Big Sound Scotch Ale - Bourbon Barrel Aged - Cigar City Brewing

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

drgonzo3705 brought this to a tasting in Akron(thanks Paul!). This was bottle 83/246 from 2009.

This poured a dark brown and nearly opaque color, noticeably murkier in the later pours. Very strong peat character in the nose, some sweet malts too, very nice.

It tastes primarily sweet, with a lasting smoky flavor that's really addictive. A hint of ethanol in there too, or it could be that this evokes a scotch whiskey memory from the peat.

Relatively thick bodied, this was a serious bruiser of a beer start to finish. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 23:53:34 | More by TurdFurgison

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to josh for popping this one. Bottle 93/246...
Appears a brownish-red with a small, tan cap that quickly fades into a tiny collar. Spotty bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of cocoa, vanilla, booze, caramel, and toffee.
Taste is of the aromas with caramel coated apples, mild grapes, and ripe fruit pulling through.
Mouthfeel is chewy, medium bodied, boozy, with sticky, syrupy sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2010 02:51:10 | More by weeare138

maximum12

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I never tire of thanking moose3285 for continuing to truck great brews northward. And now it's my birthday, so this is my designated brew for the night. Thanks Mike!

This is one I've particularly looked forward to since the base, Big Sound, is the best Scotch Ale I've ever had, & thinking of it in a barrel made my mouth water & my lobes quiver. Pours just like it's non-BA namesake, almost black, with red highlights along the edges. Smell is subtle, but in this case it's a compliment. Sweet malts & bourbon are born upwards by the air currents.

Barrel Aged Big Sound, you are always welcome in my house. The BA portion of the program is very well-executed, not too heavy, not too light, to paraphrase a fine Bud Light commercial of the moment. Beneath the bourbon is the base beer of sweet candy, just a pat of smokiness, & the vanilla that always seems to follow bourbon around.

Not much carbonation here, & that might be its only weakness, this is one big, bruising, heavy, alley-brawler of a beer. I have to come up for air after even a smallish sip. But it could beat me up & I'd still be happy.

My first taste of a barrel-aged Cigar City brew, & it's excellent. In all honesty, I prefer the non-BA version - but that was so good, it's like I'm complaining about the use of lighting in the Mona Lisa. Wonderful brew. If readily available, this & the non-BA version would be go-to beers in my fridge every night.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2010 03:17:07 | More by maximum12

gford217

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750mL bottle courtesy of a very, very generous Tampa BA, poured into a snifter.

Pours dark brown in the glass with some mahogany hues coming through around the edges. There is a very small tan head that recedes very quickly, leaving a small collar and a swirl of bubbles along the top.

Much like the regular version, I'm not overly impressed with the nose as it's fairly faint and mostly sweet caramel malts and brown sugar. The bourbon is present but definitely not overpowering.

The taste is markedly better than the aroma for me as the malts take on a more smoked peat character in addition to the caramel sweetness. There are dark fruits, raisins and figs, in the middle before the bourbon makes an appearance in the finish leaving a nice burn going down.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with soft carbonation and very smooth. Though the smoked peat lends a slight dryness to the finish, it's still a sweet, sugary feel on the palate.

This is a step up from the regular Big Sound for me as the bourbon brings an extra complexity to the taste without being the dominant component. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2009 01:22:57 | More by gford217

tpd975

Florida

4.08/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Missed the release but thanks to the CCB boys for taking care of me! Bottle 75/246

A: Pours a very dark amber hue, more brown than red. Nice tall creamy tan head that rises to a full finger. Excellent retention with tons of thick sticky lace. CCB beers really are beautiful in the glass.

S: Wonderful aromas. Lots of toffee, brown sugar, loads of caramel malt. Lots of barrel as well. Old oak, vanilla, and hints of booze.

T: Pretty damn drinkable for a BA brew. Lots of malt sweetness. Toffee forward, brown sugar, and sweet molasses. Hints of apple and dark fruit in the middle. The finish is about the barrel. Not over the top at all, just subtle oak, vanilla, and a touch of booze which compliments the base beer nicely.

M: Medium in body, smooth mouthfeel.

D: Pretty good actually. Not the best barrel aged CCB brew, but the barrel did improve an already solid base brew!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2009 18:09:13 | More by tpd975