Great Lakes Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout

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

BOTTLE FROM MIKETD. A LITTLE LIGHTER THAN I HAD HOPED, BUT GREAT NONETHELESS. NICE BALANCE OF FLAVORS.

Wow. Easily one of the best beers I have tried. You can certainly tell this beer was aged in Jim Beam Barrels. Here in Cleveland they do a Jim Beam tasting along with beer tasting with this special release. Strong bourbon and toasted coffee aroma. Pours black with nice head retention. Bourbon flavors abound a light mouthfeel followed by dark chocolate/coffee like flavors. Beautiful long finish.

Rating #400. 2007 bomber with no bottle number. Pours dark brown, still pretty light in terms of imperial stouts. No discernable difference in appearance from the non-barrel aged version. A small off white head forms but quickly fades into a ring. Aroma is bourbon up front. Very noticeable but not overwhelming and not in any way unpleasant. I am not even a big fan of bourbon but the whiskey component is so well integrated that I can’t help but enjoy this. Other stout characteristics are around too, heavy chocolate, light coffee, maybe a touch of vanilla and/or oak. Very nice, balanced, complex aroma. A great rum raisin aroma comes out around room temperature that really hits the spot. Taste is similar to the aroma with the bourbon being the main flavor though not overwhelming. Very well integrated into the taste as well with the chocolate/coffee/roasty flavors behind the bourbon and a long roasty finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with no negative thinness or positive creaminess, pretty neutral just like the regular version. All in all this is a very impressive beer and it exceeded my expectations. I think I like this more than the normal version but they are each different enough to warrant drinking both.

Wow,a fist full of superintense whisky tinged malt coffee hops vanilla and baker’s chocolate, the bourbon soon utterly domiantes the aroma, taste delivers pretty much all that athe aroma promises,big succulent bourbon barrel taste,its the first thing you notice,the middle thing you notice,and finally right at the swallow, you notice coffee,chocolate ,slightly charred caramel,and some hop and coffee ground bitterness. A film of bourbon alcohol is left on the tongue after the swallow. The most intense BBA bottled brew I have ever experienced,some will probaly consider it to one dimensional, a slightly heavier body might bring out the other flavors a little more, but for those who crave the BBA style, its a classic. Thanks Kingpin

Thanks to the man they call miketd. Dark, pitch black color. Smell of whiskey, caramel, bourbon, vanilla, oak, coffee, malt, brown sugar, maple sugar and 1% prunes/raisins. Taste of the same but also taste of chocolate. At first the Bourbon hits you right away, and then with every sip, you can taste everything else. Only thing I wish for is that there would be more thickness in the stout. Still great! What a awesome BB impy stout.

22 oz bomber. Pours dark black/brown with a puffy tan head. Aroma is very sweet... bourbon, brown sugar, caramel, hints of relatively subdued chocolate. Flavor is dark chocolate, bourbon, and dark fruits. Pretty similar to the regular blackout except for the bourbon. Good stuff.

10/19/2007- On tap at the brewpub. Pours a deep ebony with a very pretty brown/tan head; the nose is as good or better than any I’ve smelled before with sweet carmel, alcohol, and a little bit of carbon (almost the best part of the beer); flavors of chocolate, coffee, csndy sugar and, malt impress upon you a general feeling that you will want more; the body is heavy but not cloying; the finish tells you that it was aged in bourbon barrels and leaves almost the full flavor of the beer in you mouth. This is one fantastic beer. 10/27/07- From the bottle tonight, still has all the flavor from the last tasting but tastes a lot more like booze, I reccomend letting this beer age a little bit unless you are really into Jim Beam.

Had on tap at Geat Lakes Brewing Co. Pours a deep black with brown head. Aroma is of bourbon, candy sugar, molasses, chocolate and slight roast. Taste is huge. Chocolate, vanilla, slight roast, boubon, oak and swwet malt. Mouthfeel is surprisingly heavy.Finish is beautiful with nice note of hops. Hand down best stout i’ve had so far.