Anchorage Darkest Hour
Imperial stout brewed with Summit Hops, molasses, dark brown sugar and Italian black licorice. Aged in Rye Whiskey and Pinot Noir barrels with Brettanomyces. Triple fermented.
4
196 reviews
Anchorage, United States
Community reviews
Bottle shared by Dan at the Pig. Pours a dark thick goodness small mocha head. The aroma is solid with dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, oak barrel, bourbon, roasted malts, caramel, and slight vanilla. Taste is similar with roasted malts, dark chocolate, caramel, graham crackers, and spices. I really didn’t get the brett but who cares. Beer is delish! Thick mouth, full body.
Bottle shared by beechner224. Nose is lightly booze with some woody notes. Lots of winey notes. Pretty damn solid. A light licorice lingers
Bomber. Pours black with tan head. Aroma is chocolate, booze, whiskey, roasted. Taste is sweet, wine notes, roasted, chocolate, yum. Taste is serious wine notes, but the abv is well hidden. Really nice beer.
750 ml bottle. Pours pitch black with a short lived beige-brown head. Aroma is chocolate, wood, peat, smokey and whiskey. Flavor is chocolate, peat, cherry, oldish and smokey. Finish is some tartness, fruity, grassy, woody, red wine. Lingering coffee, chocolate, dark cherry and port wine. Full body, oily, velvety mouthfeel, weak carbonation. Very heavy, but so flavorful.
It pours near black with a small light tan head. The nose is earth, roasted malt, grape, cherry, vinous, chocolate, coconut, vanilla and rocky road. The taste is roasted malt, bitter-sweet, chocolate, earth, brett, dark fruit, vinous, light alcohol warmth, grape, juicy plum, toast and decent bitterness.
750 ml bottle at home - traded with Todd Hannon - thank you very much sir! Pours deep brown, no head cause as flat as a mutha...Intense liquorice nose, darf fruity dark chocolate, Medium body, heavy on the roasted side, quite some alcohol as well. Taste of dark chocolate, some dark burgundy wine notes, mocca coffe hints. Nice, overhwelming though, missing a tad of balance.
bottle from hoppypocket, thanks bro! pours dark brown with a nicely reviving light beige head, almost crema-like, leaving some lacing. stunning aroma of chocolate fruitcake, forêt-noire style, mineral bitter chocolate, gentle yet very fragrant whiskey smoke, cherry brettiness and other chewy dried red fruitiness, vinous character, vanilla cupcakes, very spicy - aniseed perhaps, pepper. light carbonation, medium body - oily, astringent, relatively dry bretty-warm-spicy finish. loved it!
Sample at the 2014 Infected Chimipalooza on 11/01/2014. Brownish-black color with a medium foamy beige head that diminishes gradually. Patchy lacing. Aroma of oak, brett and rye malt. Full-bodied with flavors of roast malt, vinous oak, anise and subtle brett. The finish is oaky with a malt and black licorice aftertaste. Enjoyable beer all around.
Batch 1 bottle shared by Carl (thanks!). From notes. Aroma has oldish beer + garbage. Caramel, alcohol. Sweet; slick; alcohol; finishes feeling dry, but still with lingering residual sweetness if that makes any sense. Full- body, slick oily texture. Overall: not my favorite anchorage by any stretch, but still plays into my proclivity for dark stongs. Lots of caramel sweetness. 7/4/7/4/15.
Serving: 750 ml. bottle from State Line Liquors. It pours black with a tan head. Sweet, roasty nose with notes of raisin, date, wood, and dried stone fruit. Surprisingly syrupy on the tongue. Lots of sweet, dark raisin notes with some tobacco, rye whisky, light licorice, and wood notes. Very complex stuff. Low carbonation and very full body. For some reason not what I was expecting from Anchorage, but very good.
Black with a small pale head. Aroma is raisins, chocolate, wood, dark fruits. Medium-full bodied, slight woody on the palate, dark fruity finish. Taste is dates, wood, raisins, chocolate.
Bottle from Oregon, shared with prufrock and beastie.
Dark pour, some head. I was really hoping for something out-of-the-box and interesting here, but it’s a regular imperial stout for all practical purposes. Too sweet. Little to no sourness. Licorice up there. Far from my favorite anchorage.
750ml bottle (Batch 1) in a tulip. Pours black with a beige head. Aroma of roasted malts, some light oak and whiskey and wine notes, chocolate and hints of coffee, dark fruits, light alcohol, and a good amount of sweetness. Flavor the same with a great balance of everything. Thick texture. A really good and unique imperial stout.
"A bit of a beast. lots going on. Maybe too much, but it kinda works. Heavy, black beer clocking in at a 13% that shows. Interesting balance of rye barrels, funky oak barreling and what seems to be a big sweet world wide like stout. I couldn’t drink a ton of this, but enjoyed my portion."
750 mL bottle from the Beverage Warehouse in Winooski, VT. Deep black pour, minimal light brown head. Nose and flavor are rich, complex, unique, and captivating; rye whiskey barrel is prevalent, with definite brown sugar and almond sweetness, a light hint of anise on the nose, and big roasty character. Brett is softer than I expected, but the attenuation is gorgeous. Distinctive and awesome.
Sample @ RBWG Asheville After Party. Deep brown pour with a small head. Spice rack, brown pumpernickel bread. Cocoa. Slight dried wood and buggy tang. Chocolate. Some lemon. Dark roasted malts. Medium body, active carbonation.
Nose is anise, whiskey soaked cherry. Flavor is same plus moderate herbaceous bitterness up front, flashes of heat, dry cacao, mild acidity, chewy oak, mild butterscotch and toffee. Slick oily mouthfeel. Dope....
Bottle at home. Pours opaque black with a creamy beige to brown head. The aroma is chocolate milk, sweet roasted malts, berries and vanilla. The flavor is cocoa, oak, vanilla, berries, sweet roast, light coffee and it ends up light tart and cocoa sweet. Smooth cocoa milk like palate. Awesome stuff!
Bottle shared by hopscotch at Muckfest V on 7/12/14. Thanks Eric! Darkest brown to black in color with a thin tan head. Aroma of whiskey, chocolate and slight licorice. Malty and chocolatey flavor with whiskey and licorice before a sweet finish.
Pours black with a small, creamy, khaki head. Decent retention. The nose is a swirl of fudge, molasses and brownie brittle. Medium-bodied with prickly carbonation. The flavor is roasty, burnt, lightly acidic and a touch acrid. Finishes somewhat tangy, crisp and tongue-numbing. Thanks to newcigarz for providing the bottle!
750ml crushed by myself. Pours a deep brown/black with a large tan head. Aromas of dark roast, liquorish, some tart funk detected. Taste is bitter, semi dry and lightly tart. Flavors of smokey ash, some whiskey, some wine, light tartness, heavy roast, light coffee. The brett is hidden in there, but you can find it if you really try...it just kisses the corners of your mouth after you finish your sip (or chug, in my case). Drying, vinious, dark fruit, not cloying at all. Kind of a heavy ash note which I really dig. Some cigars and asphalt. Fucken great.
05-JUN-2014, bottle @Morten, from Ølbutikken.
Black with lasting Brown head.
Aroma si Bourbon, chocolate. Sweet malt.
Taste the same but also soy, molasses. Huge sweetness, big body, soft carbonation. Touch of tartness. GREAT!
Medium sized light tan head dark pour soft carbonation aromas vanilla woody raisins roast coffee spice dark chocolate caramel brettanomycs note very nice liquorice the flavours woody brett is perfect as I hoped nice touch so smooth good balance for the imperial pinot noir barrelling very well done crisp notes in the stout rye is present medium bitter a lovely sweetness fruit touches are dried rich notes caramel liquorice roast coffee rich malts caramel as well the finish wonderful brewing good barrelling notes crisp the oak and brett touches rich malts hop tastes a very good bitter finish vanilla taste excellent imperial
An above average IS with a bold edge from rye and dark malt. Very drinkable. Dark as night. Above average mouthfeel.
corked 75 cl bottle @ home. Pours black with a tan head that leaves a little lacing. Aroma and flavour are red wine, dried fruit, chocolate, oakand liquorice - with a slightly bitter finish.
Bouteille de 750 ml, avec bouchon de liège, partagée lors d’une dégustation entre amis. Arôme: Odeur de céréale grillée avec une pointe de chocolat et de vanille. Apparence: La couleur est noire. Présence d’un mince col beige mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de céréale grillée et de chocolat avec une pointe fruitée. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement onctueuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût légèrement chocolaté. (Rating #5573)
Black colour, beige head. Aroma of Japanese soy sauce, roasted malts. Flavour anise, liquorice, Engelse drop, roasted malts, vanilla and cocos. Finish anis, liquorice, coconut.
(from 66cL bottle @ RBBWG III, Gent. Shared by ThirstyBird. Thanks for sharing, Rian!)
Black with a lighter head. Nutty sweet smells. Sweet caramel nuttyness. Liquor bourbon bite comes through.
Bottle. For some reason I really expected this one to be tart, but in the end, I was happy. Pours opaque black with a medium dark brown head that dissipates fairly quickly but leaves good lacing. Aroma is roasty malt, cocoa, oak, vanilla, red wine, just a touch of Brett funk. Flavor is the same, medium sweet, light bitter, very oaky and vinous, a bit of anise in there. Very very light whiff of Brett - barely noticeable and certainly not on par with the characterisic Bretty flavor of Anchorage beers. Full body, creamy, perhaps a bit chalky when cold. A bit hot from the 13% ABV, and just a touch of rye spiciness lingering to the finish. This is good shit.
Bottle @ Theis. Pours near black with no head. Aroma is oak, cocoa, dark chocolate, wine, brett, dark fruit, roasted malt, licorice, rye and red wine. Taste is moderate sweet and bitter. Body is full, texture is smooth, carbonation is soft. Finishes sweet with oak. Very good stuff.