Blindman Brewing Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout American Double / Imperial Stout at 11.6% ABV (C$8.90 at Liquor Crossing Red Deer, 355 ml, packaged on 7-Feb-2017, acquired 27-May-2017, reviewed 9-Jul-2017)
Appearance: opaque black with the merest hint of brown relief around the margins, a short loose light beige head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: malty coffee and chocolate, bourbon, toasted coconut, alcohol, vanilla bean. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: full slick body, soft carbonation, lingering bitter and warming slightly edgy finish. (4/5)
Well, it’s not bad. It’s not great, either, mind you. Structurally, it leaves a bit to be desired, as I’d like to see some better head, retention, and lacing. On the nose, the alleged toasted coconut is a bit of a latecomer to the party. And, the finish verges on aggressive, with a hot solvent note. I’d be interested in seeing how this developed with some ageing, were it not for the fact that I don’t entirely trust cans for that task. Yeah, it sounds like I’m being pretty dismissive, but it’s actually halfway decent overall.
(For record-keeping/search purposes, according to their website this is a barrel-aged version of Ichorous, even though that name appears nowhere on the label.) (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
