![Crux [BANISHED] Tough Love](https://beer-review.org/cdn/img/x600,q85/https://beer-review.org/api/redirect/aHR0cHM6Ly9yZXMuY2xvdWRpbmFyeS5jb20vcmF0ZWJlZXIvaW1hZ2UvdXBsb2FkL3dfNDAwLGNfbGltaXQsZF9EZWZhdWx0X0JlZXJfcXFydjdrLnBuZyxmX2F1dG8vYmVlcl8yMTUzMzg=)
Crux [BANISHED] Tough Love
Barrel-aged imperial stout
Imperial Stout brewed with black strap molasses and spices, aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels
Our ninth vintage of an annual favorite, this year’s Tough Love remains true to form. Banished to select bourbon barrels under controlled conditions for nearly a year, rich overtones of dark roasted malt, oak-smoked wheat and malted rye give way to delicate notes of velvety chocolate, vanilla, and dried cherries.
14%
(from 2021 label)
Tough Love is bold but nuanced, an homage of sorts to the traditional Russian Imperial Stouts and the ruling style of Catherine the Great. We construct it with dark roasted malts, malted rye, and oak-smoked wheat, and then banish it in Kentucky bourbon barrels. The aging process smooths out the edges on an otherwise bold statement, and bitterness succumbs to tender strokes of vanilla beans, hints of dried cherries, and new layers revealing themselves with each sip. (Released annually in November)
Imperial Stout brewed with black strap molasses and spices, aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels
Our ninth vintage of an annual favorite, this year’s Tough Love remains true to form. Banished to select bourbon barrels under controlled conditions for nearly a year, rich overtones of dark roasted malt, oak-smoked wheat and malted rye give way to delicate notes of velvety chocolate, vanilla, and dried cherries.
14%
(from 2021 label)
Tough Love is bold but nuanced, an homage of sorts to the traditional Russian Imperial Stouts and the ruling style of Catherine the Great. We construct it with dark roasted malts, malted rye, and oak-smoked wheat, and then banish it in Kentucky bourbon barrels. The aging process smooths out the edges on an otherwise bold statement, and bitterness succumbs to tender strokes of vanilla beans, hints of dried cherries, and new layers revealing themselves with each sip. (Released annually in November)
3.9
185 reviews
Bend, United States
Community reviews
On tap at the Crux Fermentation Project in Bend, OR. Black with red at the perimeter of the glass. Small beige head. Aroma and taste are chocolate with vanilla and lots of roasted malts. Sweet. Full mouthfeel.
750 ml. waxed, capped, and corked bottle. Bottling put together 11/2/18 making it a 2018 vintage. Pours a medium, well retained, beige head, with minimal lacing, over a clear dark (SRM 40) body.....nose is heavy roasted malts with chocolate, coffee tones dominant, mild Bourbon, vanilla, oak, molasses, spices.....taste is heavy roasted malts, with chocolate, coffee tones, including wheat and rye notes, vanilla, oak, large Bourbon, molasses, light dried fruits, alcohol, finishing with slight hop bitter tones......mouth feel, medium heavy, sticky body, high alcohol heat, moderate carbonation. The roasted malts are dominant in a complex aroma and taste. The alcohol is high and burning. BJCP 10/3/15/4/7
2016. Catching up with about 200 ratings that I have not added. Scores were recorded and are accurate, detailed tasting notes were not taken.
Draft at the Crux Fermentation Project, Bend, OR. Enjoyed on May 3 2018.
Black color with a light brown head.
Roasted malt, sweetness, some sourness, molasses, vanilla and chocolate. Amazingly dessertable. The name is also quite close to reality...
2017 Bottle [from trade, thanks!] shared @ Kings Day Tasting 2018. Opaque pitch black color with a nice full, dense and long lasting light brown colored head. Aroma is malts, something a little weird, cherry notes. Taste malts, bourbon, medium roasty, malt bitter and roasted malt bitter. Medium to full body and medium carbonation. Solid.
Sampled at Perennial. It poured a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma was of roast, wood and chocolate. The taste was similar to the aroma with more roast, wood, chocolate, booze with medium carbonation and a nice chewy aftertaste. Good stuff.
On tap at the Copper Door. Pours black. Thin tan head. Scent is booze. Taste is pretty hefty. Chocolate and alcohol. Tasty beer. Would probably be even better after a year or so.
Bottle @ Koningsdag 2018 tasting. Black with a large brown head. Smells cherry peel, red fruits, roasty, iron/rust. Tastes roasty, chocolate, sweet, slightly iron/rusty. Full body, nice carbo.
2015 bottle from the brewery. Lots of brown sugar and molasses. Cocoa powder and dark dried fruit. Mouth feel is thin, bourbon is apparent but subtle. Very good.
2016 bottle. The aroma hits instantly after digging through the wax seal & cork. The bourbon barrel really stands out. The pour is black w/ a tiny tan head & a good ring of lacing. The flavor is dominated by bourbon taste but their are nice hints of sweet chocolate, just a touch of bitterness, & a tad bit of booze. It all comes together to be rather pleasant on the palate & overall is a delicious offering!
(En fût à la source): Vanille, guimauve et pain brûlé dans une intense richesse jamais indigeste. Superbe.
On tap at Crux. Poured a black color with a small sized tan head. Dark fruits, chocolate, bourbon, and wood. Alcohol content well hidden.
Aromas of raisins, bourbon, oak, dark cacao, dark chocolate, toffee, dark roasted malt, figs, cinnamon, subtle spice, wort syrup, prune juice and subtle coffee. Pours black with a burgundy tint and almost non existent tan foam rim. Taste offers spices, chocolate, dark roasted malts and syrup upfront. The barrel kicks in immediately with tons of vanilla, oak, barrel wood, bourbon, smokey whiskey, caramel and toffee mid palate. Finishes with little booze and a unique aged malt profile alongside cinnamon, raisin, prune juice, blackberries and subtle roasted coffee. Overall, a very well rounded and complex beer with tons of barrel, chocolate, vanilla and raisin in the forefront. A rating.
Crux, Bend. 2016 edition. Big raisin and bitter cocoa nib nose. Big sip, pretty dry and boozy. Alcohol heat, pretty up front but then again this is young. Dark cherries, perhaps covered in dark chocolate. Rather strong bitterness, which is fantastic. For a big BA ris this is really tight and snappy. Booze is dried out by the nice bitterness. Bakers chocolate, raisins, some vanilla bean. Great depth and complexity. Curious to see what this does with age, but I’m really enjoying the spiciness and bite of this fresh. Just delicious.
Bottle via Rakuten. Crux Tough Love BA Imperial Stout 11.5%
Deep black with virtually no head and ruby highlights. Big sweet oaky bourbon aroma. The taste is vanilla, coconut, oak and bourbon. Medium to full bodied but smooth as silk. Quite sweet but nice and a smooth sipper.
Brassin 2016 Bouteille de 375 ml partagée lors d’une dégustation entre amis. Arôme: Odeur de chocolat et de petits fruits. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un mince col beige mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de chocolat avec une pointe de bourbon et de petits fruits séchés. Longue durée de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement onctueuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût chocolaté. (Rating #7614)
375 ml bottle at jsz, thanks mattias! Near black with tan head. Aroma is discreet, bourbon and light alcohol, roasted notes, cocoa, dark chocolate. Taste is medium bodied, bourbon alcohol, dark chocolate, woody, red grapes, cocoa, roasted notes with a boozy bourbon finish.
My Bottom Line:
Blackberry jam and molasses meet dark chocolate and roastiness in this suave Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam covers the blackness with brownish hues.
-A touch of acidity balances out the sugars in the finish.
-Alcohol contributes to the roundness.
-Flavors are expressive throughout, but are never overwhelming.
Bottle.
9th March 2017
Opaque dark brown beer, good tan head. Palate is smooth and semi dry, reasonable fine carbonation. Smooth dark malts, smooth dark chocolate. Well integrated fruity bourbon. Trace of vanilla. Smooth fruity bourbon finish. My kind of Imperial Stout, no tangy shit or bitter cocoa. just thick smooth malts and lovely barreling. Nice one.
375ml bottle from Elizabeth Station. Bottled on 2016-10-31. Aroma is bourbon, vanilla, fruity notes, barrel. Taste is chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, just a little bit (but easy noticeable at the same time) spices in the background and slight booziness. Spices in the beer are just on the appropriate level, what a nice surprise! Everything is really good balanced in this beer - sweetness, both barrel and bourbon characters, spices. This beer is a reeeally good stuff!
375ml bottle at home, bought from Beer Revolution, Oakland. Black color with brown head. Malty aroma, roasted, bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, drk dried fruits, wood, cocoa. Sweet and bitter taste like aroma. Full silky oily body with soft carbonation.
Sample at EBF Saturday
Deep chocolate brown with a tan head. Earthy roasty chocolate with bits of caramel and earth. big bourbon with hints of vanilla and light coconut.
Dark brown, bubbly light brown head. Rich inky, syrupy bourbon and rich molassesy stout nose. Sweet, rich, a bit of that fruity roasty sting, softened by really decadent dark sugars.Very good, excellent balance.
375ml. Pitch Black, toasted on the edges, thin layer of water and carb on top. Smells like sitting in front of the fire drinking a glass of carmelized brandy. Slick on the tongue, cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, licorice, roasted malt. Bourbon barrel? Not so much...red wine barrel more like it. Either way, still very tasty (:
Vintage 2015 & also 2016; both 0.355l bottle: pours black oily with creamy light brown head which transforms itself to a ring around the glass. Aroma: intense dark malts&roasted grain, molasses, vanillin, dried fruits, gentle bourbon note. Flavor: roasted grain, dark malts with notes of bitter chocolate, coffee, supported with notes of bourbon, vanillin, dried fruits esters, molasses...finish is slightly sweet, dry, body thick, texture velvetly, carbonation is low.
Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured black color with an average frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate to heavy toasted chocolate and vanilla aroma. Medium to abundant body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. Medium to heavy roasted sweet flavor with a medium to heavy complex sweet finish of moderate to long duration. My high expectations where met.
Rich inky black hue with a thin light tan head. Rich robust aroma that’s amazing; full of toasted coconut and hazelnut and cocoa and a kiss of bourbon. Huge hazelnut and toasted coconut and oak and bourbon on the flavor with a mellow earthy cocoa sweetness and a boozy warm finish with a kiss of coconut and Nutella at the end. Delightful.
A very nice barrel-aged stout. Pours a deep black with a tan head. Smells of coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Taste is very thick and sweet, with chocolate and vanilla to start, followed by strawberries and bitter-sweet candy, and a slightly tart finish. Had on tap at West Coast Drinkery.
375 ml bottle shared with Tmoney99 and Chris R. Pours a dark cola brown color with a small khaki colored head. The aroma and flavor have roasted malts, molasses, dark fruits, cherry, bigger vanilla character, oak, mild bourbon, spices, softer finish, I liked this more as it warmed.
Smells like cherries with a hint of bourbon. Initial taste to hit you is smooth chocolate, followed by a fruitiness (cherries) and finishing with the warmth from the bourbon. Really, really nice beer! (K)