Afternoon Beer Break: Black Horizon Campfire Fun

Along with the Black Horizon Stealing Sunshine that I had come in via a new #Beerstagram community friend (Just.Me.and.My.Beer), we also had another bottle come along for the ride. This one was one I was saving for a special occasion. Well, it was my birthday the other day, and I thought that merited breaking open the Black Horizon Campfire Fun, and then review it for all of you.

Now, I?m a fan of camping and the smell of woodsmoke, particularly in cooler temps, so the Black Horizon Campfire Fun seemed like a perfect choice. I?d had a smoked porter before (quite tasty) and I?ve had bourbon barrel stouts before (also tasty), but I?ve not run across the combination of the two before. So, it was with great anticipation that I cracked the wax seal on the bottle and popped the cap.

Pouring the Black Horizon Campfire Fun out into a glass, you definitely know it?s a stout – it?s a rich, dark brown (verging on black) in the glass, with a creamy tan head. When your nose gets close to the glass, you quickly pick up on the sweet bourbon scent, which then follows through to the first sip. In fact, I was surprised by how sweet this beer was, to be honest. Though, almost to counteract it a little bit, there was a hint of a sourness lurking about there, as well as the normal creamy stout goodness that you expect from a, well, stout. For it being labelled as smoked, I was not picking up much of a smoke flavor or scent. I think the bourbon barrel aging ended up masking a lot of that.

Sometimes, when you crack up a frosty brew, you know exactly what to expect, even if it?s not one you had before. Other times – as happened with me with the Black Horizon Campfire Fun – you go into it with one expectation and are surprised (could be good, could be bad, that?s up to you) by what you actually end up tasting. I?d say if you?re looking for a strong (12.2% ABV on this) and sweet stout, you?ll want to search out the Black Horizon Campfire Fun. blackhorizonbrewing.com

Review Summary

Overall Rating: 3.25 / 5
Buddy we?d recommend it to: someone who likes their stouts (and their bourbon) sweet

Would I pick it up again: Tough call. I?m not one for sweet beers, generally. That said, I could see having a bottle or two hanging around to share with friends around a fire in the backyard.

Tasting Notes

Sweet bourbon nose
Sweet taste up front

Creamy stout notes hiding underneath
Not picking up a lot of smoke
Slight sour note

Description from Black Horizon

Just in time for this frigid cold weather we bring you a stout to warm you up. Campfire fun uses subtle german smoked malt with a huge heap of milk sugar to bring a big creamy texture to the beer. We infused this keg with vanilla bean to add extra complexity. Subtle smoke, chocolate, vanilla, and plenty of roast.