“Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with blueberry juice and almond extract added.”
Glassware: Tulip.
Appearance: Pitch black with a short tan head that slowly dissipates. It eventually settles to a fine film which posts a consistent set of rings down the walls of the glass.
Aroma: Rich and luxurious with copious amounts of molasses, macerated blueberries, bourbon barrels, vanilla and almond meal. Licorice starts to creep in among more discernible scents such as raisin, prunes and fortified wine. A bit of dark chocolate getting a look in along with earthy raw figs, toffee nougat and mild coffee. Excellent depth it’s like every time we take it in there’s a new scent on offer.
Flavour: The blueberries are first to hit the taste buds. They bring an interesting fusion of tart medicinal fruit and bourbon with a hint of light sugary spice and vanilla. The booze brings on a somewhat savoury nuttiness through the middle as it leads in to an intricate finish full of cherry, blueberry, molasses, bourbon and dark fruits. Exceptional length shown on the rear.
Mouthfeel: Quite thin but somehow it works. It goes to show the masterminds behind this beer know what they’re doing. Mild co2. 12.6% ABV – evident yes but it blends in so well.
Overall: This is one seriously complex beer. Even though G.I have recently decided to flash pasteurize the BCBS we’d still love another couple of bottles to cellar and see how it improves over the years. Superb.