Mmmm….stouts. I’d been saving up some special stouts for a tasting, and we broke them out with a bunch of friends (no, Jeanne & I didn’t drink this all ourselves!) this past weekend. Here is what is close to the full beer list:
2006 & 2009 Full Sail Black Gold Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
2008 & 2009 Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout
2007, 2008, & 2009 Deschutes The Abyss
2008 Surly Darkness
2007 Alesmith Speedway Stout (Thanks to Mark)
2009 Midnight Sun Berserker Imperial Stout
2007 2003 Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (Thanks to Gibson)
2009 Bell’s Expedition Stout
2009 Bell’s Rye Stout
2007, 2008, & 2009 Schlafly Imperial Stout
2009 Big Sky Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout (Thanks to Dean)
2010 Bottleworks XI Anniversary Ale (blend of BA stouts from Big Sky Brewing)
2009 Founders Imperial Stout
2009 Carolina Brewing Company Imperial Stout
2009 Moylans Imperial Stout
2008 Laughing Dog Dogfather Imperial Stout
2009 Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout (thanks to Devlin)
2009 Hoppin’ Frog Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Oatmeal Imperial Stout
2009 Pelican Tsunami Stout
2007 Leinenkugel’s Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout
2009 Nils Oscar Imperial Stout
2009 Struise Black Albert Imperial Stout
Yep, that’s a bunch of beers. We had enough people around so that it only took about an ounce or so per person to kill most bottles. My favorite of the night was the 2006 Full Sail Black Gold; it really has just gotten better over the years. Other standouts included the 08 Darklord, the Bell’s Expedition, Leinenkugel’s Big Eddy, 08 Schlafly, and 08 Abyss. The biggest disappointment of the night was sadly the new Bottleworks XI Anniversary Ale. Every other Bottleworks Anniversary beer I’ve ever had has been knocked out of the park, but this one didn’t come together (in my worthless opinion). It had strong fruity wine flavors that overpowered most flavor aspects from the stout, and there was definitely a little butter (diacetyl) going on in our bottle. It was complex, but clashing and just not very together. Time might do this one well, but it’s hard to say. The 2009 Dark Lord was another disappointment, as it was insanely sweet compared to the 2008 and other vintages in the past. Similarly, the Surly Darkness is another highly-regarded stout that just comes across as a “big sweet mess” as many would describe it. I’ve had Darkness about four or five times now, and this time was the most enjoyable, but it still wasn’t my bag.
Paul // Mar 9, 2010 at 9:11 am
Nice write up. There are some beers in their I need to track down.
Cheers.
Gibson // Mar 9, 2010 at 11:37 am
That was an 03 Worldwide Stout! And it was surprisingly well-balanced for 20% ABV. Perhaps the age did it some good?
I also thought that the 06 Black Gold was the best. Mmmmm… bourbony!
Kaiser // Mar 9, 2010 at 11:46 am
Thanks for the correction, Gibson. It was amazingly balanced and drinkable for that high of ABV. Talk about dangerous!