Great Lakes Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout

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

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.

Rating #900! 2006 bottle from drewbeerme - Thanks! (and an additional thanks for miketd for more on the way!) #115/900. Blackish color with almost no head. Aroma gives you a "down in the barrel" sensation of charred oak, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, coffee and some well-roasted malts. Taste is very oaky with some light hop presence remaining along with a good deal of coffee, vanilla, and chocolate. Silky smooth feel with some stickiness. The oakiness is nice, but it kills some of the best parts of the original blackout without making up for it in taste and feel, but its still damn good. This one has the potential to be better given the base ber and GL’s ability to craft fine brews. I can’t wait to taste this year’s batch!!!

22oz bottles from various years. Truly a masterwork. Take one of the best imperial stouts and age in oak barrels and you have a transcendent beverage. Deep black with a stately rich brown head. Complex aroma of roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, oak, and bourbon. The warmer this beer is served the more oak and bourbon flavor come through. Served warm the bourbon and oak components become almost dominent with an earthy stringent sting to the palate generated by the oak aging. At any degree I enjoy this brew, but feel it is best enjoyed around 50-55 F where the flavors mix seamlessly. A beer so precious deserves to be served only on special occasions.

mostly black body and chestnut at edges. dark tan short thick foamy head. aroma is vanilla, oak, roasted coffee and chocolate malt, and bourbon. maple aroma too. flavor starts roasted dark chocolate malt then light coffee and a bit of molasses. bourbon is very light but gets stronger in the finish, yet not ever hot. aftertaste is good smooth bourbon without any bite. thanks for this bottle Jim & Kath, happy 75th Dad!

Bottle. [#23 Blind tasting session @ Sk8viking] Small light brown and thick foamy head. Good display of lacework. Pitch black color. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, raisin, plum, prune, berries, port wine, very vinous, hint of bourbon, licorice. Very complex and lovely aroma. Full bodied with an oily, thick and alcoholic texture with a soft carbonation. Moderated sweet flavor with balancing bitterness. Fruity and warming finish that lingers for a long time. This was for me the evenings high score. 07-09-2007

Bottle. Black coloured with a small beige ehad. Roasted aroma of wood, chocolate, vanilla and dried fruits. Roasted flavour of chocolate, wood and vanilla. Roasted finish of chocolate and wood.