Full Sail Brewing Co.
Hood River, OR
Available: AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, ID, LA, MN, MT, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, SC, TX, VA, WA, WY, UT, NY, NJ, MA, MD, RI, NH
Every year since 1998, the brewery has brewed a strong dark ale and aged it in up to sixty oak bourbon barrels for a year. This imperial stout was racked into 18 and 20 year-old casks from Schenley Distillery in January, 2010.
ABV: 11.4
ABW: 9
Bitterness: 37.5
Original gravity: 1076
Darker than dark, this beautiful baby is opaque, even held up to the brightest light. Vanilla nose features hints of cocoa, espresso, smoke and aged leather. For such a big beer, flavor is on the thin side lacking balance. On the palate and in the aftertaste, the complexity is over powered by the high alcoholic content (11.4%) and oak, making it better as a stand alone than with food. Good effort. Perhaps it needs more age.
Looks, sounds and pours like a classically anticipated bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout. Black like it says, with healthy head of intelligence. Rich cocoa and overthetop wood-bourbon-barrel aging aroma. Blissful aroma is compelling, with unhinged alcohol characters. Vanilla, wood, earth, fire breathe and then grace the tongue with pleasures. Dancing with beer. A sipper to be shared. Transfixing. Plan your evening ahead of time for this one. Quite superb.
Founder of Merchant du Vin and the Pike Brewing Co., Charles Finkel is a pioneer in the marketing of craft beers in America.
Author of the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, founder of the Great American Beer Festival and a Beer Examiner at www.examiner.com, Papazian is a leading voice in beer and brewing.
