Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged

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

Pour is black with a thin tan head...smell is roasty and sweet, but nothing too interesting or amazing about it...smells like most generic impy stouts...taste is weak...slightly sweet and roasty, but nothing really interesting either...the base beer for this is not good either, so how on earth some time in a barrel will improve it is beyond me.

22 oz bottle into a Snifter glass thanks to BENJAMIN THE NEB! Pours a thick and dark black with a tint of amber to it. A very small and thin tannish red head sits atop the beer but only at the rims of the glass. The aroma is HUGE in bourbon, oak, and vanilla tones. Some semi-bitter chocolate also comes through a bit. The flavor is absolutely enormous in vanilla, oaks, bourbon, hints of chocolate, tiny hints of coffee, alcohol, and heavy malts. The alcohol; is definitely very present, but not overpowering at the same time. The bourbon and alcohol tones linger in the mouth for quite a bit. This brew is, as I said, HUGE!!! Quite the Imperial Stout. The is by far Full Sail’s best brew. Thanks again to NEB!

Bottle... This beer rocks!... Just when I thought I was completely "bourbon-barrel-imperial-stouted-out," this stuff comes along and blows me away! Pours pitch black with a small, creamy, beige head. Excellent retention. The aroma is a whirlpool of chocolate, sour mash, vanilla and oak which creates a wonderful coconut-like fragrance. Each sip offers deep, complex flavors of vanilla, caramel, bourbon and milk chocolate with an undercurrent of all things burnt, bitter and tangy. Alcohol is evident, but not overpowering. Full-bodied and chewy with lively carbonation. Another world class effort from the folks at Full Sail! Thanks go out to CaptainCougar for the bottle!

Bottle at RBSG 2006. Black bodied. Woody nose with vanilla, molasses, dark chocolate and roasty malts. Taste is bourbonny with charred wood, vanilla, molasses, sweet chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. Body is full and has a moderate carbonation. Finishes with more roasted malts and bourbon notes along with wood, molasses, dark chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. NICE!

RBSG 06 - Dense black, thick tan creamy head. Rich nose of toasted toasted coconut, milk chocolate, bourbon, coffee, and vanilla. Alcohol heat slowly settles into more chocolate, toast, coffee, vanilla, and bourbon. Faint tones of coconut linger. A decent hop bitterness pulls it all together late. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, chocolate bourbon finish. TGreat use of the barrel here....

RBSG 2006 – Grand Tasting. Deep ferruginous brown body with a small, oily, light brown head. Aroma is of rich molasses, caramel, and light peat smoke. Flavor has elements of bourbon and prominent roast. Comes across like a really nice meat marinade. A well-synthesized bourbon stout overall and a marked improvement on the non-bourbon-aged version.

22 oz bottle, Portland International Beer Festival. Pours dark brown, almost black, good latte colored head. Not thick like motor oil, but an easier pour that simply explodes with smells. The burbon is very upfront and almost overpowering, but subsides to reveal chocolate/coffee and hops as well. The burbon also plays a strong hand in the taste, but just as in the nose opens up to reveal layers of flavor. Great brew, even on a warm summer day.

RBSG 06. Slight head formation. Bourbon makes a strong appearance in the nose. Well-hopped, with hop character dominating the malt; crisp on the tongue. Dark chocolate in the follow-through.