The last time I wrote about Town Hall's barrel-aged imperial stout Czar Jack was way back in 2013. I managed to get a full-sized growler of it, snapped it's photo, shared (most of it) with a friend, and posted my initial review from 2004. Which was written based on a sampling at the pub. So, I've never posted notes on the beer taken at home, from a growler.
If my research is correct, I've also never managed to get a growler to take home since six years ago. How is that possible? It's just that popular. Always sells out before I can get one. This year seems to be an exception. I was surprised and delighted by my luck. And now, several weeks after sitting in the fridge, I'm going to crack it open and write new notes. Why don't I save it even longer? Because I'm just not into aging growlers. Cans, bottles, maybe even crowlers (but not likely), yes. Growlers, no. Not to say it can't, or even shouldn't, be done. But I'm just not going to do it.
So, here we have it, my second time writing about this beer, Czar Jack. Old Jack Frost Imperial Stout aged in Jack Daniels barrels. (Or something similar.)Eternal darkness, utter blackness, beneath a rich brown-tinged ring of foam, slowly drifting away.
In the nose: Oak barrel char, dark chocolate, anise, smoke, espresso. Charcoal, tobacco, soot. I'm digging it.
In the mouth: All that and more, loaded on the palate. Thick, rich, powerful. Sweet, dark, bitter, beautiful. Big time bourbon, even bigger stout. Wave on wave of dark deliciousness. Full bodied, if you couldn't guess, and absolutely worth ever sip between cup and lip. I love every time that a beer this complex and luxurious is present on my tongue. It is wonderful.
This is really one of the best of the best. We are lucky to have it among us, every once in a while.
Russian Imperial Stout (Ol' Jack Frost) aged in American whiskey barrels.
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