Ottos Bourbon-Barrel Aged Jolly Roger Imperial Stout

Brewed by Ottos Pub & Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
State College, Pennsylvania USA

Sweet sassy molassey! On the hand pump at Otto’s. Came to me in a snifter with a thick cinnamon brown head on top of an oil sludge body with hints of red fire around the edges when held to the light. Perfect temperature! Aroma was full of bourbon and dark chocolate that warmed the soul. The aging really lent some subtle notes to the aroma. Extremely thick, full mouthfeel that warmed on contact. Smoothest drinking stout I’ve yet tried. Aptly described as drinking a milkshake. The flavor was absolutely stunning. Huge chocolate flavor surrounded enticingly by an almost Baileys-like whiskey flavor with a bit of roasted coffee flavor the deeper in the glass you go. Tremendous beer. Deserves the high ratings.

On cask: Pours an opaque, oily black with a thick, creamy dark tan head. Has a rich dark chocolate and bourbon nose with some oaky complexity and dark fruitiness with a touch of molasses and some warming alcohol. Starts rich and creamy with nice dark chocolate and bourbon oak flavor along with vanilla and brown sugar, finishing bittersweet and slightly warming, but with good complexity. Nicely balanced and very enjoyable. Reminds me a lot of Great Lakes Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout.

Draft at Otto’s. Pours a black abyss with 2 finger coffee head. Big bourbon malt nose creamy vanilla and etoh. Creamy malty bourbon with a light woodiness and a dry finish. Subtle delicious great but the finish was a little alcoholic.

Thanks to Rciesla and BrianK for taking me with them on our trip to Ottos. This beer aroma’s is nice, and taste is almost perfect but has a definite alcohol warmth/burn to end.

Cask at Ottos. Nice stuff. Aroma is pleasant but a little weak. Body is nice and creamy. Flavor comes together very nicely. Hints of bourbon, vanilla, oak, and of course Jolly Roger. The tail end of the finish is a little tough with heavy bourbon and alcohol burn coming through.

Cask at Otto’s. Poured a dense black color with a one finger brown head that only slightly reduces in size. The aroma was chcolate, oak and caramel, with slight hints of coffee and vanilla. Maybe a dark fruity character present as well. The flavor was bourbon, vanilla and chocolate. The bourbon is present, but doesn’t overwhelm the the rest of the beer. The part I like the most about it was that there was nothing that was out of place. Nothing potentially offensive. This is a spectacular beer.

Cask at Otto’s. Pours nearly black with a brown head that doesn’t diminish at all. That thing was there for the whole time enjoying this beer...with constant swirling! Aroma is chocolate, oak, vanilla, coffee and caramel. Also has strong bourbon present but it works well. Reminds me of my favorite bourbon beers...BA Blackout and BA Speedway. More subtle than most. Flavor is rich chocolate and roasted malt. Nice hop bitterness. The bourbon is detectable. Full palate and smooth.

Cask, 2 snifters at the brewpub on 2/28/09. Pours pitch black, capped with a huge frothy brown head, much larger than I expected from a cask beer. Aroma of dark chocolate, molasses, bourbon, wood and some vanilla. On the second snifter, I got hints of cookie dough as well. Flavor begins with dark chocolate, which is complimented by bourbon, vanilla, coffee, hops, and some smoke. Medium to full bodied; the cask conditioning makes it silky smooth and very drinkable. The finish is a bit hot, but overall this is among the best bourbon barrel aged imperial stouts I’ve tried. This met my high expectations, and was definitely worth the trip from Philly.