Bourbon Barrel Aged Fayston Maple Imperial Stout - Lawson's Finest Liquids

baconsausage

Vermont

4.08/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sean graciously donated this for the Three Penny Earth Day clean-up in the park. Thanks Sean! We had the Maple Barrel for breakfast and moved on to the bourbon for "after dinner".

The bourbon is a little hotter than the maple barrel. same great pour, tan light head. Bourbon in the nose with a little more oak. More oak in the flavor as well, with molasses and dark roast malts. Carbonation is a bit more lively on the tongue than the maple as well. Still a very solid stout with good mouthfeel and drinkability. I would age this for another year or more.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 18:55:43 | More by baconsausage

ColdPoncho

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

thanks a bunch to urbancaver for this taste!

from notes

A - good dark black body with a medium brown head

S - delicious sweet chocolaty bourbon

T - dry smoky bourbon and vanilla. A little hot.

M - a bit thin, but lively.

O (D) - tasty, great smelling. a 6 oz bottle split 4 ways can make it difficult to judge. but very enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 16:15:25 | More by ColdPoncho

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Urbancaver!

A. Pours dark with a great tan creamy head that lasts forever (seriously).

S. Incredible. Bourbon, maple syrup, vanilla, and chocolate goodness.

T. Dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, maple syrup, and bourbon- the dark roasted malt characters are most prevalent.

M. A bit too roasted and dry for me.

D. Smells phenomenal. Drinks well, but a bit too dry.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 00:21:34 | More by BeerAndBourbon

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle 37 out of 96 signed by Sean.

Pours very dark and thick. A solid amount of lit brown head. Smells incredible! Lots of maple and buttery bourbon. Vry roasty and wonderful. Best nose on a bourbon beer I've smelled in a while! Tastes sweet and dry. Tons of roasted malts and a strong presence of maple sweetness. A bit too dry for me but not overwhelming. Very tasty. Overall, something i would love to have better access to

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 00:00:53 | More by Urbancaver

seeswo

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours black with a nice finger of cocoa head. Looks great. Smell is bourbon, vanilla, oak, roast, all presenting integrated and reserved. Bonus for the balance and absence of booziness, but downgrade from its reserved nature. The maple and caramel flavors blend with the roastiness and a bit of chocolate from the imperial stout and the bourbon, wood and vanilla from the barrel. Quite a lot going on in here, yet well blended. This is really, really good. A touch thinner in body than expected, with medium carbonation. Shockingly drinkable for what it is and overall a really, really good beer. I'll give the 5 for the old drinkability. As it warms, the bourbon comes out more, again well integrated and not a touch of booziness. This went from an A to a wow beer. Nice.

EDIT: Had this a second time and it continues to be quite good. The balance of this beer is what makes it exceptional.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 03:32:32 | More by seeswo

jrallen34

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

6oz bottle shared by Chad, drank from a Cigar City snifter... A light black body with some brown. A medium tan head rises quickly, ok retention, not much lace... A hot nose of alcohol, maple, and molasses. Not bad... The taste is still a hot but totally tolerable because its pretty sweet. Lots of maple, which is good, some smoke and caramel too...

This is pretty good, would enjoy this again in the future with some more age.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 23:46:48 | More by jrallen34

MasterSki

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nip bottle shared by Chad. I'm pretty sure this is the most recent version that was aged in a Maker's Mark barrel. Served in a Portsmouth tulip.

A - Half-finger of tan foam that settles to a thick ring, film on tap, and some spotty lace. Very good retention for such a high-gravity beer. Black body that is a little brown at the fringes.

S - Alcohol, dark breads, caramel, some maple. There's an odd rubbery note as well. This is pretty hot and boozy - probably for the best that this comes in nips.

T - Taste is better. Dark roasted malts, char, smoke, and a little bit of maple sweetness in the finish. Alcohol is hidden significantly better, and there isn't as much overt hot bourbon.

M - Very spirit-like. Smooth texture, lower carbonation, warming alcohol, and a clean alcohol finish.

D - This is hot and not super palatable. I think it says on the bottle that this should be cellared 6-12 months minimum. Whoops.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 07:50:14 | More by MasterSki

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to jedwards for sharing this one to round out the Vermont trifecta. Pours an inky black with no head. Nose starts out a bit rubbery, then artificial sweetener comes out. Some maple syrup comes forth as the brew warms. Taste is smokey, rubbery and becomes a bit acrid as it warms. There's also dark roasted malt and baker's chocolate in the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with a slightly oily consistency and a light carbonation. The mouthfeel rounds out with a dry finish and some residual heat. An interesting brew, but it really didn't come together for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 01:04:31 | More by Jwale73

drewba

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

187ml bottle #91 poured into a small snifter.

A - pours jet black with purple tints on the edges. Large and silky mocha head dissipates to a thin film with a solid ring and tiny mocha bubbles stick to the walls of the glass for the duration.

S - Huge nose; it's a little fruitier than I expected with some cherries and cranberries adding to loads of maple and vanilla. The bourbon is assertive but not overpowered - brown sugar, vanilla and a milk chocolate character are solid.

T - The Makers Mark is definitely there, it's smooth and contributing a fair amount of vanilla, caramel/toffee and mocha. There is a charred wood flavor that is also adding a little mouth drying action that I think is taking away from some of the bourbon deliciousness. I absolutely love the maple, it's running parallel to the bourbon for the entire taste, giving just enough maple sweetness to compliment the vanilla and counterbalance that smoky, charred wood. The wood is the only thing not subtle and delicious.

M - Very rich, very viscous, but the carbonation is a little too high for my liking.

D - Surprisingly drinkable, very little bourbon heat, but oddly enough I am getting a tiny bit of chest burn. The bourbon is tasty, the maple is incredible and I would have no problem polishing off a 750.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 00:57:21 | More by drewba