Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.0 IBU: 40.0

90/100

Aroma:	11
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	18
Mouthfeel:	4

Judaculla Nantahala Brewing Company

What the brewers say

“Judaculla (pronounced JOOda KULLa) is our Russian imperial stout made with local sorghum syrup and wildflower honey and aged in Jack Daniels barrels for three months. Judaculla, or Tsul'kalu, is a Cherokee beast of legend. This slant-eyed Master of Game was said to have had seven toes on each foot and left marks in earth and rock when he jumped up and down.”

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Cocoa powder and roast, with some whiskey and cherry esters peeking out here and there. Dark chocolate and rich malt, along with vanilla and toasted marshmallow. Heavy roast and French roast coffee.”

Flavor: “Rich and slightly sweet cocoa powder, with something approaching the perceived tartness of cherries. Lots of chocolate, with a bit of vanilla and oak. The medium dark roast helps to dry things out, but the sweetness carries through and fades at the end of the sip, making way for a bit of bitterness and alcohol on the finish. The velvety body drives this beer, heightening the chocolaty base, and accentuating the vanilla barrel character. Well balanced.”

Overall: “This is a really nice beer. The roast and tartness play off each other well, but the flavors are kind of overpowering. The alcohol becomes slightly harsh as it warms. The beer and barrel are in great balance—neither outshines the other, and that makes for a pleasant drinking experience.”

What our editors thought

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REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Big Grove Brewery and Taproom Richard the Whale

“Subdued aroma highlights fruity esters, oak, spirits with a hint of chocolate, raisin, toast. Nice balance between the barrel and the beer. Flavor is sharply boozy, with the roast elements subsumed in the boozy concoction. Clean and focused on the booze. Enjoyable, but lacks complexity. Oddly sweet. Simple.”

Two Roads Brewing Co Igor's Dream

“Aroma is a lovely blend of rye and whiskey. The flavor is carried by chocolate, coffee, toast with low cherry, fig esters. Hops are higher in this one, with an odd dill/herbal note.”

Trillium Brewing PM Dawn

__Aroma:__ “Huge morning java, aromatic dark roast coffee that’s robust and inviting. It’s almost oily and acidic, and if it were warmer, I might guess it was a fresh cup of specialty coffee. It has a slight ashy edge from being over-roasted, with some dark and milk chocolate, vanilla, dark fruit, and tobacco.” __Flavor:__ “The flavor delivers the same rich coffee effect, with a stronger sense of vanilla and brown sugar. It’s roasty with a touch of acidity, and it’s sweet without being cloying. A very nice base stout with plenty of chocolate and vanilla character, brown sugar, cherry, and date. The chocolate malt and caramel remind me that this is a beer.” __Overall:__ “This is an exemplary coffee beer in terms of balance and the blend of the coffee character and stout—it’s a great complex mix of flavors. It’s sweet, but thanks to the alcohol warming, it’s not cloyingly sweet, and that’s to be expected for an imperial-strength beer. There’s no perfect beer, but this is incredibly smooth and drinkable for an imperial stout.”

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