Barrel Aged People's Porter - Foothills Brewing Company

VaTechHopHead

California

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - slightly opaque dark brown with a quick fading head

S - Light Bourbon at the start with soft vanilla and charred wood aromas. A nice toasted malt scent to compliment the barrel aromas. Very pleasant

T - A little thin but not too bad. Bourbon flavor is pretty much all vanilla and light alcohol. The porter is slightly chalky and acidic but has a good chocolate and toast flavor. Aftertaste has a coffee like acidity with a dry wood finish

M/O - Medium body that that is well carbonated. Aftertaste is thin and doesn't last too long. Easy to drink but nothing that bags for another sip. Tastes as if from the spent Ba sexy chocolate barrels and overall not bad

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 22:55:41 | More by VaTechHopHead

brstls4drmrs

North Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a dark brown, coffee like color with a 1/2" tan head. Good lacing with it as well.

S - Roasty, nutty, malts with hints of bourbon and a splash of coffee and a little dark chocolate. The roastness in here reminds be of a fresh can of nuts.

T - Bourbon and roasty nuts. Not much else for me.

M - Felt lightly carbonated and thin with only a slight bitterness. A little disappointing for me.

O - Not bad. Had it on tap months ago and I remember it better than this. Could be the batch.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 02:39:57 | More by brstls4drmrs

miromanyth

North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Pat for the bomber.

This is a superb beer. And it's local...

A: Nice cola-look with a chocolate-milky head. Pretty stuff.

S: Mmmm, sweet bourbon. Some toffee, chocolate, and tons and tons of vanilla and bourbon. A bit woodsy - maybe some earthiness.

T: This is why I like barrel-aged beer! The base beer is a favorite of mine and with the oaky-vanilla its perfect! Toffee, chocolate, tons of vanilla bourbon for a sweet finish.

M: creamy. delicate even. a touch watery but I'm nit-picking.

O: A truly delightful beer. Foothills is my local darling and they continue to impress with this one!

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 01:13:01 | More by miromanyth

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap in Charlotte, served in a small (8.5oz) glass. Very nice appearance, dark brown and opaque with a creamy looking tan poof of foam that looked like it came from a nitro tap. Delicious looking foam.

Continuing with the aroma I'm still impressed, this has a solid barrel character. Cocoa and roasted malt mix it up with light (none-too-boozy) bourbon and maybe just a little vanilla. It tastes nearly as good as it smells too, with flavors of rum rather than bourbon giving accompaniment to the chocolately base beer. Extremely drinkable, this has a lot of barrel flavor with very little burn. Actually, this is my favorite BA treatment from Foothills, much better than Olde Rabbit's Foot or BA Sexual Chocolate.

If you see this I recommend it, very tasty and satisfying.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2012 01:09:06 | More by TurdFurgison

mgbickel

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewery. Served in a standard pint glass.

I was pretty pumped to find a BBA beer while on our brief visit to this brewery. The bartender served this with very little head. The body is dark brown and crystal clear (or as best as I can tell in that lighting).

The nose has tons and tons of bourbon. Wow...smells like my wife will have to drive to the hotel. Roasted malts and coffee play background roles.

As the nose indicates, this is a bourbon bomb. There is something off about it though...almost like bourbon was added to this rather than the beer aging in barrels.

The mouthfeel is by far the weakest link in this offering. Watery with light carbonation. I think the MF really takes away from the other characters of this beer.

Man...this one has potential, but the body, and to a lesser extent, taste, needs some work. Worth the tick I guess, but I would not recommend...

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2011 14:04:23 | More by mgbickel

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Growler. Pours a dark brown color with a big mocha tan head. Rich dark chocolate with a big handful of bourbon notes. Some roast as well. Medium/light mouthfeel, lighter than expected and desired given the strong aroma and flavor. Roasted coffee and bourbon notes upfront with a bitter dark chocolate back end. Lingering booze flavor but no burn of alcohol. Overall, I enjoyed this but wish the mouthfeel was a little heavier. The bourbon notes may be offputting to some.

Serving type: growler

09-29-2011 12:17:34 | More by kbutler1

HopHead84

California

3.2/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

9/3/2011

Growler shared by Stawn, thanks!

A: Black with a big creamy light brown head. Pretty good retention and a little lacing.

S: Perfumy barrel phenols with pronounced vanilla and oak. There's a little brown sugar with a dash of green apple. Bourbon is really strong, accompanied by caramel and a touch of chocolate. Smells quite nice. 

T: Caramel and a little chocolate with oak. For the strength of the bourbon in the nose, it's really light in the flavor. I get oak, tannins, and astringency, but little bourbon.

M: Medium body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is thin and watery.

Overall: Just okay. The nose the highlight. The flavor was lacking.

Serving type: growler

09-04-2011 15:18:46 | More by HopHead84

CBlack85

South Carolina

1.8/5  rDev -53.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Ont tap at Foothills the day of the BASC release.

I like the regular Peoples Porter so I figured I would give it a shot. WOW... and not in a good way.

The beer is a deep chocolate color with lots of ruby highlights. The thin tan head recedes almost immediately leaving behind no lacing whatsoever. The beer looks thin.

The smell is bourbon all the way. The bourbon smell is so strong there is almost no trace of the base beer in the aroma.

The taste is much the same as the smell, all bourbon all the way. Just an overwhelming bourbon presence. My wife and I both ordered one and she could only get through one or two sips before she could not take it anymore. The beer is thin and under carbonated. Hard to drink

Overall, I was completely turned off by the HUGE bourbon presence (and I like a good bourbon). Just poorly done. I am actually surprised because there are so many good reviews for this beer, and how well BASC is done. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and figure that this was a bad batch, maybe if I am feeling adventurous I will try this again someday and re-review.

They really missed the mark on this one...

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2011 19:39:06 | More by CBlack85

yourefragile

District of Columbia

1.73/5  rDev -55.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

On tap the night before BASC release. Unfortunately BASC kicked before we arrived so I ordered this instead; shame on me.

Tastes, smells, looks and feels thin. Plenty of watery bourbon throughout and some, eff, who cares. Not much of a porter presence, this is the written essence of three quarters of a pint being drain poured.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2011 11:44:59 | More by yourefragile

Treebs

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Split an imperial growler (32oz.) with a buddy. Poured into my Founders snifter.

A: Poured a dark chocolate with a nice 1 finger caramel head. Nice retention on the head with some splotchy lace on the drink's way down.

S: Wow, what up bourbon. It's hard to fight through the bourbon, but once I do I find some dark chocolate with some roasted biscuit malt.

T: The taste of the bourbon is even more pronounced than in the smell. Very sweet bourbon with dark chocolates and some light roast. Little bitter hops thrown in on the finish.

M: Medium bodied with a nice carbonation. Nice sweet chocolates left on the palate.

O: This guy was a bourbon assault. I like BA beers, but this guy just throws the bourbon all over the place and the other flavors take a back seat.

Serving type: growler

06-26-2011 13:56:50 | More by Treebs

nickd717

California

2.45/5  rDev -36.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bourbon barrel aged People’s Porter? More like Bourbon...um...uh...yeah, just bourbon. This tastes like bourbon. If I wanted bourbon, I’d just drink bourbon. Well I do like some bourbon, but not all bourbon if you want to call yourself a beer.

Anyway, the "beer" in question here is dark brown with caramel bourbon-like tones and a very minimal tan head.

The aroma is bourbon, bourbon, bourbon, oakiness, and roast. Not too bad actually.

The flavor is BOURBON, bourbon, bourbon, bourbon, roast, chocolate, oak, and more bourbon.

Medium-bodied and boozy with lower carbonation.

This has potential, but hey guys, ease off on that bourbon next time.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 23:40:55 | More by nickd717

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria, Greenville, SC. May 2011:

The beer poured a deep black with a dark tan head that was decently retained and some lacing to note. The beer's aroma was as expected given that I also had tried the Bourbon Barrel Aged India Brown Ale and Total Eclipse Stout, was heavy on the alcohol and vanilla with a hint of earthiness to it. The taste is pretty consistent with the nose but perhaps a hint of malt sweetness. The beer had a lighter feel to it, but given that the non-Bourbon Barrel Aged People's Porter is an English Stout, this is more in line with my expectation. The beer had a slightly lower carbonation level, but the beer was still creamy and easy to drink, but given the ABV probably not going to be able to drink too many at a time. Overall, a solid brew, but perhaps too much like the other Bourbon Barrel Aged beers.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2011 02:45:21 | More by PhillyStyle

welldigger888

South Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

The rep said this went in to barrel at 5.7% and came out @ 7%!

Poured from growler into a new belgium tulip, Pitch black zero light through from a 100 watt bulb, a creamy capicino khaki head with some lacing.

Bourbon coffee chocolate vanilla goodness.

Sweet bourbon and chocolate seem to dominate,a solid vanilla note comes on strong to carry the coffee and malty grainy goodness.

Seems a bit thin is all I can come up with to detract from this wonderful brew.

If'n you can find this you should drink it!

Serving type: growler

04-27-2011 02:10:34 | More by welldigger888

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

lantern corps beer summit 2010 - day 1, oct 8/2010. Jw347 contributed this one. thanks john!

64oz growler.

pours clear dark brown with a bit of red highlighting showing through at the edges. a small fine dark tan head forms, dropping quickly and leaving spotty lace.

aroma is good. bourbon and raw oak. dark and milk chocolate. light alcohol. whole wheat bread and biscuit. coffee.

taste is good. bourbon and raw oak again. dark and milk chocolate. more coffee in the aroma, but still not overpowering. light alcohol. medium-low bitterness level. whole wheat bread and biscuit. earthy.

mouthfeel is good. just over medium body. slightly under medium carbonation level.

drinkability is good. good balance. the barrel has slightly overpowered the base beer, or perhaps the base has mellowed somewhat with time. either way, i'd have liked the porter in this to stand up a little more.

Serving type: growler

02-04-2011 05:38:48 | More by grub

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Growler shared by bmanning. Poured into a Bruery tulip.

Pours with a half-finger of a tan head atop a black body. There is some spotty lacing all over the glass, though one side of my tulip looks like it was hit with a tidal wave of lacing. There is a persistent low head throughout. The nose brings some light bourbon plus some slight chocolate notes. A bit of oak as well. Overall, quite nice nose but it's a bit subdued.

The taste has a bit more pop to it with a great bourbon character as well as oak and some dry roast. The feel is a bit thin with low carbonation but a great bourbon feel. Very light creaminess and no booze. This is quite drinkable and another solid barrel-aged brew from Foothills.

Serving type: growler

11-16-2010 11:56:39 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Arrives with hardly any foam atop the chocolate brown liquid; no lace, but a skinny ringlet

Smell; Woody, barrel-influenced chocolate notes; hint of vanilla

Taste: Opens with a burst of chocolate that adds oaky complexity by mid-palate; finishes with a bourbon and vanilla flourish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Another fine addition to the Foothills stable of barrel-aged beers

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2010 17:47:32 | More by brentk56

glid02

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Growler shared by kp - thanks!

Pours one shade from black with a one-finger light brown head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of smooth roasted malts with equal amounts of dark chocolate and vanilla aromas.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Robust roasted malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by moderate amounts of dark chocolate flavors. Midway through the sip solid amounts of vanilla and lighter amounts of dry oak flavors make an appearance, carrying through to a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is OK The thickness is slightly on the thin side with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall I wasn't terribly impressed with this beer as it was slightly on the thin side and the flavors weren't terribly complex. Still, it's a tasty beer that's above average and worth a shot.

Serving type: growler

10-07-2010 01:42:59 | More by glid02

atsprings

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got to try this one on Nitro the other day at The Wooden Nickel. Served in a slim glass a deep opaque black with a nice frothy light tan head that slowly diminished to a thin layer and left slight lacing on the glass. The aroma was a nice amount of dark malts with subtle vanilla and oak. The taste was a decent amount of oak, vanilla, and Bourbon alongside dark malts and cocoa. The beer was quite light, crisp and very smooth from the nitro carbonation. This was certainly an interesting presentation of an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-05-2010 01:14:26 | More by atsprings

Freethyhops

Alabama

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

on tap at the BA Sexual Chocolate release part

a- pours a dark brown that has big transluscent brown tones when held to light. small cream colored head of the pour.

s- rich, sweet dark malts. a bit of caramel, wood, and a bit of tartness mixing with some fruity yeast esters. very light bourbon.

t- sweet malts up front; chocolate, caramel, light roasted. light bitterness balances the sweet malts. the tartness from the nose is even stronger here. I'm assuming it's tannins from the wood causing this. it's a nice complexity but it really doesn't hit my palate right. the bourbon is really light in this one.

m- medium-light bodied. moderate carbonation aides the fullness of this one. no alchohol warming.

d- good drinkability in the technical sense but the barrel really didn't do anything to improve this one. I stuck to the other options after one pour of this one. nice to see what happens when a lower ABV ale is thrown in some barrels.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2010 16:18:57 | More by Freethyhops

blackie

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a: standard pint glass, deep brown in color - turning black towards the center, creamy mocha carbonation layer with great retention and lace

s: nose full of bourbon and malt-soaked oak powering over the roasty porter base, some darker chocolates, vanilla, almost a sour edge possibly picked up from a lengthy stint in a barrel

m: medium-full body, smooth carbonation

t: big punch of woody bourbon - the booze here is quite powerful and makes the porter base seem relatively timid, and would easily overwhelm someone without a taste for the stuff, gotta be a fresh barrel, oaky with a subtle tart/sour flavor - might even say there's a touch of bacteria creeping in, dark chocolate and roasted body underneath, the base porter is rich to start - but the bourbon barrel adds a lot and really has its way here

d: really enjoy the bourbon but it's not exactly complimentary, completely taking over, but making for an interesting experience - this one did me in for the night

full pint at Barley's, Asheville

bottle 12.18.12 - purchased a couple months back at Appalachian Vintner, gonna leave the scores the same though appearance on the bottle is 4.0, bears the quality of a nice porter with an addition of nice bourbon barrel, fairly strong but not as overwhelming as my first review indicates, perhaps due to having a little age on it, particularly clear on the nose but manifesting well in the second half of the sip, nice one here

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2010 22:16:11 | More by blackie

maximum12

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to mjmadden for a big honkin' growler of this beer, which I couldn't have been more jazzed to pop open. Plus, I get a cool new growler to add to our collection.

Pours Jet-Black, with a nice dizzle of foam around the edges to let us know it's survived the journey from the Carolinas with carbonation intact. Bourbon erupts from the growler once we finally pry it from its cocoon of electrical tape, but seems to exhaust itself quickly, lying back into a subdued aura of boozy, malty bourbon.

People's Porter is one of those brews that I would have liked to taste the base beer alongside the barreled-up version, because I suspect the barrel might not have added a lot to the experience. The bourbon is upfront, but quiet, subtle, more of a lick of vanilla than anything else. The porter is nicely roasted with a surprisingly bitter ending kick, which I'd like to attribute to the hops, or perhaps the roast, honestly, I couldn't tell, just a tail of bitterness. Only had one glass from the growler, but would have liked another to do a more thorough analsysi (yes, that's my story & I'm sticking to it).

Good brew. Not up to the gold standard to barrel aged porters (Williamsberg) but I'd be happy to find myself staring into the dark of a People's Porter any day.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 02:18:20 | More by maximum12

jsanford

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Foothills on BA Sexual Chocolate Release Day.

A - Dark cola brown with reddish tints. Whispy head quickly dissipated to a thin ring.

S - Bourbon, coffee, roasted malt, vanilla and dark fruits.

T - Tastes of dark burnt caramel/toffee with high-quality bourbon notes of vanilla and oak. There's a bit of date or rum-soaked raisin in there too. Nicely balanced and smooth with no sign of the alcohol heat.

M - Medium bodied with fizzy medium carbonation.

D - Highly drinkable, if BA Sexual Choc and Baltic Porter weren't on the menu I woulda had a few of these. High carbonation really ups the drinkability on this, very tasty!

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2010 04:12:13 | More by jsanford

Onenote81

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the brewpub waiting for the BA Sexual Chocolate release. Came out in a full pint. Nice. Thin tan lace on top. Big scents of bourbon, vanilla, oak, and light spices like cinnamon/nutmeg. Great smell. The body was perfectly smooth and palate-coating. Decent depth and carbonation level. Smooth bourbon notes mixed with some melted chocolate and roasted malts. This Porter on it's own is quite hoppy, but this has been mellowed out to become quite a smooth semi-sweet beer. I dig this. Have wanted to try this version for awhile now. Keep it up Foothills!

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2010 13:48:46 | More by Onenote81

cnjohn19

North Carolina

4.72/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

had a 10oz. draft at tyler's in carrboro, nc...hands down one of the best bourbon aged beers i have tasted...

thick black with an excellent top...smells of unsweetened, straight black coffee with an amazing bourbon burn...and damn this brew is tasty...the aging in wet barrels really makes the bourbon shine through in this porter...it has just enough burn to make you wanting more and more...

basically, i have little words for this beer except to say its fantastic...i can't wait for foothills to start bottling so i can get my hands on more of these...

in all, this beer is fantastic for a KY like me...grab it anywhere you see it...

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2010 17:33:41 | More by cnjohn19

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from tap at the brewpub into a Foothills shaker. This was the first glass poured off a freshly tapped keg with freshly cleaned lines. Pours dark dark brown almost black with a two finger tan head that subsides to one finger slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of malt, spices, and chocolate. The flavor was of cream, spices, malt, and a subtle red wine spice. It had a medium feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall this was much nicer on tap than out of the growler I had consumed the night prior to having this one. As said in my review from the growler below, it is a must try if you get the chance.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2010 17:30:00 | More by thagr81us