Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged

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

It’s not really quite as good as my ndividual rating numbers would suggest, but it’s great. Black pour with a huge tan head. Nose of chocolate and hops and malts and alcohol. Taste of chocolate and malts and sweet dried fruit and bourbon and bitter espresso and hops with a huge finish. Big in the mouth. Not quite the sum of its individual parts but just great.

Reminded me of GL BA Blackout stout. It had a olive taste to it, salty and strange. It was pretty good though. A bit of chocolate in there for sure as well as a bit of alcohol.

Wow, very strong stout. Almost wouldn’t call it a beer, but a light bourbon! Pours dense pitch brown black. Very noticable alchohol in the nose and flavor. What else? Tons of roasted malts, oak notes, chocolate coffee. Just very strong alchohol bite to it. If they toned that down a bit, this would be quite an amazing brew. Not that’s its not already. :)

RBSG 2007: Bottle thanks to Jordan: Poured dark brown to black with a tan head. Aroma, oaky bourbon, some chocolate and a little touch of spice to it. Flavor, bourbon, chocolate, coffee, still some heat to it.

RBSG07. From 75 cL bottle. Pours black with a brown head. Aroma of oak barrels and toffee malts. Flavour is clearly barrel aged bourbon with a note of liqourice. Finish is coffee and liqourice in a dry blend.

[291-20070503] 1ptfloz (2006, c/o jerc, w/ him, blankboy, GregClow, mds). Sweet maple strawberry licorice, overpowering aroma. Dark black brown body with a brown bubbly head. Flavour is vanilla soda bourbon barrel, overly boozy, overly sweet. Rough full body. Disappointingly Not impressive with its overly sweet alcohol.

Draught at FredFest2007: Oh man. This beer just keeps getting better.

Pitch black body with a thin brown head that resembles the crema floating on top of a nicely pulled shot of espresso. The bourbon flavor seems to have settled nicely into the background and has been supplanted by more vanilla notes and a hint of coconut. Silky smooth finish leaves a trail of delectable wood, bourbon, cocoa, and vanilla down the throat.

They’re getting harder and harder to find, but if you can convince someone to part with one of these you’ll be in for one helluva ride.

Bottle (2006) cellared one year: Dark Brown pour with a big, creamy tan head and spotty lacing. Nose is sweet and rich with vanilla, maple, bourbon, and oak. The taste is rich and complex with the chocolate coming through, bourbon, roasted malt, and a hint of almond extract. Creamy mouthful and warming finish. Re-rate: 2006 bottle at 3 years cellared. Most of the complixity seemed muted and the bourbon really took over... still has some vanilla, but all of the sweetness is missing. Re-rate: 2008 bottle at 1 year cellaring. Lots of bourbon and woody notes, some roast. I do pick up the charred elements more this time. Vanilla is present and a light bittersweet chocolate feel. Starting to think that 1-2 years cellar time is ideal...