Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged

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

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...

I asked the guy at Bottleworks, "what do you got that will change my life?" Without hesitation he pointed to the Black Gold. "This." he said, with ultimate conviction. If anything, it was an understatement. Simply the finest beer I’ve ever enjoyed. A few months after this was released, asking any serious beer seller if they had any stock would get you laughed at openly. I hear they have brewed it again for this coming winter, but it would be shocking if they manage to replicate this one. I have to give props to Full Sail, which used to be a fairly mediocre brewery but has put out some very solid beers of late.

Black, as one might expect. Aroma is Bourbon and vanilla with notes of chocolate, but also a touch of cinnamon and coconut. The Bride suggested that there is something like Girl Scout Cookies - Samoas, to be precise - and whiskey. Mmmm, Girl Scouts and whiskey... oh, never mind. At any rate, the flavor contiunes to have a few surprises as it warms, with fruity notes like cherry and prune emerging. The finish is oddly dry, and a vaguely herbal character emerges, as well. Tasty stuff.

bottle received perhaps a year ago, from Larry Pitonka (i think?) this is the second of 2 bottles sent my way and it pours out an ever-so-barely un-opaque black, with plenty of oak and vanilla bourbon tones. low carbonation and a small ring of brown foam on top of the liquid - as a result, it has a very viscous mouthfeel despite some apparent alcohol. lots of malt and sweetness, with less roast and bitterness than i would expect. enjoyable as another occasional treat, but too much bourbon and not enough beer.

22oz bottle purchased in Spokane, WA. Pours a dark black with some red tinged highlights around the edges, and a one finger head. The foam fades very slowly to a thin cap that leaves behind a very nice webbing of lace. Smell; the bourbon is very evident at first, but when this starts to warm a bit the oak and vanilla aromas emerge. There’s some dark roasted malt aromas, as well as some chocolate floating around underneath the bourbon and oak. Taste; as with the smell the bourbon is the first noticeable flavor followed by the oak barrel and vanilla, but there’s also some faint hints of coconut in there. The roasted malts are present, but they take a backseat to the bourbon and oak, with a bit of chocolate and a touch of sourness in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and quite a bit thinner than I would have expected for a big Imperial Stout, but the drinkability is really damn good, especialy since the alcohol is barely detectable at all.

22oz bottle, thanks to indiana red for this bottle! pours pitch black with small off-white head. the bourbon in the nose is very lovely but the stout flavors seem overwhelmed and mainly a nice chocolate comes through, but that bourbon and choclate is really nice. flavor has nice bourbon, vanilla, toffee, chocolate, coffee, and coconut. really great flavors. the mouthfeel is a tad thin and alcohol is pretty warming with slight burn on the way down. the barrel aging is over done and this is clearly an average impy stout that’s relies on the barrel for depth and complexity, but dag yo, this is tasty.

Not sure when I had this; I think I got the bottle 2/2006, sampled 2/2007. Mostly dark pour, creamy lasting tan head. Bourbony roast stout aroma. The stout part seems a little uncomplex and uninteresting. But its okay nonetheless. Some light fruit in the nose. Stoutish bourbon, charred chocolate, nice sweet component that keeps the aggressive bourbon at bay. Quite similar to the GI BCS but not as hot or thick. Keeps it real. This is a really good sipping bourbon IS. Its not overly interesting, but it keeps it real.