Neverending chocolate. Better than ba ten fidy. Pours thinner than I expected but didn't seem thin on the mouthfeel. Smooth, especially as it warmed and never reached a point where it was too warm, great all the way. Didn't have much of a bite for a RIS, must have mellowed in the barrel. Noticed some dark fruit aromas from time to time. Nice barrel quality for a relatively short time in the wood.

Boozy, thick hot chocolate. Kind of sweet as it warmed but no complaints. I was pretty full when I had it so that probably had an effect. It's great to be able to try the base beer and the barrel aged version. Top notch stuff.

So much pineapple. Probably pretty bitter, too, but I hardly notice that anymore. Not at all what I expected. Huge pineapple aroma, flavor had a lot of malty depth to it. Wish I had time to savor it some more. Really nice. Doesn't approach Lupine for pineapple, or even NvU as an IIPA.

Still fantastic. No drop-off but my preference center's around the three year mark. Barrel-aged is great but not what I want all the time. Perfect with beef stew.

Nearly 3 years old and this is in it's prime.

Yep, this is my definition of Russian Imperial Stout.

Rich, roasty but not a harsh roasty, dark chocolate, toasted nuts, coffee aroma. This is about as good as any RIS I've had. Sadly, it was over $1/oz in the vintage 2 pack with an engraved snifter. Haven't had a chance to buy it otherwise. I'll sit on the other one for another 5 years and see what happens.

Huge asterisk to this review: there was an algae like disc that had setteld at the bottom of the bottle (I assume) and ended up floating in my glass. Infection? Just residue? I only had one bottle and I'm not willing to shell out for another to compare. Really disappointed in this one, especially at the price point (luckily this was a gift). Body is thinner than ideal but that's easily forgivable. Plenty of barrel in the aroma but there's a tartness in the flavor that shouldn't be. The rest of the beer wasn't enough to overcome that deficiency. Sticky mouthfeel, despite being thin. Possible minor infection? Some espresso and a bit of chocolate. Drinkable but not one I particularly savored.

Hops came out much more with the Teku. My first real success with that glass.

Smells great, tropical fruit. But the caramel malt sweetness, as light as it is, is enough to mess with the flavors to the point where it doesn't taste all that hoppy. It doesn't fit the profile for most IPAs, so it probably has a niche. But I don't drink IPAs for the malt.

Much better than it was a month ago. Nice and buttery.

Unknown date of consumption. Forgot to record an entry somewhere.

Hops came out much more with the Teku. My first real success with that glass.

Smells great, tropical fruit. But the caramel malt sweetness, as light as it is, is enough to mess with the flavors to the point where it doesn't taste all that hoppy. It doesn't fit the profile for most IPAs, so it probably has a niche. But I don't drink IPAs for the malt.

Much better than it was a month ago. Nice and buttery.

Unknown date of consumption. Forgot to record an entry somewhere.

I don't like tripels. It's probably good. I just don't like it. I poured most of it out.

Don't drink this fully refrigerated. It's all bitter chocolate and coffee roast. When it warms just a bit all kinds of complexity and sweetness come out. At the right temp it's beautiful.

Smells great, and it's refreshing. But every sip makes me wish it was an IPA.