Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged

Brewed by Full Sail Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Hood River, Oregon USA

Heavy brown pour with quick tan head, lays still. Beautiful dark body. BIG bourbon on the nose, which does translate. Reminds of Older Viscosity and Bourbon County in terms of the whiskey up front, and I almost feel I can name which barrel it came from. Velvety, pretty good weight, with chocolate and smoky (pipe/cigar) notes. Lots of bourbon and booze throughout, maybe some orange zest, and ends a bit sour (grapes) and dry (dunkel).

22oz bomber, 2009 vintage, courtesy of Wetpaperbag poured into a tulip. Pours dark brown out of the bottle and sits almost completely black in the glass though there is a bit of light showing through the edges. There is a small creamy mocha head that recedes to a collar fairly quickly. The aroma is straight bourbon barrel with a little bit of vanilla coming through. The underlying stout is pretty tough to make out and there are some dark roasted malts in the nose but not much else. I imagine this is what the inside of a bourbon barrel would smell like. The taste is slightly better with the sweetness of the vanilla coming out more and the bourbon backing down a little. The dark chocolate and roasted malts are more evident as well. The finish is interesting as there seems to be a slightly smoky character to it. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and very slick, almost thin, with a very soft carbonation. This is a decent beer, but the bourbon barrel is too dominant for my tastes. Or maybe the underlying beer isn’t big enough to shine through. Either way, if you like big bourbon and wood character in your stouts, this one’s for you.

Bottle 65cl. @ LCRBM09 - Low Countries RateBeer Meeting V, Kulminator, Antwerpen, Belgium.
Clear medium to dark brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, caramel, chocolate, alcohol. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and heavy bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20090905]

Finally get to try this...thanks for the 22 oz. bottle Scrizzz. Beer was very viscous while pouring. Not much head at all, but an off-white head sits on top for a few seconds before fading away. Wow, the aroma has one of the strongest, if not the strongest, aroma of bourbon I have ever smelled. Bourbon is so powerful, nothing else really comes through. Wished more of the imperial stout aromas came through, but I am not going to complain about a strong bourbon aroma. Wow, a lovely and creamy bourbon flavor. Again, the bourbon is exceedingly powerful in this beer. Touches of vanilla are everywhere, but this is to be expected with bourbon. A nice novelty bourbon beer. If I want a nice bourbon beer this is the one to have! Awesome bourbon beer.

Sample at GABF 2009. Pours a jet black color with tan head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, light wood, hints of toffee, ripe dark fruit, just a little smoke. Flavor is about the same. Medium to full body with a light bourbon malt finish.

A Mes rate. Bottle at LCRBM #5.
Very dark brown with an excellent beige head. Big barrelly coconut and vanilla. A huge slew of roasted malt, some nutty accents and the obvious chocolate and coffee. Just a little too much bourbon for me to really get excited but it’s certainly a bloody good beer.

Pours dark, inky in the glass, with a thin tan head, fine lacing. Aroma of bourbon, oak, molasses and chocolate. Medium-full body, smooth, and creamy. Flavors of mocha and strong vanilla, with some bourbon, oak and fruit undertones. Warming, with a lightly dry finish. Surprisingly drinkable.

Pours pitch black and completely opaque even when held to a light source and a two finger creamy dark beige head. Very good retention, slowly fading into a lasting ring and cap. Very oaky bourbon aroma with a lot of roasted chocolate malts. Hints of toffee, roasted coffee bean, toast, licorice, alcohol, dark chocolate, lactic cream and lots of bourbon. Also, a good bit of vanilla from the oak. Chewy viscous mouthfeel with a prominent bourbon alcohol heat up front that is quickly countered by a deep roasted chocolate maltiness. Hints of silky dark chocolate, roasted coffee, toffee, slight lactic cream, licorice, burnt toast, and some earthy oak notes with a good bit of vanilla. Alcohol warmth and bitter hops in the finish. The bourbon is very prominent but doesn’t overpower the other flavors, allowing the complexity of the roasted maltiness to shine through. Delicious and very quaffable. Highly recommended!