Great Lakes Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Cleveland, Ohio USA

22oz Bomber. Body is blacker than burnt cornuts. The barrel aging did wonders for this beer. I tried the regular blackout also, and this one blows it away. The oak aging hides the alcohol taste to it making the beer more drinkable. The oak also mellows the coffee and chocolate dominance. This is a much better beer with the oak. I will rerate this beer since I thoroughly enjoyed it.

June 2007 - Thanks to eaglefan538 for sharing. Dark pour, almost black with thin head and little lacing. Strong aroma of bourbon and oak. Yet another "barrel aged" beer dominated by bourbon and oak flavors. Really sweet and hot from alcohol. I can’t say that I’m dying to have this again.

Winter Warmer Festival: I was fortunate enough to be able to get a couple samples from the tap before the keg had emptied, no time like the present I suppose. I love the regular Blackout Stout, and with some recent samples of other beers aged in barrels I was curious to see how this already great imperial would be altered. Virtually black in color, it poured thick from the tap producing a diminishing dark brown head with minor spots of lacing around the glass. An aroma of blended dark malts and alcohol was produced, lightly smoked with a dark fruity port scent. Initially creamy, filling and velvety soft. Not much trace of the strong alcohol content, it’s a mellow sipper. Burnt, overly toasted rich malts are followed by a subtle and quick hit of flowery hops. Plums and figs, peaty with a good smoke aftertaste. This is creamy and delicious, seems a touch more mellow than the original.

Thanks to brent for sending bottle number 457 outof 900, cheers man. It poured a dark black color witha thin head and little to no laceing along the sides of the glass. The smell had a lot os spice mainly star anise with roasted chocolate and coffee malt. You could also detect the presence of booze as it vaporized rather quickly. The flavor was full bodied and had a nice creamy bitterness in the begining. The chocolate and roasted coffee lasted for quite sometime on the sid walls of my mouth, long after i had drank the beer which was very pleasing.

Courtesy of emerica56 & drink4satan, bottle #457/900, 2006 bomber. Poured an opaque dark brown color with a small off white creamy head. Nose of chocolate liquor, vanilla, brown sugar and alcohol as background character. Initial taste is a medium body that smoothly coats the mouth with chocolate and hints of sour lactic similar to hershey’s. Mid palate of vanilla which is vibrant with liqourish, caramel and roasty smokiness. Finishing with chocolate and warming alcohol presence. Palate duration is excellent with good head retention and some lacing of the glass. Awesome.

#200. Courtesy mgumby10, thanks Mike. The body pours a viscous pitch color with a thin bubbly tan head that dots the glass with lacing. The aroma is full on chocolate, bourbon, caramel malts, and some dark fruits. I get some oak and vanilla in there as well. The flavor is much the same with the boubon and chocolate flavors being dominant along with some oak, vanilla, alcohol warmth, and roasted characters that shows this beer’s depth of flavors. I love how the boubon blends in perfectly without dominating the other flavors. The mouthfeel is medium-full and very smooth. It goes down easy with a nice warming feeling from the bourbon and big roasty flavors. Just an awesome beer all around. I woud love to try this one and the regular blackout side by side.

Shared with emerica56 and Alldaydrinker. 2006 vintage bottle # 457/900. This is a near perfect, well-balanced, easy-drinking Imperial stout! The nose is heavily wooden, with bright notes of vanilla and mild smoke above a nougaty, milk chocolate aroma. The flavour is even better, with notes of star anise, caramel, chocolate, vanilla and smoke with a nice amount if hop bitterness in the finish. The barrel flavour really comes through in this brew. The palate duration is legnthy, coating the tongue and gums. The mouthfeel is all you ask for in an imperial, being that it’s silky smooth and full bodied with ample, yet gentle carbonation.

2006 vintage # 563/900 with a huge thanks to holdenn. Pours opaque brown, nearly black with a nice, thick, reddish khaki head. Aroma of milk and slightly bitter chocolate, tart grape skin, wet leather, wood, vanilla, and alcohol. Flavor has a surprising strong note of alcohol. Along with that there’s plenty of chocolate (cocoa), roasted malt, dry wood and vanilla. Medium to full bodied. There’s a lingering fusel alcohol presence throughout the beer that distracts from the overall flavor and aroma. Personally, I liked the non BA version of this beer better. A little thicker on the tongue and tone down the alcohol notes would do wonders for the beer.