BlackStack Black Is Beautiful Imperial Stout

 BlackStack Black Is Beautiful Imperial Stout, or, --sigh--Double Pastry Stout---sigh...

10.9 % ABV. BlackStack Brewing, St. Paul, MN. 

Another local edition of the nationwide collaboration, this one pulls out all the stops. 

Solid blackness, rich brown ring of foam above. 

In the nose: A whirlwind of complexities abound in this nose, peanut butter and chocolate in charge, rum barrel effects coming up from behind. Earthy, malty, and yeah, I can pick up the banana, too. Interesting. 

In the mouth: Yum-a-dum-dum. Flat Out, from the start, YADD. And the alcohol springs apace in this one, too. Boom! Rich and thick malt, with all the accompanying adjuncts in full display. Big chocolate, some of that peanut butter, a little bit of cinnamon, and a taste of banana, too. Rich, thick, full and long lasting on the palate. Big and bountiful. 

In a nutshell, or as they say these days, TLDR, : YADD.

Partially aged in Rum Barrels & treated with Peanut Butter, Bananas, Tahitian Vanilla, Vietnamese Cinnamon & Cacao Nibs from Pinella Brother Chocolate. Collaboration with Weathered Souls Brewing to support justice and equality for people of color. 

Oliphant A Dog's Permbus Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout with Banana and Vanilla Wafers

Oliphant A Dog's Permbus Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout with Banana and Vanilla Wafers.
10 % ABV. Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI.

Something tells me this is Jeremy's Got Talent aged in bourbon barrels provided by Zipp's Liquors of Minneapolis, one of two Minneapolis liquor stores that collaborated with Oliphant in this fashion.
(I didn't need to travel all the way to East Franklin Avenue to get this one, I got it in Somerset.)
The other was A Risk of Cats, with 1010 Washington. I'm stumped about what movie inspires this beer's name and illustration is spoofing. Maybe it'll come to me later.

Complete and utter blackness, fully opaque, with a slim, roasted tan head on top.

In the nose: Dark malts, deep flavors, soon revealing the banana, the vanilla, but not yet the barrel. It's coming, though, slowly but surely.

In the mouth: Big, full, & rich. Massive malt flavors. Bittersweet, but balanced. And underneath the cocoa and the char, emerges hints of banana and traces of vanilla. Just enough sweetness from the adjuncts to shine through the darkness. Everything is in correct order here, nothing dominates or overpowers. Pretty smooth, while remaining quite yum a dum dum. That's all there is to say.
Just yum a dum, dum.

Now it's time to read that copy on the side of the crowler. And I don't feel like transcribing it. Can't someone else do it? It's funny, though, and makes little sense.

Alright, no takes, huh? Here goes: Daniel, the labradoodle you know and love, is enjoying sweet success as a mobile dog perm operator. All of his friends and family get to try out his new dog doos and tell him if they are doo doos! or doo nots! 
and so on, and so forth, it's too long, I can't do it, even in quarantine!

Oliphant Jeremy's Got Talent Imperial Stout with bananas and vanilla wafers

Oliphant Jeremy's Got Talent Imperial Stout with bananas and vanilla wafers.
10 % ABV. Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI.

Normally, I would shy away from something like this. Bananas? Vanilla wafers? What? But it's Oliphant, so I have to try it. Like back when I was a Marvel zombie. I had to have them all in my collection. The No-Prize Book. The Fumetti issue. All the What Ifs. US-1. Secret Wars 1 and 2. Dazzler. Crystar, Crystal Warrior. That one Marvel Team-Up where Aunt May became the Herald of Galactus.
 Let's drink it and complete my collection.

Thorough blackness. Slim brown head, settling swiftly.

In the nose: Dark malt. Cocoa and ....it's missing many of the usual suspects, perhaps supplanted by whatever 'nanas and 'Nilla provides...if anything. In time, they file in: smoke, char, chocolate.

In the mouth: there they are, the richness of the dark, chocolate malts. a slight sweetness, minor hops, and wonderfully warm feeling on the palate. Sweetness comes through, and surely the bananas and wafers have something to do with it. Okay, the bananas are opening up now. Not too shabby. I'm digging it now. Digging it big time.

who has talent? jeremy has talent. but that’s not to say you don’t. i just got a really good deal on it and had to horde most of it. i hope you understand.

imperial stout w/ banana and vanilla wafers. 10% abv