Beer – #1,109 – Three Boys – Four the Ages – Imperial Oyster Stout – Part 1 – 2018

This was/is a Secret Santa present, This pack includes 4 x 330ml bottles of the Three Boys Imperial Oyster Stout, from 4 different years – 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022. It’s taken an age to get to the point of writing about them, the last one of this that I had was the 2018, and I was rather keen on it.

Except that I have of course an 18, 20, 21 and 22. I can live with that.

Three Boys Brewery make the Three Boys Imperial Oyster Stout – which is a Special Seasonal release – and they do this from 🇳🇿 Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand – the beer of course a Stout – Imperial Flavored / Pastry or an Imperial Stout, of 12.0% ABV.

“Experience the aged revolution of one of Three Boys’ cult favourite beers”. This is big news, and a big, beautiful beer! We’ve teamed up with Cryer Malt and doubled everything in our award winning Oyster Stout recipe to create this, double malt, double hops, double Bluff Oysters and double abv beer

So, What could possibly go wrong?

The 2018 version.

A really rich chocolate aroma from the bottle. Pour seems like it is almost oil thick, and it settles into a deep broody black with a lovely coffee head.

It really looks nice.

In the glass it’s lost some of that initial strong chocolate aroma but has gathered some fruits about it.

Beautiful carbonation for a super soft and smooth sip of beer. A whole travel of flavour from the initial burst right through to the warming lingering note at the back.

I’m surprised that this is not fuller and that it does not have a bigger mouthfeel is a little surprising. I’m not sure why I’d think it’d be bigger or bolder but there you are.

It is a rather nice Stout though,

A lovely chocolate smoothness from the toasted roasted oats, with a lovely softer fruit sweeter layer to rest on, with a quiet hint of warm too.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 of its things from the thing. It is rather polished and very lovely beer, I would perhaps ideally like this be bigger, if that were possible, then perhaps I might just be being greedy as there is nothing wrong with the quality, finish and drinkability of this. A splendid beer.

The double dip review

• Where did I get it? These were a gift from a secret Santa.
• Am I enjoying it? I am, it feels very decadent.
• Would I have another? I have 3 more different vintages , so I’m rather smugly happy.
• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would indeed, this is classy beer.

Music for this:  Caroline And Claude – Nan’s USB.

Stout – Imperial Flavored / Pastry

The “Flavored Imperial Stout”, or “Flavored Double Stout” is an intensely-flavored, big, very dark reddish-brown to black colored ale with a wide range of flavor balances and with a clear flavoring element. Roasty-burnt malt with deep dark or dried fruit flavors, and a warming, bittersweet finish. American versions have more bitterness, roasted character, and finishing hops, while the English varieties, or “Russian Imperial Stout” (RIS), reflect a more complex specialty malt character and a more forward ester profile. It also feature an harmonious marriage of the additive and beer, but still recognizable as a beer. The additive character should be evident but in balance with the beer. (For example: fruits, spices, herbs, vegetables, coffee, honey, chocolate, maple sirup, chilies, nuts, vanilla, liquor – BUT not including Smoked malt, barrel-aging or a Sour element resulting from the brewing process). In the case of over-the-top, highly sweet, adjunct-heavy stouts reminiscent of a liquid version of cake or pastry, the name “Dessert Stout” or “Pastry Stout” if often used.

IMPERIAL STOUT

Imperial stouts are usually extremely dark brown to black in color with flavors that are intensely malty, deeply roasted and sometimes with accents of dark fruit (raisin, fig) or milk sourness. The bitterness is typically medium and often the low sie of that. Imperial stouts are strong and often exceed 8% by volume.