Great Lakes Barrel Aged Blackout Stout
A Handcrafted Imperial Stout Aged in Oak Barrels from Cleveland, Ohio.
4.1
657 reviews
Cleveland, United States
Community reviews
draft sampler that poured motor oil black with smallish mocha colored head. nice nose of deep roasted malts, dried dark fruits, coffee, bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate. rich and thick mouth feel absolutely golden or I should say black. very well balanced and so full of flavors.
10/20/16. Draft at Criterion. As one reviewer said, hard to believe they cold make Blackout better. Barrel aged on draft it's pretty darn good. Pitch black w minimal head. Super thick viscous mouth w lots of dried fruit and licorice. Not sure where reviewers are picking up the bourbon. Mmmmm
Pours pitch black with a small beige head. Smells roasty, chocolate, and hints of oak. Taste is sweet, oak and vanilla, subtle roast and chocolate. Full-bodied with a smooth texture and soft mouth-carbonation, Great Lakes Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout finishes with a pleasant boozy sweetness.
355 ml bottle at home. Black color with beige head. Roasted malty aroma, licorice, chocolate, caramel, dark fruits, dried fruits, wood, alcohol, vinous in the beginning more bourbony when it gets warmer. Sweet and bitter taste like aroma. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.
Bottle, as a gift. Pours out a black beer with a small amount of brownish head on top. Aroma has bourbon notes, rich molasses and a whole lotta chocolate. Flavor is very chocolate forward, with hints of vanilla and bourbon in the background. A bit watery in the mouthfeel and gets a bit one-dimensional after a while. Has a woody, sweet watery aftertaste, softly carbonated.
July 28, 2015. Bottle, vintage 2014, tasting at jtclockwork’s, thanks for sharing!
Dark brown, almost black with a small tan head. Aroma is light roasted malts, notes of dark chocolate, coffee, some toffee, vanilla, oak, toasted coconut, bourbon. Taste is medium sweet, light to medium bitter with sweet toffee, vanilla, raisins in the finish along with, oak, toasted coconut and some bitter roasted notes and a hint of warming bourbon. Medium to full bodied, soft carbonation.
aroma is coffee and roasted grains. flavor is well balanced, some chocolate, some coffee, and some bourbon. pours brown with a thin tan head. had at lincoln station.
2015 bottle. Thanks Miguel. Aroma is sweetened bourbon, molasses, and chocolate. Tastes like bourbon and cocoa with light smoke and chocolate. Good stuff.
At DHT. Pours black with a small sticky head. Tastes creamy with a slight chocolate vanilla cocoa taste
---Rated via Beer Buddy
Opaque deep brown, minimal head. Strong vanilla, some tannic oak, alcohol, light earthiness. Quite bitter, some initial lighter sweetness, progressing to very dry. Medium heavy body, long finish. Low carbonation. Excellent.
Medium thickness mouthfeel. Dark black body with a lighter brown thin head. Aroma is a dull cocoa smell. Good chocolate taste with hints of caramel.
Draft at Hopcat GR - 2013 vintage - pours an oily black with thin tan head . Sweet bourbon and roasted barley aroma . Taste brings hints of oak , sweet bourbon that is balanced by loads of roasted barley , even a little dried dark fruit . Excellent .
2014 Bottle I had stored for about a year. Wish I had bought one for immediate consumption for comparison because this is fantastic. Poured a pitch black with a thin Khaki head that dissipates immediately. Aroma is wonderful. Up front your getting your bourbon. Oak, Vanilla, anise, smoke, and dark chocolate. Flavor is bourbon and chocolate cake.. Full bodied. Very slick texture. alcohol is present with a slight dry finish.
Bottle. Brown pour with tan head. Swee, roasted, barrel aromas. Chocolate, roasted, bourbon and sweet flavors.
Pours a deep dark brown almost black like oil with just a little thinner viscosity and khaki colored head. Bourbon, roasted malts, coffee, and dark chocolate on the nose; follows onto the palate. Finishes with a bourbon warmth and chocolatey depth.
Bottle, thanks Chris! Nearly opaque black beer, slight head fades to thinnest ring. Aroma big bourbon and vanilla, dried plums and cherries, toasted barley, molasses, lots of alcohol fumes. Taste is bourbon, dried plums, coffee, vanilla, oak. This bottle is labeled 2013 and it’s still hot. What was it like fresh?! Palate is thick but not syrupy, carbonation very subdued. Finish is mercifully dry and roasty, and boozy.
Aroma is bourbon coffee and roasted malts, not as big as some, but very good, silky and smooth, so nice
I never thought blackout stout could get better. I love how the burbon accentuate the rich stout flavor
Black little to no head; aroma is of bourbon with vanilla notes; Flava is rich malty molasses alcohol notes; feels medium some creaminess and lively fizz; finishes tangy roasty mildly hop spicy and woody
Bottle @ home. Opaque dark brown to black color, medium sized light to medium brown colored head that diminishes fairly quickly. Aroma is malts, roasted malts, balanced bourbon, slightly vanilla. Taste malts, roasted malts, bourbon again nicely balanced but still up front, slightly vanilla, dark malts, a slight hint of liquorice in the distance with a hint of chocolate in the finish. Soft bitterness, soft carbonation, creamy mouthfeel. Absolutely lovely beer.
bottle courtesy of tom10101, many thanks bro! pours unclear dark brown with a medium dark crema head, nice lacing. tasty sweetish bourbon, burnt caramel, forêt-noire cake, maple syrup and molasses sweetness - not cloying; lightly tart cherries, vanilla, wood and some tannins, pinch of dirt. light carbonation, medium-full body, sweet and bourbony finish. very good!
2014 bottle from flandersned-thanks, Steve! Dark, medium body, bit light for the style, low carbonation. Subdued nose until it warms, then light sweet booze, some dark malts. Light but slightly hot booze, sweet and roast malts, with dark chocolate, vanilla and distinct bourbon flavors. One of those thinner BA imperial stouts that kind of make me think of a vanilla coke. Quite enjoyable but not your brooding, complex impy.
Vicious dark black pour, smaller head. Huge bourbon and dark chocolate aroma. Sweet, with bourbon barrel prominent but not overpowering. Vanilla, dark coffee, dark chocolate, oak. Thick body with an oily mouthfeel. Loved it!
Pours almost black, though much lighter than any other of this style I’ve seen. Aroma is notes of chocolate and espresso, but kind of mild. Whiskey barrel aging makes itself an obvious taste upfront, and on each sip toward the bottom of the glass. Quickly mellows into semi sweet chocolate and roasted malts. Decent brew overall, but not a great example of an imperial stout. I don’t much enjoy whiskey, so perhaps I’m not being exactly objective.
12 oz bottle. Preparing myself for Festival of Dark Arts in a few days. Bottle poured at 54F. Oily black pour with thin, short-lived tan head. Aroma: this is nice. Dark fruit first - my first thought is "wine/port/stout blend." Vanilla. Chocolate-covered grape. Oak. Caramelized sugar, molasses -- in some respects, this reminds me of gingerbread cookie dough, and my mind is filling in the gaps with cinnamon and cloves. Yum. Taste follows. This is a sweet stout for sure, with lightly roasty finish. Some cardboard with lasting alcohol warmth. Palate: full body, slick oily texture, soft carbonation. Overall: yeah, I can get behind this. A larger alcohol presence in the taste / finish than I’d prefer, but the sweet dark fruit component in this is really nice.
Had at brewery. White head. Served cold. Super boozy and chocolate nose. Body super creamy. Like a lacto stout almost. Flavor is very sweet and alcoholic. Barrel character is more obvious in the aroma. Subtle in flavor. This is as promised.
Poured on tap at 2015 Great Lakes Bottle Release of BA Blackout Stout party. Darkest of black with minimal dark tan head.
Aroma is light roasted sweet cocoa with a tad of bourbon. Coffee but over the top.
Flavor is off the map smooth chocolate. Coffee is more subtle. Bourbon so good but not crazy. The balance of this brew is incredible to the palate. Grateful to have snagged 2 cases at the bottle release.
My favorite of the 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 I have been blessed to consume. Flat out beautifully done by GL considering this is the ONLY barrel aged brew they do in their 25 years of brewing.
On tap at Busters pours a dark brown/black with a large khaki tan head. Aroma of chocolate, molasses, caramel with a sweet balanced bourbon presence. Smooth palate, very well balanced. Chocolate, molasses, vanilla, mild oak, bourbon, some roasted malts. There is a simple yet complex balance that makes this really nice!
Free bottle from free beer week. Thanks! Pours a dark blackish brown with a slight brown head that quickly dissipates. Aromas of vanilla, nutty toasted grains, cocoa powder. Taste has all the components. Sweet with a slight bourbon feel and that slightly acrid finish. Really great stuff all around.
Bottle shared thanks to artmcd8. Poured almost black with thinning beige head. Aroma of choco vanilla chalk. Light carb med bod. Sweet smooth bourbon. Nice