Oskar Blues Ten FIDY (Whiskey Barrel)

Name: Whiskey Barrel Ten FIDY
Date: February 09, 2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Extreme Beer
Appearance: black, scant head
Aroma: strong wisky aroma on top of the rich chocolate
Flavor: the rich sweet bourbon flavor covers the chocolate and adds some alcoholic burn

Name: Whiskey Barrel Ten FIDY
Date: June 17, 2007
Mode: nitro
Source: brick store
Score: 3.4 to 4.1
Appearance: black, creamy tan head that forms as it rests and then slowly fades away leaving bits of lace in its wake
Aroma: rich milk chocolate and sweet licorice aroma
Body: huge thick body
Flavor: dark chocolate flavor grows and enrichens, the bourbon is much more subdued and is well balanced with the chocolate rather than covering it as before, the sweetness from the bourbon tempers the normal hoppy bitter edge, a touch of alcohol grows out of the bourbon, a bit of a bitter powdery dry dark chocolate character in the finish
Overall: the bourbon and chocolate play tag team for dominance until the bottom of the glass, picking up just a hint of oak that manages to sneak past the bourbon

Name: Whiskey Barrel Ten FIDY
Date: November 07, 2008
Mode: draft
Source: brick store
Aroma: big bourbon and black chocolate aroma
Flavor: rich sweet dark chocolate flavor, vanilla and bourbon sweetness, roasted and oak bitterness, hops manage to work their way through to add to the bitter finish, after several pints the dark chocolate and bourbon dominates, oak and roast melds together really well, coffee bitterness gets a bit too big after a while, pint after pint the roasted grows to the point that the bourbon sweetness can just barely keep up to balance it
Overall: needs just a bit more of the c

Inky black-brown. Still. Rich molassesy nose - you can smell how oily this is going to be. Intense, oily body. Molasses starts, then the barrel kicks in, bringing wood, lots of heat, and dark fruits. Burly alcoholic signature. The barrel is assertive but not overwhelming. So sweet and chewy. Reminds me of a rich, minerally, estate chocolate. Quality.

(Draught) Pours an opaque black body with a spare tan head. Aroma of oak, vanilla, roastiness, and caramel. Flavor of roasted malt, coffee, light licorice, and chocolate with a more carbonated than expected mouthfeel and a dry finish.

On tap at Capones. Poured a dark black color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of wood, oaky, some roastiness, vanilla, and chocolate. Tastes of whiskey (a lot stronger than the aromas), vanilla, dark fruits, woody, and lightly earthy. Sweeter. More wood in the aromas vs. whiskey in the tastes. Medium alcohol bite in the finish.

On tap at Max’s in Baltimore: Pours an oily opaque with a thin, wispy ring of dark tan head. Aroma of sweet dark caramel, chocolate and light bourbon oak. Starts with good fullness and a smooth, sweet creamy body with lots of vanilla and nice whiskey oak complexity before a bittersweet dark chocolate finish. A nicely balanced and dangerously drinkable barrel aged imperial stout.

Tap at HDG. Pitch black beer with a thin brown head. Lovely aroma, deep, rich dark chocolate, soft vanilla and sweet oakiness. Chewy malts with light cherry/dried fruit in the back. Lots of sweet whiskyish malts, but without any oaky astringency. Earthy chocolate, toast and dark sweet caramel. Heavy molasses and lots of plummy/pruney dried fruit. Heavy charred roast towards the back. Intense sweetness up front but there is plenty of hoppiness to counter it. Earthy bitter finish. The oak and whisky are very well-integrated into this one. A fantastic Impy.

Many glasses had at Max’s festival... holy crap this stuff is good. Has an attractive pitch black colored body and a dark brown thick head. Nose makes very good use of the whiskey barrels, completely compliments the imperial stout and doesn’t distract or overpower. Lively, hoppy, dry and bitter at times, not boozy at all, and extremely rich and creamy on the palate. Has some oak wood dryness in the back, with some moderately sharp whiskey butter flavors, but again they are not too strong or distracting, leaving the beer tasting of rich roast and deep dark chocolate and coffee... Oily and viscous dark brown coating while the glass is swirled, leaving dark brown foam residue all over the glass. Nose may be slightly buttery, but overall it’s light on the whiskey, as it should be. I went into this beer skeptical, but I was certainly impressed.

Draft at Capone’s. Pours onyx with 1-finger brown head and fairly clingy lacing. Nose is malty, with cacao, molasses, oaky spirits, vanilla, earthy peaty notes, prunes, blackberry, and port wine. Tastes rich, oaky but balanced by peaty malty notes, bourbon, vanilla, cacao, and some lactic creamy finsihing hints. Very smooth, very rich, and very complex, this one is great, and I really want more of this.