DuClaw Oak Barrel Aged Black Jack Stout

Formerly brewed at DuClaw Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Abingdon, Maryland USA

Date: July 02, 2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party
Appearance: black, thin fine brown head
Aroma: roasted aroma with a good deal of sweet chocolate
Body: very creamy body
Flavor: nice sweet bourbon flavor mixed with the chocolate, hint of alcohol

Date: July 14, 2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Tasting
Appearance: black, small bubbly brown head
Aroma: sweet oaky aroma with just a hint of bourbon
Body: big body
Flavor: big sweet vanilla and burbon flavor, touch of roasted way in the background, some fruity character tries to break through
Overall: a year or so would do it justice

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

RBSG 07 grand tasting. A coal black pour that is topped with a dark tan head. Nose of BBarrell and light abv. The flavor is much like the nose but with a chocolate kicker. Palate is solid no fizz and not thin but just not all the way there for me. Does it have flaws yep but it is pretty damn good too.

RBSG 2007 Grand Tasting. Black with a brown head. Excellent thick brown lace. Big coffee and chocolate malts, a bit woody and burnt. Some carob notes toward the end. Another beer that certainly benefits from oak aging - much better than the standard version.

Sample from bottle - 750 I think - RBSG Minneapolis Grand Tasting, June 23 2007. Very dark, opaque purple-black with a nice dark tan lasting bit of head....lots of bourbon-vanilla in the nose, but the rough bitter chocolaty base isn’t obscured and there are some hints of citric hops.....very smooth body, luscious and caky, lightly syrupy, with muted hops in an oaky-espresso-chocolate torte infusion....dryish, somewhat underwhelming and a bit thin finish; biscuity malts seem a bit loose and dull. Still, this is a nice effort all in all.

Black with a brown head. Chocolate, roasted malts, a bit of bitterness all tied up in the aroma. Chocolate malts with roast and coffee-like bitterness. Oaky and burnt overall.

(Bottle) Pours a black body with a small brown head. Aroma of chocolate, roastiness, oak, and vanilla. Flavor of cocoa, roasted malt, and bourbon.

RBSG 07 Big head and french vanilla nose, taste like yogurt covered raisins, some warming, alcohol in the finish. Nice drink.

Big bottle--popped nicely. Good solid vanilla aroma, with a big head. It goes down soft, fluffy, almost too soft. Rounded Impy flavors (everything you’d expected) and I wouldn’t say it is one dimension, but it somehow didn’t seem multi-dimensional to me either.