The Angel's Share - Bourbon Barrel-Aged - The Lost Abbey

FATC1TY

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a goblet from a 32 oz growlette.

A: Black, almost black really, slightly lighter near the top, little to no head on this. Thin line around the rim. Almost not carbonation to this.

S: What could smell better than this?! Bourbon loves rejoice. It's sweet, boozy fruit. Reminds of a cherries soaked in bourbon and chocolate. Just a smooth, but strong whiff of whats to come.

T: Tastes like it smells. Strong was the first thing that came to mind. Malty and sweet, then the caramel, and vanilla come in. Slight bite, but it's the alcohol. Swallow this and you can tell there is a higher ABV. It's not hiding at all. It's smooth like a fine bourbon, and despite wishing it was more carbonated, it's complex and blends really well with all that.

M: Medium body, no carbonation, and slides down easy. Good easy drinker, except it's a bit heavy on the alcohol side I think. I like the high ABV, just doesn't lend it's self to mingle as nice as I wanted.

Overall- Great complete beer with alot going on. I love bourbon as well as beer, and I think this is the better one out there doing the barrel aging. Aged for a year, and you can taste/smell the notes that the bourbon placed in here. Tasted better as I sipped and it warmed up. I enjoyed it, worth the try. Although, it's pricey.

Serving type: growler

02-13-2012 23:07:15 | More by FATC1TY

elgiacomo

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

32oz Growler, 2011 Bourbon. Served at around 45-50F to room temperature.

Pours murky dark brown, nearly black in the glass with a faint brown head that recedes to almost nothing pretty quick. Second pour was closer to room temp and produced a decent head with slightly better retention.

Aroma is strong bourbon and a lot of rich, complex malt. Tons of dark fruit, prunes, figs, raisins, dates, black currants, some molasses, nuts, dark bread/toast, vanilla and oak. Very good strength.

Flavor starts with a blast of bourbon, oak, vanilla, rich dark fruit and malt, prunes, figs, raisins, black currant, molasses, anise, hints of caramel and bread, dark tobaccos, strong warming alcohol on the finish, fairly sweet. Virtually no hop presence/bitterness detected...any that may be there are overwhelmed by the massive malt bill and bourbon.

Mouthfeel is medium-plus bodied, low carbonation, sticky.

Fantastic stuff. Huge and incredibly complex beer. You better love bourbon as it isn’t subtle at all. I think I like this a touch better than the Brandy Barrel version. While I can live with the near lack of carbonation, some bubbles certainly would ramp this up a bit in the appearance and mouthfeel categories. Letting this warm up to near room temperature really helped open this up a lot.

Serving type: growler

01-25-2012 05:33:14 | More by elgiacomo

BeerImmediately

Pennsylvania

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

64oz growler (why the hell didn't I just get the 32?)

Pours with no real head, just a film that fades quickly to the tiniest of rings. Opaque deep brown body with orange edges.

Aromas are full of bourbon, vanilla/oak, Heath bar, and a slight vinous finish.

Pretty creamy on the palate, and one of the most full-of-flavor beers you'll ever have. The sweetness does take over on the flavor to trump the bourbon. Syrup, toffee, caramel, butter, bourbon, port wine...in that order. Very tasty! There was just a hint of carbonation, which is fine for the style. Smooth as baby skin on the mouthfeel.

This one - strangely enough - would be phenomenal with some french toast and bacon. If I didn't have church tomorrow, that would be SO on the breakfast menu.

Serving type: growler

10-09-2011 02:38:17 | More by BeerImmediately

mikennat

Missouri

4.22/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not real great at reviews but give it a shot.
WOW, let me say i love Lost Abbey. This is a very sweet beer to smell and taste. Smells bourbon and sweet. Tastes very sweet (get the point-very sweet). Very caramel and fruit. Taste very much matches smell. A little stronger bourbon than expected. I love it. Warms you up a little in the end!

Serving type: growler

10-08-2011 01:48:00 | More by mikennat

safaricook

Netherlands

3.44/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my Palm snifter.

body is dark brown but clear and looks oily when poured into the glass. No head at all or carbonation visible.

smell is of oxidized (tawny) port, oak and bourbon

taste is port, oak, vanilla, dominating sourness in the aftertaste

no carbonation sensed, body is thick and oily, warming alcohol

Boy, I do not know what to make of this. On the nose it is very much like drinking an aged portwine and also in the mouthfeel as there is no carbonation. I do like that, but what I don't like the sour aftertaste. It makes the whole experience unbalanced. I guess I am a bit disappointed.

Just read the other reviews and saw that they do have some carbonation. Therefore I guess mine has somehow gone bad. Sad.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 19:37:12 | More by safaricook

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

375ml bottle 12,5% Abv.
Served lightly chilled in an over sized wine glass.
2012 Bourbon version.

I am the 1000th person to review Angel's Share :D

Appearance: Angel's Share appears a very deep brown (verging on black) in the glass, however a strong back light transforms the body into the deepest of reds, with beautiful golden amber edges. A rough pour yields a good sized tan coloured head that lasts well for the style/abv. and even leaves a little lacing as it recedes. A light swirl coats the glass in heavy alcohol legs.

Smell: Ah man, this smells phenomenal! The barrel character obliterates much of the base beer in the initial nose, but it is so good that it becomes a non issue! Buttery vanilla, sweet caramel, butterscotch, oak, toasted coconut and a little booze are all noted. As the beer begins to warm, some more of the base beer begins to emerge, with notes of brown sugar, earthy toasted malt and some dark fruits.

Taste: As with the nose, the initial flavour offers a ton of barrel character as well as a fair amount of alcohol. Warming does yield an increase in notes from the base beer, but at times the overall flavour comes across as a tad thin (of course I am really nit picking here, because this stuff is delicious!).
Notes include: buttery vanilla, rich caramel, butterscotch, a fair amount of oak, brown sugar, some dark fruits (cherry, raisin and maybe a touch of date) and toasted malt.

Mouthfeel: I am probably the only person in the world to say this, but I think Angel's Share is a tad overcarbonated (medium or just over level). That said, it is velvety smooth and settles down pretty quickly. The body is just shy of full (fuller would have been better) and lightly sticky.

Overall: Angel's Share is a superb barrel aged beer and one I would love to have again. That said, I do think a year or two in the bottle would likely yield an improvement - seems I will have to get another bottle or two to test my theory!

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 06:48:27 | More by Thehuntmaster

TheBrewo

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

We crack the cage and cork on a bottle stamped “BOURBON 2012”, pour an oily brew of burnt caramel coloring, letting up hues of the deepest cider around the edges with light. It held a very brief one finger head of eggnog colored bubbles. With a swirl of the glass these jump up to leave spots of lacing here and there. A thick haze cuts clarity, with little grains of black and brown sediment suspended throughout. Carbonation appears to be moderate. The aroma is huge, with mossed oak, smooth buttery diacetyls, and hearty bourbon character right off the bat, even though it is still colder. With warmth the depth of caramel malts blossoms, with rich and syrupy toffees, Vermont maple syrup, crisp and cooling vanilla bean, dead lawn, soy sauce, light rye and powdered oat, and fusel gasoline bite. Our first impression is that the flavoring is hot with big booziness like the nose, but is insanely complex, smooth, and sippable. As we sip, the flavoring opens with burnt butter, literal caramel syrups, spicy and warming bourbon, chalked oakiness, juicy ale yeastiness, palpably stinging booze, bittered fig stem, and smoothing vanilla cleanliness.
The peak comes with rich dark chocolate nibs, massively roasted caramel, light peanutiness, fusel bite of alcohol, raisin and browned apple sweetness, and straight bourbon flavoring minus any additional booziness. Sweetness washes through the finish as caramel and bourbon-soaked dates, with biting dryness of the oak coming through strongly. The mix otherwise finishes with contrasting dryness of cooked caramels, oatmeal, and barley, black pepper spice, and a revival of those beautifully creamy buttery diacetyls. The aftertaste breathes of candied apple sweetness, caramel syrups, bourbon heat, starkly drying oak, faint muskiness, cocoa nibs, fermented strawberry mash, and black pepper bite. The body is full and the carbonation is light to medium. There is oily and sticky slurp, smack, and sip, with lesser cream or froth to the lip. The mouth is thickly coated, with eventual dryness from the oak and the booze streaking the palate with astringency, puckering, and prickling the tongue. The abv is big but decently well hidden, and the beer is a slow, but glorious, sipper.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was its aroma. This guy will take you an hour to drink, even if you do the right thing and share with some friends. If you’re trying to take notes and rate it will be even longer. This is one of the deepest most complex beers we’ve had the pleasure of tackling. It’s actually funny because the aging has blended each component so well that it almost comes across as simple, as everything is so hard to dissect. The nose gives wonderfully authentic wood and bourbon warmth, cleanly complementing the darkness of the grain and fruit. The flavor delivers as you would expect, with just as much punch. The booze is certainly present, but nicely contributes to the final blend, with just the right amount of sting through the end. This is a fantastic beer, and a great introduction for us into the winding world of The Lost Abbey.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 00:56:55 | More by TheBrewo

lsummers

California

4.89/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had the 2010 on tap. Pours a great dark plum black. Not a lacing to be seen although still fairly carbonated.

Smell of delicious oak and roasted nutty vanilla notes. Dried candied plums.

Tastes of dried fruit, raisins with a molasses and toasted nuttiness. Bourbon and vanilla oak notes linger throughout.

Mouthfeel is creamy, round, fat, yet smooth.

Overall, this is a fantastic beer. The quality of the beer shines through in every category. A complex beer that stays dangerously drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2013 21:53:47 | More by lsummers

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

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

A - Pours a cloudy opaque deep mahogany. almost no foam. just a thin tan film which quickly disappears to a ring around the rim.

S - nose is dominated by sweet caramelly bourbon notes. oak/woody notes are also very present. as it warms notes of dark bread, hints of dried fruit and berries such as dates, figs, and a touch of cranberries. a touch of pepper and cinnamon spice to round it out.

T - sweet notes of caramel and molasses up front. hints of toasty, doughy bread. slightly peppery hints of booze in the middle along with juicy fruit notes of dates and figs for balance. lots of caramel on the backend. finish is long and peppery.

M - full bodied. silky creamy texture. medium carbonation just enough to keep it from being cloying.

O - a very smooth bourbon barrel aged beer. i wish it was just a touch more complex though.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 03:07:17 | More by Teleweizen2

eagles22

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance -vintage 2011 poured into weyerbacher tulip! Pours dark brown with a very thin tan head. Smell-big bourbon in the nose loads of vanilla,dry oak wood, tobacco and whiskey bourbon! One of the best smelling beers!! Taste- holy shit wow is this beer smooth !! Vanilla upfront with some dark dried fruits such as raisins and dates finished with a nice finish if the alcohol burn and vanilla and toffee!! This beer is suppose to be sipped an well worth the price. Mouthfeel-very smooth for a 12.5% brew! It is seriously so smooth for how much bourbon is in this beer and the lower carbonation works well for the style if it was too carbonated this beer would be way too harsh and the vanilla notes would not be there at all!!

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 02:08:33 | More by eagles22

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2012 Vintage

A: Pours a murky dark amber in color with very light amounts of visible carbonation and some brown + ruby red highlights. The beer has a very thin light beige film that quickly reduces to a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal to light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Heavy aromas of bourbon and vanilla with some lighter notes of oak, caramel, and toffee.

T: Similar to the smell, the flavor of this beer is dominated by the taste of bourbon. There are also some moderate flavors of vanilla and oak with light to moderate amounts of caramel and toffee malt sweetness. Very little bitterness and it fades immediately.

M: Just shy of full bodied with light amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of alcohol warmth in the finish.

O: Overall for a beer as big as this one, the alcohol is fairly well hidden. I'm a big bourbon fan so I was pretty excited to pick this one up and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Huge bourbon presence.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 19:38:34 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

4.41/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is very dark brown and nearly opaque in color. It poured with a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Strong aromas of bourbon are present in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste is filled with flavors of bourbon along with strong notes of underlying vanilla and hints of caramel.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation along with some warming from the alcohol.
O: This beer is quite easy to drink considering its strength because the only alcohol that is noticeable is the bourbon.

Note: 2012 vintage

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 19:38:34 | More by metter98

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.3/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Corked & caged 375ml bottle split into tulips...2012 bottling -

A: Darker translucent mahogany...decent tan-ish head and lacing for a 12.5% brew. Carbonation is obviously fine on this last years batch...nice alcohol legs left behind.

S: Strong bourbon with an excellent, clear vanilla component...suggestions of brown sugar mixed with sweeter malt, loads of caramel, and chocolate. Oak and barrel notes raise their head here too. The booze isn't overwhelming at all either...this is nice...

T: Follows the nose, tons of flavors but very unified; lots of bourbon, vanilla, caramel, toffee...to a lesser extent sugary malt, oak, lightly toasted wood staves...and to a slightly lesser extent dark fruit (dried figs), faint molasses and black licorice.

Surprisingly its not all over the board here. Lots of flavors that coincide with a stout, but the base beer has the character of an old ale (molasses, caramel, toffee, dark fruits, sugary malt). The barrels/vanilla/oak are crystal clear in the aroma and palate.

MF: Medium mouthfeel, warm but not distracting...medium-to-low carbonation is spot-on for a sipper like this.

O: Really pleased with this one, and I expected a beast! 2012's vintage shows that Lost Abbey has a good thing going with this brew, and also proves that they DO know how to carbonate their beers...

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 19:57:23 | More by Scotchboy

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Angel’s Share opens to a sweet, malty, bourbon-infused nose heavy with fruits and sugars. Dark fruit esters are immediately apparent, bringing figs, raisins, prunes, dates, and black cherries, as well as lighter hints of orange and nectarine. These are joined by a bright slam of molasses, as well as a milk chocolate aroma strong enough that it seems a candy bar has been dissolved in the bottle. Overlaying all of these is a heavy, oaky, vanilla-laced tone of bourbon and char, which mingles with the raisins and molasses to create a tawny port overtone. Faint tobacco, toast crust, white pepper and anise add further spice and complexity. As a whole, this is an amazing nose, the milk chocolate and tawny port aromas combining to create what, if it were served as dessert in a five-star restaurant, would probably be a twenty-dollar plate of utter decadence and bliss. In a bottle, the result is astounding, especially how the barrel aging blends perfectly with the existing aromas, adding deep and finely nuanced layers of complexity and variation. The aromas aren’t without slight fault, being possibly too heavy on sugars, and needing just a touch more ash and tobacco for balance, but are still very enticing.

On the tongue, the beer opens with a sweet shot of fig, prune, raisin, and date fruits, joined by a combination of confectioner’s sugar, brown sugar, and molasses that makes the sweetness complex and almost overwhelming. Luckily the bourbon, vanilla, and oak notes jump in quickly from the barrel aging and add welcome darkness and bitterness. Then a thick swath of rising wheat dough and toast crust jumps in, adding earthiness, joined by touches of pine resin from the hops. Hold the beer on the tongue long enough and the sugars will die off almost completely, leaving what is far closer to watered-down bourbon than beer filling the nasal cavities, the vapors heady and strong. It says much of the strength of the flavors that they are still present in subsequent sips, despite the overpowering nature of the bourbon notes in the last half of the mouthful. The aftertaste is more bourbon, with some vanilla, sugar, and bread left over, and the thick vapors cling to the tongue for a very long time. Mouthfeel is a strangely watery medium-light to medium, being both oily and dry (?!) at the same time, and carbonation is medium-light.

Overall, this is very nice beer, but somewhat better on the nose than on the tongue, where the bourbon notes prove simply too strong in the latter half of the mouthful, and the beer becomes more watery bourbon than anything else. The strangely light mouthfeel is also jarring, and when combined with the light carbonation gives the beer a watery mouthfeel, despite the intense flavors. Still, there’s much to enjoy in here—providing you like bourbon, raisins, bourbon, vanilla oak, and bourbon—and fans of extreme barrel aging should give this one a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 18:53:07 | More by jondeelee

aaronplayford

Michigan

3.84/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured a deep brown with no appearant carbonation. Smells bourbon, Carmel, raisin, and boozy. Love it.
Tastes boozy up front with vanilla but mid way through I get sharp tannin flavor that kills the bourbon experience; tannins take over the rest of the swallow.
Feels thick but not too thick.
This would have been a 4.5-5 but the tannins really kill it for me. It shocks the whole tongue.
I bought it in Fort Collins. The bottle is stamped 2012.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 04:21:48 | More by aaronplayford

FosterJM

California

3.95/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1732nd Review on BA
Bottle to Lost Abbey Teku
375ml c/c

Purchased at Party House Liquors, Chino Hills, CA

App- out of the gate I am surprised to see as much carbonation as I do see. This coloring is more of a soda brown with some darker browns in the center and some reds on the outsides. A nice 1/2" head was there and then gone. Didnt leave any lace or cling.

Smell- I get the culmination of the parts of this beer but don't really get them all by themselves. It's a good base old ale, strong malts and a touch of dark fruits. Secondly you get a bit of the bourbon with some oak and vanilla. Pretty smooth on the nose for 12.5%

Taste- I enjoyed this much more than the brandy barrel aged version. This has a very good base beer and then with the addition of the bourbon creates a nice flavor and layers. At 1st you get really only the malts as it settles, I get more dark fruits and a little chocolate covered cherries. Finally the bourbon and the booze comes in with some vanilla as well.

Mouth- This is a thick medium body that just got to that level. A bit thin at parts but the carbonation was a solid medium with a nice and puffy bubbles that allows the flavors to linger.

Drink- I was skeptical to grab a bottle but tickers gotta tick lists. This was better than I thought actually. Carbonated. Layered and very flavorful. I had the brandy on tap, but would like both on tap to do a side by side.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 14:56:15 | More by FosterJM

popery

California

3.86/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

From notes, 9/5/10. An interesting and complex beer but it doesn’t quite work for me. The base beer seems quite enjoyable. It’s like a big barleywine with some deeper roast and dark fruit notes. There’s more going on in there than I can quite describe, but the bourbon flavor seemed to overpower some of this complexity. It has raisins, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, bourbon, oak and even mild coffee and chocolate. This version just didn’t come together for me as much as the Grand Cru. It’s not quite a mess, but the alcohol heat was a bit much and the bourbon flavor sort of threw things out of whack more than it blended the flavors into a harmony. For bourbon barrel barleywines, I’ll take FW Parabola, AS Grand Cru and even Marin’s -bal Old Dipsea. I would have preferred this beer aged in a neutral oak barrel or perhaps just less time in the bourbon. It’s still rather good - hard to dislike a beer with so many interesting layers to it. Mouthfeel is a bit sticky (and some bottles probably aren’t carbonated properly but my notes are from the keg version). Interesting beer and I may revisit this rating once I try a future version.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 08:00:09 | More by popery

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.69/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sent to me a while back by Cocoapuph. Thanks Jeremy!

I really didn't care much for the Brandy version, but let's see....

Served in a Duck Rabbitt snifter.

A: Poured out like prune juice... a dark reddish brown, with no head whatsoever. Still, looked very inviting.

S: I started to smell this right away from the mere thud of the cork pop. Deep, dark fruit aroma, with a strong bourbon presence, with vanilla and oak.

T: Peppery bitterness, strong oak presence, and some date and raison notes as well. Not much more than that to my mind.

M: Flat as a pancake, but maybe that was the point. No lacing, and a good bit of booze.

O: Maybe I just don't get the concept of this Angel's Share series. I wasn't impressed.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 21:37:34 | More by Chaney

BierJager89

California

4.8/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5

A: Dark purple with no head.

S: Dull red wine scent in the nose, and, as it warms up, notes of vanilla

T: Dull at first, a little red wine, but given a moment it blossoms with sweet vanilla, caramel, oak, a slight taste of alcohol.

M: While I prefer my beer smooth, this is a bit too smooth. It's flat.

O: One of my favorites, not unlike Sucaba, but it's flatness makes it a bit less impressive. They should cap it.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 05:06:40 | More by BierJager89

guess98224

Delaware

5/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wonderful! My husband and I just opened this 2010 bottle after a tough day taking inventory of our beers. We decided on Angels Share because it was the right size for just the two of us. Pours dark reddish burgandy. Rim of very light lacing. Wonderful, heady intense aroma including bourbon, brandy, raisins, other fruits. Taste is magnificient with brandy, raisins, and chocolate. Intense sense of warmth. My husband says it tastes like an alcoholic chocolate bar. Very smooth.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 03:32:19 | More by guess98224

kaseydad

California

4.13/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

I believe this is a 2010 vintage. Can't find the date.

Popped the cork and there was the sound of a flat brew awaiting me. The pour did nothing to help my suspicions. Poured a dirty brown with no head present at all. No lacing. No bubbles. No nothing.

Gets better with smell. Reminds me of a nice aged barelywine. Big vanilla. Nice oak. The bourbon is still present. Fermented dark fruits. Brown sugar. I could smell this all day long.

The taste, though rather flat, is good. Has a nice bourbon flavor and some sweet malt. Fruity. Caramel and more vanilla. Tasty stuff.

Silky mouthfeel is all I can appreciate with this. Much too thin. Almost like water in the consistency.

Overall the look and feel of this was not great, but the flavor and aroma made up for that...which is the most important part anyway. A really good brew but add some lasting carbonation and this would become great.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 19:44:28 | More by kaseydad

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

What I'm reviewing is a 2009 that was on tap.

A - Pours very dark with a light toffee colored lacing ring.

S - Figs, dark toasted chocolate malt, bourbon, oak, vanilla.

T - Sweet and a little cloying at times from the dark roasted malt and bourbon. Blends evenly with dark fruit, dark chocolate, vanilla, roasted caramel, oak, and bourbon dominating the palette. The oak tannins contribute a slight welcome dryness to an already sweet and boozy beer. Taste is complex, deep, and overall very rich.

M - Thick and somewhat syrupy with lip smacking stickiness, nice gentle carbonation that's borderline velvety.

O - Incredible beer, wish I had a few bottles of these in my cellar but can't complain because what are the odds of finding this gem tap like I did today.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2012 05:39:29 | More by jzeilinger

Dope

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle date is obscured a bit, believe it to be a 2010 bottle. Possibly 2011.

A: Just the tiniest hiss as I remove the cork. Pours a very dark brown. No head, no lacing. Appears to be almost completely flat just like the terrible brandy version I just endured. Let's see if we can go 0/2 when drinking extremely expensive beers. Swirling it produces just the tiniest bit of foam for a second, so there is just a little bit of carbonation at least.

S: Smells like bourbon mixed with rubbing alcohol. Get some nice vanilla. Swear I get a band-aid type aroma too.

T: Bourbon up front, lots of it. Nice caramel and vanilla mixes in with some bright toffee. Get some chocolate in the middle, maybe a little char too. Finishes with a slap of grain alcohol and some oaky notes. Very boozy, lingering alcohol in the aftertaste.

M: Heavy but not as heavy as you'd expect a 12.5% flat beer to be. I think the high amount of bourbon waters it down and cuts it nicely with tons of alcohol. Still lacking, unfortunately.

O: Huh, that was a close one. Fully expected this to be terrible like the brandy version but it's pretty good. Super boozy and heavy on the bourbon. Flatness (though not completely flat) hurts the mouthfeel but honestly not as bad as you'd expect since the bourbon cuts the beer nicely. It's basically a sweet chocolate bourbon bomb, that's the best way I can describe it.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 04:11:37 | More by Dope

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

2010 Vintage: This beer poured out as a deep looking brown color. There is no head or lacing at all on this beer. Looks like a murky flat cola. The smell is loaded with bourbon notes... It's very boozy smelling but sweet at the same time. The taste is sweet, lots of vanilla and bourbon in this beer. The malts a hidden as well as the hops also. There is a hint of molasses in there also. The mouthfeel is smooth, medium bodied but not much carbonation at all. Overall it's a big flavorful beer, could use some help but the carbonation was minimal. Perhaps newer vintages have a bit more to offer. Still very good but pricey, worth trying if you can afford it.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 19:32:27 | More by Knapp85

DaveAnderson

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

2009 bottle, poured into a Darkness tulip.

A: Looks like cowboy coffee, only less carbonated. You would need to add CO2 to reach "flat". It's muddy and murky, which would be promising, if only it weren't flatter than the Texas Panhandle.

S: A lot of Bourbon-barrel beers smell great. This is no exception. It has the usual notes -- toffee, caramel, oak -- but I can't help thinking it would reveal more of itself if it had some bubbles popping. A little time and temperature change does not seem to coax more depth from this beer. Pity.

T: There's a sourness that wasn't hinted on the nose. It is otherwise very consistent with the smell. The label says 11.5% (I presume later years are the listed 12.5%), but it's well-masked.

M: Lack of carbonation really hurts this beer. It just seems thin.

O: I presume I would have given this beer at least 1/2 points higher on every metric, if it had even modest carbonation. As is was, I was really disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 08:17:00 | More by DaveAnderson