Churchill's Finest Hour

2010 Vintage: Gold Wax

2011 Vintage: Silver Wax

2012 Vintage: Copper Wax

2013 Vintage: Dark Brown Wax

2014 Vintage: Blue Wax

4.1

203 reviews

San Marcos, United States

Community reviews

4.1 2017 bottle. Aroma of bourbon, sweet caramel, chocolate, vanilla. Black with tan head. Taste is moderate sweet, light bitter, vanilla, chocolate. Full body, oily creamy feel and sweet bourbon finish.

4.2 2017 vintage. Pours pitch black with a small brown head. Aromas of dark chocolate, dark fruits, vanilla, light booze, fudge. Taste has dark chocolate, light booze, spices, vanilla, fudge, light burned wood. Fuck Tad Maruska

3.6 Bottle, shared at Cloudwater. Purple coloured wax? Black as night. Ring of tan head. Slow moving. Nose has salted caramel. Soy sauce. Bourbon. Chocolate. Wet leather. Taste is salty and sweet. Boozy, woody bitterness. Smooth mouthfeel. Some slight burn. Rich, salty and woody finish.

4.2 Czekoladowo-bourbonowe, trochę kawy, dość gęste i pełne w odczuciu, bardzo klasyczny imperial stout z przyjemnymi beczkowymi akcentami.

3.8 Barrel aged 'impy' by Lost Abbey, big thanks to Nelson for sharing! Thick and dense, creamy, greyish beige, lasting head over a jet black beer. Aroma of hazelnut shells on a dry forest floor, old black coffee remnants, fig juice, touch of balsamic vinegar somewhere, old wet oak, cigars (and not just because of the association with Winston Churchill), dried elderberries, vague vanilla, burnt toast. Sweetish onset, old raisins and dried figs, with an underlying tartness not unlike old red wine, so in all less sweet than I am used to from these modern American style imperial stouts; medium carbo, thick and oily mouthfeel. Deeply 'walnutty' maltiness with a thin but 'natural' metallic edge to it, sweeter butterscotch notes, evolving into a wave of bitter chocolate; drying tannins in the end, roasted coffee bitter, remaining on the astringent side especially when an afterglow of gin-like alcohol shows up. A tad too tart for its own good, to my personal taste at least, but well-padded and generous in its overall make-up - interesting, but probably better young.

4.1 Bottle shared at THT. Black with light brown head. Fudge, strong sweet bourbon, thick molasses, blackberries, sweet chocolate, caramel. Very thick and toasty with lots of sugars left, thick bourbon and dried fruits. Quite sweet and medium bitter. Full bodied with thick syrupy feel. Very nice but thick and boozy.

4.0 Sampled from bottle at THT October. Black with tan head. Big sweet deep roasted chocolate malts. Peppers, ash. Big sweet, moderate bitter. Full body and soft carbonation.

4.0 Shared bottle @ $$$ share. Blackish pour with a light head. Notes of dark roast, light oak, vanilla and some coffee.

4.7 Donker bier, mokka schuimkraag. Koffie, donker fruit, eik, bourbon. Licht boozy. Mooie warme afdronk. Kleine tinteling op het tandvlees. Medium carbo. Fantastisch bier.

4.2 2017 version. A proper one. Classic like hell. Really barrel driven brew. Coffee-coco-bitter balance on spot. It is exceptional in its adjustment to canon.

4.0 Pours pitch black, nice brown head, no lacings. Thick creamy nose, full of dark dried fruits, cocoa dust. Taste is creamy, chocolaty, roast bitterness, herbal. Booze also there but what do you want from a 13.6% beer? Lots of umami, spices and soy sauce.not so sweet, more like dry, chocolaty and roasty. Barrel comes through, vanilla and oaky woody bournon booze. Body feels slightly boozy, balance could be better, bitter and herbal.

4.4 Pours like motor oil. Dark brown head. Molasses, dark chocolate, salty, black strap licorice, treacles, oak and tobacco in the nose. Wow. Lighter body, slightly sour, oak, tons of roasted malt, molasses, dark chocolate in smoke, ash. Wow.

4.1 Bottle from Kihoskh, shared, purple wax. Pours pitch black with small, brown foam. Nice, small bubbles. Aroma and taste are quite sweet with cocoa, chocolate, a big boozy punch. Heavy on the liquorice in taste. Full bodied with oily texture. Pretty good, but a tad too rich and boozy for me to give even higher scores.

4.0 Purple wax. Pours jet black with about a finger of brown foam. Sweetness pops from the snifter. Bourbon wood, spice, licorice caramel. Light booze and burnt sugar. Taste is initially super bitter with the roast being overwhelmingly present. This fades over a short period of time and becomes much more mellow and drinkable. Still ol’ school in its style though. Big flavours, lightly sweet, lingering spicy bitterness and a creamy mouthfeel. Long aftertaste.

4.6 Vintage 2017. Aroma of cocoa, milk chocolate & the whisky cask. Black with long lasting brown head. Medium sweet licorice taste, unfortunately with the alcohol a bit too much in focus. Medium body, oily texture & average carbonation.

3.7 Alkohol: 13,5% obj. Butelka: 650 ml Wersja: 2017 (Purple Wax) Kolor: Czarny jak smoła. Piana: Wysoka, bujna, czapowata. Doskonale radzi sobie na powierzchni trunku. Tworzy szereg równo ustawionych pęcherzyków powietrza. Beżowa szumowina przykleja się do trunku i nie chce się od niego odkleić. Zapach: Bourbon, bourbon i jeszcze raz bourbon! Tony bourbonu. Piwo naszpikowane jest nutami mokrego dębowego drewna, intensywną wanilią i nie mniejszym kokosem. Nieco głębiej ciemne owoce: śliwki nasączane w rumie, ciemne winogrona. Cała plejada akcentów toffi, czekoladowych pralinek z likierem w środku. Pojawia się charakterystyczna dla tej beczki nuta likieru jajecznego a’la Ajerkoniak. W tle minimalna woń alkoholu. Rewelka! Potwór pachnie wspaniale. Smak: Smak jest odzwierciedleniem aromatu. Masa bourbonu. Ogrom nut dębowej beczki, pralinek czekoladowych z likierem w środku, a także wanilii. Pod spodem sporo czekoladowej słodyczy, cukierków Kukułek, likieru jajecznego, kawy i karmelu. Nie brakuje również elementów ciemnych owoców. Śliwki w likierze, ciemne winogrona. Sporo także palonych niuansów. Intensywna paloność chwilami dominuje nad beczką. No i tutaj kończą się moje zachwyty... Następuje niespodziewany zwrot akcji... Sam wprost nie mogę w to uwierzyć... Już od drugiego łyka wychodzi ordynarny, gryzący alkohol ;( Mam dużą tolerancję jeśli chodzi o procenty w Imperialnych Stoutach. Tutaj natomiast alko jest ewidentny i nie da się przejść obok niego obojętnie;( Piwo gryzie w przełyku, intensywnie grzeje od środka. Chwilami mam wrażenie jakby ktoś dodał spirytus do trunku... Tesktura jest bez zastrzeżeń. Odczucie w ustach niestety alkoholowe połączone z palonym tłem. Cała piękna i intensywna beczkowa strona trunku, ginie w kilku łykach pod przykryciem tej alkoholowości... Wysycenie: Niskie do średniego. Podsumowanie: Po publikacji tej recenzji mogę się spodziewać wielkiej krytyki i całej fali heheszek. Sam przecież jak lew walczyłem na grupach wymiankowych o wartość tego trunku. Prawda jest taka, że w USA na rynku wtórnym butelki stoją po min. $80. Piwo spokojnie można wymienić za Dark Lorda w stosunku 1:1 i z dorzutką po stronie DL. Niestety piwo okazało się dla mnie rozczarowaniem tego roku. Nie dlatego, że jest profil zapachowo-smakowy był nieodpowiedni. Churchill wspaniale pachnie. Zarówno w smaku, jak i w zapachu piwo pokazywało głębię nut beczki po bourbonie. Miało mnóstwo nut dębiny, wanilii, mokrego drewna, czy kokosu. Słodowa baza była również nieźle podkreślona. Nawet zbytnia paloność mnie tak nie zraziła. Piwo zniszczył doszczętnie rozpuszczalnikowy, ewidentny, bardzo gryzący i ostry alkohol. Dotarłem do połowy butelki i nie potrafiłem zmęczyć trunku do końca... Niestety legenda Churchill’s Finest Hour upadła w jednej chwili...

4.1 Rami Rami is drinking a Churchill’s Finest Hour (2017) by Port Brewing Company at Muzeum Azji i Pacyfiku Kawa, czekolada, praliny, beczka (ciut migdalowowaniliowa), srednio ciala, gldkie, acz spore wysycenie, robi wrazenie acz chyba ciut za mlode (lekki aldehyd, niepoukladane jeszcze) Rami Rami: Jest cos w stylu lekkiej pikantnosci Rami Rami: 4.1 Rami Rami: Mimo jabca

4.0 Bottle at salty (Dundee tasting) .. Dark black.. Thin tan lacing... Soft dry meaty chocolate roast malts nose... Heavy soft chocolate roast.. Heavy meaty dry chocolate roast malts.. Lightest soya... Light finish.. Lacking a little something and no real finish

4.4 2017 (?) version, purple wax, 13.5% ABV. Pours black with low tan head. Aroma of muscovado, bourbon, dried dates, chocolate. Let it warm up and it comes into its own. Taste is boozy, bourbon fiery, chocolate and dried fruit in the lingering sweet finish. Rich and creamy body with soft carbonation.

4.3 2017 version. Aroma is pretty delicate with notes of chocolate praline filled with noble alcohol and cocoa beans. Bit of spicy in the background. Dark mahone in the glass with medium tan head. Taste is semi sweet with notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, spices, some chocolate cake and some shake. Finish is milky, with its gentleness scratches the tongue. Beer is well balanced and very slick, however medium bodied. Very, very good. Love it!

4.1 Bottle at salthorse. Pours black, nose is caramel, toffee, roasted, coffee, little soapy, taste is sweet toffee, chewy, huge bourbon, coconut, chocolate.

4.2 Bottle. Sensoric. Pitch black with light to average, semi-thick, light brown head. Poor to moderate head retention and poor lacing. Aroma is very roasted with moderate bourbon-like notes - mainly vanilla, hint of coconut. Moderate to light heavy malty notes - milk chocolate, coffee, cocoa. Taste is sweet with nice, moderate roasted and dry finish. Full body. Texture is oily and thick. Carbonation is soft to average. Finish is slightly boozy, roasted, slightly bourbon and moderately oaky.

3.6 Bottle. Pours black with a tan head. Aroma of loads of chocolate, dried fruit, loads of spicey woods, velvet, licorice, slight salty, light boozy. Taste is loads of sweet chocolate, slight moist tobacco, coffee, loads of sharp boozy, sharp wood.

4.3 Tap@Himmeriget, Copenhagen - (2014 Blue Wax) Black pour with brown ringed head. Sweet and roasted malty aroma and taste with bold resonating chocolate and caramel sweetness, slight charred malty accents, smooth mouthfeel, bourbon infused wooden oaked notes with a vanilla caress into the close.

4.0 From notes. Enjoyed at a tasting at Corbet’s on May 18. 22 oz bottle, 2016 vintage. The pour is a nice light black with a thicker khaki colored head that slowly fizzles down with a couple spots of lace left. The aroma is great. There is a beautiful roasted chocolate and dark bitter roasted malt with a light charred oak and a pretty strong alcohol. It balances out though. The flavor is much of the same. There is a little bit of a dark fruitiness to it up front with the chocolate and bitter roast coming in late. The oak and light bourbon are fantastic back end qualities. The mouth feel is a little light and leaves a bit to be desired with a softer carbonation and a lingeringly bitter and lightly boozy finish. This is pretty damn good.

4.0 Bottle, Pours pitch black with a small a nice tanned head. Aroma is vinous molasses roasted malts fruity a bit sweet. Flavor is slightly acidy, as aroma, velvety mouyhfeeel, nice bitter roasted finish.

4.1 22, capped, waxed, with long sloppy drips in the wax sticking out like bedhead dreadlocks. Thanks, J! Very cool treat. Pours an opaque matte black with a dense and creamy pale tan head that sticks around for a while. Big chocolatey nose, showing cocoa, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, roasty notes, some toasty black bread crusts, apricot, and vanilla. Creamy thick sludgy body with sluggish carb. Roasty toasty mid palate with tons of different chocolates, then some apricot and vanilla. Long sweet finish.

4.2 [1/28/17] Bottle/Can/Crowler/Growler at a bottle share at Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa. Black. Bourbon, vanilla, lots of chocolate, nuts, sweet, chewy. Full-bodied, thick.

4.1 650 ml. shared bottle. Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma of malt, chocolate, bourbon, and vanilla. Taste is roasted malt, dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, oak, and a bit of coffee. Excellent.

4.4 Thanks to Homer321 for the share! Yellow wax bottle. Aroma has tons of dark fruit. Fig, plum, and raisins. Similar to English Christmas Pudding. Flavor has the same dark fruits with a nice moderate sweetness. Great warm across the palate. Aftertaste is sweet and balanced.