Great Lakes Barrel Aged Blackout Stout 4Pk

Great Lakes Barrel Aged Blackout Stout 4Pk is a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout from Cleveland, Ohio, packaged as a 4-pack at 12.5% ABV. Scoring a 96 on BeerAdvocate, this limited release stands as Great Lakes Brewing Company's signature barrel-aged offering — and one of the most acclaimed beers in the brewery's history.

Quick Facts: ABV: 12.5%  |  Origin: Cleveland, Ohio, USA  |  Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout  |  Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Great Lakes Brewing Company was founded in 1988 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Conway in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, making it one of Ohio's pioneering craft breweries. Barrel Aged Blackout Stout is aged for months in bourbon barrels, allowing the base imperial stout to absorb layers of oak, vanilla, and bourbon character. The beer commemorates the infamous 2003 Northeast blackout that left roughly 55 million people without power — a fitting namesake for a brew this dark and imposing. Notably, this has been the only barrel-aged beer in Great Lakes' lineup across their decades of brewing, making each release a focused event rather than a routine bottling.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Roasted malt and dark chocolate dominate the nose immediately, followed by hints of bourbon-soaked oak and a thread of vanilla. A faint coffee roast rounds out the aromatics with a warm, inviting depth.

Taste: The entry is rich with bittersweet chocolate and deeply roasted malt, moving into a mid-palate where bourbon warmth and subtle woodiness emerge. A gentle sweetness builds — part vanilla, part toffee — balanced by the dry, roasty backbone of the base stout. The 12.5% ABV is present but remarkably well-integrated, contributing a velvety boozy sweetness rather than harsh heat.

Finish: Medium-long, with lingering coffee char and dark fruit trailing into faint toffee. The bourbon barrel influence persists as a soft oak dryness that invites the next sip.

How to Drink Barrel Aged Blackout Stout

Serve at cellar temperature, around 50–55°F, in a snifter or tulip glass to concentrate the complex aromatics. Pouring too cold mutes the bourbon barrel character and chocolate depth. This is a sipping beer best enjoyed slowly as it warms in the glass and reveals new layers. For those interested in beer cocktails, it works in a Stout Float paired with vanilla bean ice cream, where the bourbon barrel notes play off the cream beautifully. A Black Velvet variation — blending it with sparkling wine — creates a dramatic contrast of effervescence and roasted richness. It also anchors a Beer Old Fashioned, reduced into a syrup with bitters and orange peel, for an inventive riff on the classic.

Best For

• Gifting a craft beer enthusiast who appreciates rare barrel-aged releases
• Winter evening tastings alongside other imperial stouts for a side-by-side comparison
• Celebrating a milestone with a beer that rewards slow, contemplative drinking
• Building a cellar collection — the high ABV and barrel character develop with careful aging

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Barrel Aged Blackout Stout taste like? It leads with rich dark chocolate and roasted malt, layered with bourbon warmth, vanilla, coffee, and a subtle toffee sweetness from months spent in bourbon barrels. The body is smooth and full, with well-integrated 12.5% alcohol.

How does Barrel Aged Blackout Stout compare to Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout? Both are Midwestern bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts with prominent chocolate and bourbon character, though Bourbon County tends toward a denser, more syrupy body with higher ABV variations. Blackout Stout at 12.5% ABV presents a slightly more approachable weight while still delivering deep barrel complexity and a 96 BeerAdvocate rating that puts it in elite company.

Is Barrel Aged Blackout Stout good for sipping neat? Absolutely — this is primarily a sipping beer, best enjoyed at cellar temperature in a snifter or tulip glass where its layered bourbon barrel character and roasted malt complexity can fully develop.

Where is Barrel Aged Blackout Stout made? It is brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, a brewery founded in 1988 that helped establish the Ohio craft beer scene.

What foods pair well with Barrel Aged Blackout Stout? Smoked brisket works well, as the char and fat complement the roasted malt backbone. Dark chocolate truffles echo the beer's cocoa notes. Blue cheese like Roquefort provides a salty contrast to the bourbon sweetness. Coffee-rubbed short ribs mirror the coffee and roast flavors. Bread pudding with caramel sauce aligns with the toffee and vanilla undertones.

What sizes does Barrel Aged Blackout Stout come in? This release is packaged as a 4-pack, the standard retail format for Great Lakes Brewing Company's barrel-aged series.

Is Barrel Aged Blackout Stout worth the price? It positions as a premium craft release, and its 96 BeerAdvocate rating, bourbon barrel aging, and status as Great Lakes' only barrel-aged beer justify the price within the barrel-aged imperial stout category, where comparable releases often carry similar or higher price points.

Why Barrel Aged Blackout Stout?

In a barrel-aged stout landscape crowded with annual releases, Barrel Aged Blackout Stout stands apart as the sole barrel-aged offering from one of Ohio's founding craft breweries. The 96 BeerAdvocate score reflects genuine critical consensus, not hype. Extended bourbon barrel aging transforms an already formidable imperial stout base into something layered with oak, vanilla, and whiskey warmth while maintaining a drinkability that belies its 12.5% ABV. For a brewery that has spent over three decades building its reputation on balance and restraint, this is the one beer where Great Lakes goes deliberately, unapologetically big.