Beer Review: Buffalo Trace Black Magick

Reviewing the Buffalo Trace Black Magick from Voodoo Brewing Company out of Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Score: 98

Bottle is dated 01/18/13, #391 out of 552. Served in a Goose Island Black Friday Bourbon County Brand Stout snifter and enjoyed on 12/03/13.

Appearance: Pours a deep, inky black color with two fingers of dark cinnamon head that settles to a thin coating. Good lacing, good retention. 4.5/5

Smell: From the moment the cap is removed, huge aromas of milk chocolate, pancake batter, vanilla cinnamon roll frosting and dark chocolate explode out of the bottle. The dark chocolate notes are reminisce of a very high percentage cacao bar that has a slight fruity note to it. Behind that is a very light alcohol heat, brownies, bittersweet chocolate morsels, a little raisin and brown sugary bourbon notes too. Oak and a touch of char rounds out the end of the whiff. The aroma here is quite robust. As the beer warms up, a light hop character comes through, in addition to a little tobacco and a dash of anise. This is a complex chocolate bomb on the nose, with a delightful injection of vanilla and brown sugar. 4.75/5

Taste: A nice sweet dark fruit flavor, surprisingly, hits the tongue first -- fig and raisin -- with a little brown sugar flavor too. Then notes of bitter chocolate, milk chocolate and oaky vanilla take over. There is a delicious, slightly fruity, high cacao percentage-like dark chocolate backbone to this beer, and a fudgey finish. Milk chocolate, oaky vanilla, bitter dark chocolate and faint bourbon meld on the tongue seamlessly. This beer has a long finish of fudge, oak and the high cacao, slightly fruity dark chocolate flavor. As it warms up, caramel undertones on the back half come out, in addition to a light, complementary anise character and a hint of tobacco. The rich desserty vanilla notes from the nose are dialed back in the taste, and the oak is more prominent. Almost a year old, there is virtually no alcohol heat or flavor on this 13.5% bad boy. 5/5

Mouthfeel: Just shy of full bodied, with a low level of carbonation that is good for the style and flavor profile. Nice bitter-leaning bittersweet balance on the palate. Has a nice oiliness upfront that dries out nicely on the finish. All of this lends to a good drinkability and desire to quaff more. 4.5/5

Overall: A bold, flavorful beer for a cold winter night, this epic 13.5% stout has superb balance, marvelous flavor integration, and is a chocolate lovers dream. It's dangerously drinkable, so sip with caution.

Cost: $8 for a 12 oz bottle.