Once again, the brewers and blenders at Boatrocker have made the most of the winter chill – and the timeless reputation of their flagship barrel-aged imperial stout – in releasing a quartet of double digit, wax-sealed, dark delights whose tales are interwoven in one way or another.
Starting with the latest iteration of Ramjet, you have a beer that, in part thanks to the next-to-zero carb and minimal head, looks not unlike a post-dinner glass of Pedro Ximenez. That familiar thick choc fudge character takes centre stage, lashed with caramel sauce and decorated with Starward’s now familiar sweet whisky top notes; this year's beer spent six months in the distillery's Nova casks. Add in some aged oak sweetness from the American barrels, a figginess on the nose, and a touch of spice to lighten the body and there's much to enjoy.
Nordjet 24 – the only variant of Ramjet to make a repeat appearance – is very much one for fans of liquorice. Aged on Nordic salmiak liquorice and featuring additions of natural liquorice extract, even Blind Freddie would know what was going on here. You can pick up the liquorice from a mile away, its character so potent it overrides much of the base beer in favour of giving your palate an anise-laden battering.
Boatrocker's English style barleywine Banshee has become a stalwart of their annual release calendar too, and here piles up the stewed fruits – dates, raisins, you know the sort – with aged caramel, a whisky top note, underlying spiciness, and back palate warmth that's arguably a little more aggressive than you'd like, suggesting time in cellar would benefit this one.
Alternatively, you could do what they've done to create The Devil Is In The Detail: blending Banshee with Ramjet. The lusciousness of the imperial stout (which makes up 75 percent of the mix) serves to round out the mouthfeel and smother some of the heat from Banshee, leaving you with cacao and dark choc liqueur dominating, although still leaving room for the spiciness underpinning both to make its mark.
James Smith
Published August 13, 2024 2024-08-13 00:00:00
