Town Hall Czar Jack Imperial Stout
Russian Style Imperial Stout aged for ten months in oak barrels. Rich and delicious.
4
264 reviews
Minneapolis, United States
Community reviews
Bottle at tasting. Pours very dark brown to black in color with a smaller reddish tan head. The aroma and flavor have a combination of some sweeter malts, caramel, toffee with darker roasted malts that provide bitter chocolate and coffee notes. Decent barrel character comes through. I would love a bigger sample in a different setting.
Bottle. Black beer with a brown head. Dried dark fruits, malty, coffee, chocolate. oak aroma with some ashy notes. Chocolate, licorice, dark dried fruits, malty. coffee and oaky flavour.
Bottle shared at Richard’s Graduation Party (Western Springs, IL). Thanks, guys! Pours a rich deep thicker black pour, dark and ominous hues. A frothy brownish head atop films ok, laces not bad. Aromas are some decent barrel presence, vanilla and some warming whiskey. Touches of oak, roast, and cocoa. Mellow coffee, growing roast element as it warms meets the caramel, toffee, and roastiness. Initial is heavier end of the fold, though not thick and brooding. Roasty, some toast, decent barrel presence hits the palate. Barrel is well integrated, not overly thinned. A touch spicy as we round the corner. Some spirit, gentle oxidation, roast and caramel. Woody, yet not hot. Full yet not sticky and messy. A bit of roastiness, faint dark fruit, and firmer oak, spirit linger on as we finish. A bit toasty, tannic, and spirity as it completes. Well done. The barrel is a good compliment but not overwhelming. Nice.
From a growler at Crooked Stave party (thanks Matt) - Poured a motor oil black with a small white head. Nose has a nice woody bourbon note with a touch of vanilla. Taste is velvety smooth with cocoa and malts overtoned with the bourbon wood dryness. Palate was slick with some hints of fruits on the finish. Very nice....
Pour is pitch black, with a nicely looking mocha-brown slightly frothy head. Aroma of leather, slight chocolate, some coffee notes appears when this starts to warm up a bit. Some berry notes in here as well. Lots and lots of dry oak. The taste is slightly sweet upfront, with quite some bitterness to it, and faint sour hints. Medium bodied, with a slight fizzy carb. Thanks to the Jeffo for handing over this one;)
Growler. Finally, a pour of CJ that isn't infected! Rich and full of flavor, barrel character complements the underlying stout. Still suffers from CW Syndrome (lack of body); a nice BA stout nonetheless.
Growler from a trade on BA. Pours near black with beautiful dark tan head. Aromas of rich roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, and oak barrel. Flavors of deeply roasted malts, nice barrel note, chocolate, touch of coffee, caramel, and enough hop bitterness to round it out. Really nice BA stout. Held up nice 3 weeks after growler was filled and shipped too.
Growler, sent from mista (thanks a lot, Geoff!), pours jet black with a small brown head - beautiful looking. Nose is luxurious, full of oak barrels, wood, high quality dark chocolate, roasted malt and a little vanilla. Flavour is remarkably complex and luxurious, with velvety chocolate, moderate wood, a bit of vanilla, and great use of the oak barrels. The woody oak notes are what is left lingering, along with some melted dark chocolate. Palate is velvety, as noted, with amazing complexity. The oak barrels are used perfectly, neither dominating nor barely noticeably - perfectly situated amongst everything going on. Carbonation is soft and well-suited for the flavour profile. An absolutely wonderful barrel-aged impie that lives up to its hype.
Draft at Town Hall Brewery, the week following Barrel Aged Week 2013. Pours a jet black color with a big tan head that quickly recedes. Aroma is chocolate, oak, bourbon, vanilla. Medium to heavy on the palate with light, soft carbonation. Flavor is sweet, chocolate, roasty, bourbon, some alcohol heat, a little oak, with a sweet, roasty finish. A very nice BA Impy Stout.
On tap during the barrel aged preview. Great smoothness here and some interesting side flavor additions like a coconut element.
Bottle from the 2012 release, thanks Matty and Marks! (Not infected bottle) Pours a jet black with tan head that is bigger than I expected. Aroma is coffee, malt, pecan pie. Taste is oak barrel up front, kinda the first time for that , toffee, light coffee grounds and some odd hop stuff going on. Overall, rad beer 6 months after bottling.
Black of color with a beige head. An aroma of ash, spicy, roasted, oak and weak pepper. A flavor of roasted malt, liqurice, sour, redwine, oak and chocolate.
Courtesy of Motherbrother - thanks! Aroma reveals a hint of freshly grinded coffee, black malts, black currants, very similar to an oak aged red wine - barrels seem to be used and don’t show any of the bourbon it used to store. Dark berries like black berries and currants are very evident, definitely not your average BA imperial stout. Taste is dry and intensely tannic - black currants and roasted tartness, huge woody oak profile which makes the beer resemble an oak aged red wine - think cabernet. Liquorice and dark chocolate in the finish. Very different and interesting, although far from what I expected.
Nice ba stout. Sweet caramel and some fruitiness. Not really a multi faceted stout but good.
Bottle (bomber), courtesy of _angst_. Black with beige head. Strong salmiak roasted aroma, with coffee, tar, and strong vanilla and coconut barrel notes. Medium bodied, low carbonation. Semi dry, salty bitterness.
(Bottle) Pours black creamy brown head. The aroma holds deep malt with notes of dark bread, creamy chocolate, touch off coffee powder and liquorice. Undertones of brown sugar, balanced vanilla/coconut oak, cream, peanuts and blueberries. The flavor is light sweet, near medium bitter and light acidic with notes of perfect roast (a perfect malt bill), balanced oak, some blueberries, liquorice, tobacco and subtle hops. A bit too sour. The mouthfeel is smooth and velvety with a soft carbonation. Balanced and yummy finish. Medium to full bodied. Fantastic, maybe a tad bit infected.
750 ml bottle received in trade. Thank you Pandableh! Pours oily viscous pitch black with a nice-looking frothy dark mocha head that slowly dissipates while sticking to the glass leaving some thick lacing on the glass. Smell is sweet and malty with roasted malts, quality dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, vanilla fudge, roasted coconut, charred wood, chocolate cake, black pepper, burnt caramel, toffee and sweet dark bread. Taste is sweet, bitter, tiny sour and malty with roasted malts, bitter chocolate, dark roast coffee, prunes, brown sugar, vanilla fudge, roasted caramelized nuts, pine, lemon zest, moist soil, moist wood and sweet dark bread. Mouthfeel is round, smooth, soft, silky and full bodied. Finish is sweet and bitter with roasted malts, dark quality chocolate, dark roast coffee, pumpernickel, dark honey, coconut, charred wood and vanilla fudge. If it wasn’t for the weird sourness this could have been the perfect beer.
Bottle at USA comes to Skövde. Pitch black beer with a nice brown head that leaves quite quickly. Malty vinous chocolate aroma, figs, plums, dades, cocoa, licorice, licorice, coffee, some oak, quite nicely mixed. Hoppy roasted flavor, biscuits, acidic, hay, raisins, dades, roasted, coffee, oak, licorice. A bit sourish and that’s too bad, since this beer has huge potential.
Sampled at UCTS testing. Pours pitch black with a big brown head. Smells abit creamy chocolate, caramel roasted malt. Tastes bubbly roasted malt, abit creamy chocolate.
Bottle @ rlgk’s tasting. Pours pitch black with a nice creamy tanned head leaving lace. Aroma is sweet roasted malty dark fruits raisins soy fidges grapes. Flavor is a bit too acidy roasted soy ashy bitter fruity very bitter which takes over a bit too much. Finishes bitter roasted and dry.
Sampled at USSkovde
Pitch black. Dark, beige head.
Sweet, vinous, salty chocolate and sweet fruits.
Vinous, milky chocolate in the flavour.
Surprisingly light body. Slightly sourish.
From 0.75 L bottle enjoyed @Papsoe’s summer tasting session. Jet black. Low rusty brown head. Strong barrel notes in the aroma. A whiff of bourbon, and hint of sweet licorice and vanilla. Dryish chalky mouthfeel. More than medium full. Taste is oaky with lots a roasted dark malts. Surprisingly fruity. Dried yellow fruits with a wee note of lactic acids. Finishes roasted and malty with some bitterness and a tart fruity edge.
On tap at GTMW 2012. Dark black with a creamy tan head. Aroma of bourbon, oak, dark roasted malts and chocolate. Taste of chocolate, vanilla, mild bourbon, oak, roasted malt and light coffee.
Pours a beautiful pitch black with brown head. Silky mouthfeel was really nice and the low carbonation was perfect. Aroma is very heavy chocolate and dark fruits. Taste is medium to high sweetness with flavor notes of raisins, mollases, dark fruits, and chocolate. Pretty nice but missing a roasty or oaky element that i had hoped for.
sweetish malty imp stout, not very roasty or have much for bourbon characteristics, people love these but I’d prefer others
750mL red wax thanks to Emily. Inky pour with medium, reddish head. Spotty lace. Nose is spicy meat, chili bowl, big green olive brine. Taste is over carbonated, dry, rained, salty. A bit harsh and acrid with no body. Very effervescent with too much carbonation. My first thought was this was infected. Disappointing.
A-- Poured a jet black color. Quite visible carbonation as got a three finger mocha colored head. Not what I expected at all. Head receded to a thick foam and left some visible lacing.
S-- Quite mild really. Mostly roast and chocolate. Just very slight oak and bourbon. Did not think it was barrels very long but the roast and chocolate character was quite nice as it warmed up.
T-- This can not be happening. Sour cherry and sour lacto. UGH. Just UGH.
M-- Sourness just builds in the mouth and overshadows the rest. Quite infected. What a bummer. Really sad to say the least. Was literally undrinkable.
O-- Been quite lucky in trading and not getting infected beers. Things happen and would still want to try this again but will not give up a lot to get it though. SIGH. Was a drain pour.
I feel bad giving it such a bad score, but I ended up with an infected bottle. Bourbon and tart aroma, tried to drink it, but it was just too sour, drainpour.....
8/11/12. GTMW. Rich black pour with a nice tan head. Awesome aroma with plenty of coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla, fudge, cream, and oak. Slightly less present in the flavor but still quite tasty. Definitely glad to have snagged a taste!
On tap at GTMW - Pours black and thick with a tan head. Nose is molasses, brown sugar--not overly sweet. Cocoa and light roast notes. Taste is the same, sweet up front, roast on the finish, with big brown sugar. Milkshake thick. Imperial stouts aren’t my thing these days, but this was pretty tasty in a small quantity.