Bourbon Barrel Hop In The Dark Cascadian Dark Ale - Deschutes Brewery & Public House

Johnhaley1989

North Dakota

4.25/5  rDev +30.4%

10-05-2012 20:48:05 | More by Johnhaley1989

clearlydiluted

New York

2.75/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

served @ Grain & Gristle under the name "Deschutes Bourbon Smoked Cascadian Dark" in a 8 oz snifter

a: pours a mercury brown-black, with a thick head that turns into a thin lacing on the top of the beer

s: piney tropical fruits emerge from a mix of burbon and roasty notes.

t: bourbon, woodsy pine, an roastiness all meld together to a dry. a second sip fills out the profile by providing some fruity hops in the mix. nevertheless, the aftertaste is roasty and hoppy biterness (piney) with a tight astrignent finish. the roast provides hints of chocolate but not much else other than a bit of astrigency and a burnt note.

m: surprisingly thin with a medium carbonation

d: more like a dry stout with american hops, or, if you prefer a domestic export stout with a hint of bourbon. the "smoked" portion is non-existent. the flavors overall are muddled, though interesting.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2011 18:49:34 | More by clearlydiluted

jdense

Oregon

3.48/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at Deschutes PDX, served in a snifter 3.30.2010.

3/4 finger brown head, quick dissipation, some minimal lacing. Black opaque body, no visible carbonation. The nose is barrel-forward, vanilla, oak, bourbony-boozy, floral hops pushed far back. The taste I really pick up the character of the barrels, hops more prevalent than in nose, I pick up bits of spice, vanilla, oak, taste more like an IPA than a stout, restrained use of roasted malt for color, not flavor. Mouthfeel is pretty full, not much effervescence, fairly dry, the roasted malt and hops dominate. Too boozy to be drinkable, wicked alcohol kick. I wish I had a bottle off this to stash, needs time to have the alcohol edge calm down. May have needed more than three months of barrel aging to balance the nose and taste.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2010 23:53:26 | More by jdense

ElGordo

Oregon

2.58/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Served in a Deschutes snifter on tap at the Deschutes Portland Public House in the Pearl District. Body is a deep dark brown with a thin, khaki-colored head. Aroma of boozy bourbon and oak with a bit of caramel malt. Palate is overwhelmingly oak and bourbon from the barrel. A very slight hint of citrusy hops is present after the beer warms up a bit, along with some sweeter notes from the caramel and dark malts. Still, the oak and bourbon completely overwhelm pretty much any hop character that may come from the CDA base beer. I suppose with some more time out of the barrel and in the tank or bottle, this may become a more balanced beer. Unfortunately, that's not the case yet for this one. I'd advise you to stay away for a while.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2010 06:51:12 | More by ElGordo