Blue Mountain The Dark Russian

Highlight of the trip to Massanuthin’. Draft at brewpub. Black, nitro pour. Aroma was layers of roast, chocolate, coffee, faint molasses and just a hint of dark fruit. Flavor matched, with just the faintest hint of earthy hops at the finish. This was really, really good, and I actually prefer it over the Dark Hollow. Might be the best beer going in the state right now.

On nitro tap at the brewpub on 10/04/2008. Dark black body with a large creamy light brown head. Big roast, chocolate and caramel aroma. Big roast flavor, chocolate, light caramel flavor with a substantial hop bitterness lingering behind. Medium full body with moderately low carbonation and a smooth creamy finish.

Dark Hollow before barrel aging. At brewery off nitro tap. Chocolate and roast malts dominate aroma. Black opaque with fine white creamy head. Light body and nice creamy mouthfeel. Bitterness is definitely there. Lots of roast with some chocolate and hint of smoke. Bit of alcohol too. Nice earthy hop profile. I think I like the barrel aged better since it is even more complex, but this is still really good.

served on nitro at brewery. Sadly, this was tasted last in the sampler, and as we were outdoors, it had warmed a bit too much. Still, and much to its credit, the flavors and aromas were very pleasant. Roast was not overdone, and neither was the alcohol which was a feat considering its abv. Spicy and tasty. Quite a treat, and only wished I would have sampled it at its desired temp.

Served on nitro at the brewery. Pours almost purely black, with some ruby highlights. Thick, creamy nitro-like head. Very complex aroma of molasses, soy, bitter coffee, chocolate abd brown sugar. Very rich. The taste is even richer, with huge chocolate and coffee notes, with roasted malts, caramel, brown sugar, lactose and a spicy hop finish. Smooth, full bodied and hugely drinkable for an 8.5% IRS. Yes, I like this better than the Dark Hollow. 8/4/9/4/17

Served on nitro at Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a thick, viscous dark brown appearing black in the glass. The nitro bubbles move so slowly to the top it almost appears that there is lacing in the glass behind actual beer. Kinda cool. Thick creamy brown head is appropriate for a nitro tap. Aroma is rich chocolate, light roast and some fruity notes. Taste is huge cocoa powder and chocolate, big bitter hops, coffee, tobacco and a touch of brown sugar and caramel. Full bodied, thick and yet light on the tongue. Somewhat different from the October 2008 batch, but damn good still. I can’t wait to try this after 100 days in Makers Mark barrels. 7/4/8/5/16

This is the beer that goes on to become the Dark Hollow following barreling. They held back 50 gallons back to serve this on draft at the brewery, so it’s a real treat. It had been mentioned in an earlier review of the Dark Hollow that ’if aging a beer for 100 days, it would be wise to have a decent beer to start with.’ This is it... perhaps things have improved with time, and of course, taste is subjective, but this brew certainly manages ’decent’ and more! Pitch black, and thick like motor oil. It was poured into a goblet, and while the dimple at the bottom of such glasses (where the stem meets) will often show a hint of brown through the light, this one maintains a cold darkness. Thanks to the nitro-tap, the head is particularly creamy and full - it looks heavy and lingers forever, almost as if to be standing proud. Soft, super creamy dark roast / espresso aromas. A massive roasted malt scent pairs with it. Good Lord, there are some big coffee-like flavours, with hints of baker’s chocolate. Like a strong, iced mocha, and quite nice. As it warms, the chocolate flavours become a little more apparent. There’s a hoppiness there, too, which is a nice touch - a rather big 79 IBUs - nice to see in these times! Smooth and rich. Almost no carbonation noted... just a big, soft, and creamy body. It’s almost like velvet. A little lower in alcohol than the Dark Hollow tends to be, so that is perhaps a hint towards a new trend that we will see. Still, it’s a big 8.5, so not skimpy by any means. Excellent beer.