocolate, oakiness, nice toasted malts, and a bit of an espresso note in there. Smoky, oak, some spiciness, and milder chocolate flavours. Any bourbon flavours in the mix are blended into the mix, and don’t hugely stand out. Some burnt grains come through on the finish. The feel is maybe a bit thin, but it has a nice warming on the finish, about half way down the throat onwards. A little more of a creamy body would have been appreciated, and I think it would have complimented the flavours well, but it makes it an easy drinker. All in all, another good one from Blue Mountain.

750 ml bottle courtesy of dakchur. Pours an opaque black color with a small tan head. The aroma is strong with bourbon, dark fruits and a touch of coffee. The taste is dominated by the whiskey, supporting flavors are complex with coffee, plums, dates, spices and black walnuts. The mouthfeel is smooth, full and satisfying. The finish is medium in duration with lingering bourbon. Overall: This brew really hit the spot, it is rich and inviting. Thanks Dan.

Sample at the Day Before Labor Day party. This beer is nearly black with a medium light brown head that dissipates steadily. Small patches of lacing on the glass. Aroma of bourbon, charred malt and dark chocolate. Full-bodied with a rich bourbon and oak character, and flavors of chocolate malt, yeast and spices. The finish is chocolatey with some spiced alcohol left behind. Good all around.