Drink of the Week: The Bruery Black Tuesday Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

Back in the early aughts, the craft beer boom was just gearing up with microbreweries enticing a new audience with inventive brews. The Bruery—founded in Placentia, California, in 2008 by law student turned home brewer Patrick Rue—introduced provocative flavors to the medium. Think: a molé poblano chile beer and a durian Berliner Weisse. But Rue’s decadent bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, called Black Tuesday, was the game changer.

The process of aging the imperial stout in bourbon barrels for about a year hasn’t changed much since 2009. But the final product continues to feature subtle differences, such as fluctuations in its already sky-high ABV. In 2010 it was 18.2 percent, while in 2015 it nearly broke 20 percent.

Thanks to the combination of its rarity—released only once a year at the brewery—and big, boozy flavors that make it the perfect special occasion sip, the beer became an instant cult hit. People would hoard bottles and even sell them for hundreds of dollars on eBay. This craze inspired the launch of The Bruery’s The Rare Society, which offers members access to one-offs and rare brews.

I couldn’t resist the brew’s allure and ended up collecting a few bottles, starting with the 2010 release. However, because it’s so special and 750 ml is a lot of high-ABV beer for just me and my partner to share, I very rarely break into my stash, only doing so to enjoy with those I know can handle it.

Fortunately, as contributing editor Joshua M. Bernstein writes in our November/December 2025 issue, breweries today have pivoted on their approach to stouts. They’re dialing back sweetness, size, and ABV—”to encourage customers to drink stouts and not cellar them,” he writes. The Bruery has since downsized Black Tuesday packaging to 375 ml and made it available at chains, such as Whole Foods and Total Wine.

This new release, which debuted to the public in October, is a blend of the imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels that had once contained whiskeys, such as George Dickel, Elijah Craig, and more. It pours pitch black with the faintest lacing of carbonation that dissipates. Aromas of bourbon warmth and cocoa are powerful enough to activate salivary glands. Vanilla and malted notes layer the rich chocolate flavor. And the beer’s booziness forces you to take it slow. But I’m happy to take my time with a beer that remains one of my favorites. $26.99/375 ml, totalwine.com