beer_name: Dark Hollow Artisanal Ale
text: A blank cork so it must be Batch 1; Sample February 2009 The cork pops out with nary a peep. The beer pours into my 25cl tulip glass with a light carbonation that I am able to get to create a half finger thick, darkly browned head. The beer is quite black in color with perhaps a brown tint to it and it is completely opaque in its darkness when held up to the light. Nice, the barrel character has taken on a significant, sweet, toasted coconut note to it in the aroma. Lots of vanillin is the most dominant part of the nose, in fact it is hard to smell anything else except for coconut and vanillin; at least the aroma is incredibly smooth. Perhaps a hint of dark, roasted malt is noticeable towards the end, but it is quite slight. The beer has a light sweetness to it up front. It picks up a definite tartness in the middle and then the barrel character kicks in, but not aggressively so; a touch of Bourbon spiciness, notes of vanillin and some alcoholic heat that warms the throat as the beer slides down. A touch of roast character adds a bit of bitterness to the finish as well as a charred malt flavor. The mix of flavors and tartness reminds me of burnt, concentrated plums towards the middle. The barrel also brings out a nice, toasted coconut flavor. This is pretty light bodied for an Imperial Stout of this strength; it can be a little thin with the alcohol warming in the finish. Not a bad beer, I really like that the barrel character is fairly smooth all around and has lots of vanillin and coconut character. The beer is a bit thin though, it could definitely use a bit more viscous heft and richness; the additional body would work perfectly with the slight carbonation that this beer has too and would help to balance the burnt acidity and sharp roast character a bit more.