Bourbon Barrel Middle Of Nowhere - Jackie O's Pub & Brewery

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.06/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Pours jet black with a small brown head. Spotty lacing down the glass with a tad bit of retention.

Lots of things going on in the aroma. Tons of fudge, dark chocolate, vanilla, oak and a touch of smoke to go with some heavy roasted malt. Bourbon and maple syrup are present, but not overpowering.

Unfortunately the flavor does not live up to the rich, complex nose. Still a ton of chocolate and roasted malts in here, but the sweetness takes over and swings the balance. Don't get a ton of maple syrup, but the honey overpowers everything else and creates a weird combo with the barrel notes which are much too subdued for my tastes.

Medium bodied and good carbonation levels, but the beer is a touch thin. Still finishes somewhat roasty and dry, but with the honey sweetness adding to that the combo just doesn't work.

Interesting concept and something that sounds great on paper, but the execution here didn't do it for me. If they could actually make something that tastes like this smells, I'd be all in. As it played out, this was just a thin, honey sweet jumbled mess.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 18:37:22 | More by jmarsh123

DarthKostrizer

California

3/5  rDev -27.7%

05-10-2013 02:04:53 | More by DarthKostrizer

smakawhat

Maryland

2.75/5  rDev -33.7%

03-14-2013 20:19:00 | More by smakawhat

MordorMongo

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

01-14-2013 00:06:21 | More by MordorMongo

AlexFields

Tennessee

3.5/5  rDev -15.7%

12-28-2012 14:44:20 | More by AlexFields

Kelp

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -3.6%

12-21-2012 03:28:37 | More by Kelp

dtx00

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

12-20-2012 01:58:19 | More by dtx00

gpawned

Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.6%

12-17-2012 02:45:56 | More by gpawned

vrbulldog22

Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.6%

12-17-2012 01:28:56 | More by vrbulldog22

kbuzz

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

12-16-2012 21:56:10 | More by kbuzz

AgentZero

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

12-10-2012 18:47:00 | More by AgentZero

DonFrap

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -3.6%

12-09-2012 01:45:10 | More by DonFrap

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

12-04-2012 12:08:18 | More by jaasen64

Kuemmelbrau

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -3.6%

11-09-2012 19:20:45 | More by Kuemmelbrau

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -15.7%

10-17-2012 01:25:33 | More by t0rin0

dtmets84

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

08-03-2012 23:48:52 | More by dtmets84

Rollzroyce21

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

07-27-2012 13:41:48 | More by Rollzroyce21

Stinger80OH

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

07-22-2012 13:13:42 | More by Stinger80OH

siege06nd

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Stout brewed with maple syrup, honey, and then aged in bourbon barrels. Yeah, I'm interested...

Poured into a snifter...

A. Like most stout...inky black with a half finger medium brown head. Head is just a touch loose and lacing is somewhat spotty. Still, it's a good looking stout.

S. Oh wow, great bouquet here. Heavy doses of brownie batter, vanilla, honeycomb, oak char, and coffee. The maple syrup is there but it augments the nose more than anything else, I really get mostly honey and treacle for the lighter notes. Pretty good amount of dark fruit on this one. Barrel adds some char qualities and some sweetness from the bourbon, but it is very subtle which, for this beer, is a very good thing. Outstanding nose.

T. Chocolate, caramel, and honey. A lot of toasted malt characteristic, very roasty. Not particularly sweet, the chocolate notes are mostly of the baking variety and have a certain amount of bitterness. Not really picking up the maple syrup, but the honey is certainly there, as is a light tannic quality that seems to pervade every Jackie O's barrel aged beer I have had. It's like a high, sour sweetness that is either the bourbon, the honey, or a mild infection. Hard to tell, but I'm not the biggest fan. It covers up the chocolate and malt flavors and really makes this one a bit thin.

M. Moderate bodied and well-carbonated. But the finish on the flavor is just very puckery and thin. The roasted qualities fall off dramatically and you are left with a drying, sweetness that just really doesn't work. Would have enjoyed a more robust mouthfeel.

O. Bourbon barrels, honey, maple syrup, imperial stout? It sounds like a dream, like CBS' little brother. What this is, though, is fairly disappointing. It's thin and tannic, almost metallic at times. Just a huge drop-off in taste after the nose. So why? Well, it could be the honey or it could be the type of bourbon barrel or it could be some very mild infection. Truly, I have no idea. But what I do know is it is mediocre. And I encounter the same tannic flavor/feel in far too many JO's offerings.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 00:52:14 | More by siege06nd

JM03

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%

05-03-2012 00:43:01 | More by JM03

JAHMUR

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

04-15-2012 19:40:42 | More by JAHMUR

cwguy5

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

i can't remember who brought this to marine1975's house, but thank you! sampled 3.3.12 and reviewed from notes. poured into a Duck-Rabbit snifter.

A - black with deep brown highlights; basically no head or lacing, just a few bubbles

S - some wood, bourbon, a bit of vanilla and toffee, leather

T - citrus, dry bourbon/whiskey, some ripe fruit, some maple and honey come out some toward end

M - medium bodied with light carbonation; honey gives a slightly coating mouthfeel

O - it was a bit drier than i expected for a beer made with maple and honey. the whiskey flavor is very bright. good overall.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 03:02:06 | More by cwguy5

marine1975

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

03-04-2012 03:47:21 | More by marine1975

GehenHerzog

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

03-04-2012 01:14:12 | More by GehenHerzog

jodan

California

4/5  rDev -3.6%

02-28-2012 05:42:38 | More by jodan