Great Lakes Barrel Aged Blackout Stout

Here is what the Brewer Says: 

(Here are the notes about the regular Blackout Stout)

Name Origin: Yes, it’s a dark brew. And much like the “Blackout of 2003” that left the northeastern United States in complete

darkness, this hearty stout can also give rise to old-fashioned neighborhood get-togethers and down-home fun.

Style Origin: This strong, rich brew originated from recipes that British brewers tailored for the czars and czarinas of the Russian Imperial court.

Flavor: Hearty malt body and bold hop flavor

Ingredients: 

Malt

Harrington 2-Row Base Malt: Allows color and flavor from other specialty malts to come through; makes for very clean beer

Crystal 77: Contributes to color and adds sweeter aroma and flavor

Black Malt: Provides deep, rich color

Roasted Barley: Adds color and roasted flavor

Hops

Simcoe: Unique, non-traditional bittering hop; provides high levels of bitterness to counteract

beer’s heavy malt

Northern Brewer: Traditional bittering hop for English-style ales; very different from Simcoe,

but added together to add complexity to the hop profile.

ABV: 9.5% ABW: 7.6% IBU: 50

This version was the: Blackout Stout aged in oak bourbon barrels. 

My Thoughts: The color of this beer is a deep brown almost black with next to zero head.  The smell was that of bourbon, chocolate, caramel, and oak. It really smelled good!  The flavor followed the nose.  At first it had a hint of coffee flavor.  What comes next is the sweet chocolate and caramel and the bourbon and oak flavors come in at the end with a slight hop bitterness that was very pleasing.    What the Barrel Aging did to this Stout was amazing.  The bourbon flavor that it added was so well balanced with the other blackout stout flavors it really was very drinkable.  Carbonation was lower and the mouthfeel wasn't as thick as I thought it would be.  Drinkability is pretty high for me, That being said having two of these would probably be the most I'd drink in a row because it is a very powerful and bold brew! 

Serving Type: Draft

My Rating: Overall  90/100

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5