Anderson Valley Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout - Anderson Valley Brewing Company

screamking

Ohio

4.21/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler purchased at whole foods poured into snifter.

Appearance-pours almost black with a 1 finger khaki head, nice lacing. 4.25

Aroma-vanilla, light toffee, cinnamon, coffee, hint of milk chocolate, ground pepper. 4.5

Taste-oak, toffee, vanilla, small hint of butterscotch, not too complex just straight up bourbon taste. 4

Feel-medium body, a little on the watery side, coats palate but aftertaste doesn't linger, mild carbonation, very drinkable. 4

Overall-this is nothing more than a bourbon beer, I can hardly tast the base beer in this. The barrel characters just devour the oatmeal stout. If your not into bourbon this is not the beer for you. That being said, I'm into bourbon and this beer is killer. Very drinkable and at a smaller ABV than most barrel aged beers it's totally sessionable. It's not as complex as most other barrel beers but what it lacks in complexity it makes up with drinkability. 4.5

Serving type: growler

03-01-2013 03:47:01 | More by screamking

KeyWestGator

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

05-24-2013 02:57:07 | More by KeyWestGator

shand

Florida

4.23/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Reviews for this beer are kinda silly. Just because it's not super thick and strong doesn't mean this isn't a great bourbon barrel stout. The taste has an extremely well integrated bourbon flavor which wonderfully mingles with the base stout. Strong vanilla and oak tones, extremely tasty, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 02:19:37 | More by shand

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 4

LOOK: Pours a deep brown with amber hues. Off white head forms and leaves a sheet of lace.

SMELL: Whiskey and oak, possessing a chocolatey malt background. You can really pull in alot of the Wild Turkey.

TASTE: Reminds me of eating s'mores by the campfire, taking sips of turkey periodically. Vanilla and roast, touch of coffee. Whiskey shows up mid palate with a smooth sweet grain alcohol flavor, but really no heat. Hops are leafy and alittle citrusy. Really Good. Not as strong or boozy as some, this is just flavorful.

FEEL: Medium to full bodied, smooth feel, soft carbonation. A bit thin which hurts the score. Very light sticky dryness.

OVERALL: Tasty brew, really like what the barrel did to this one. Subtlety works in this genre, let the barrel shine. I must admit, I really enjoy Wild Turkey, so this beer delivered a great 2 in 1.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2013 23:32:27 | More by Stinkypuss

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.56/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch frothy tan head that stayed around for a while. There's also a decent amount of lacing. The brew smells like roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla and a bit of dark fruit. It tastes like roasted/charred malt, bittersweet and milk chocolate, coffee, vanilla and bourbon. The bourbon character in both the aroma and taste is light, but still noticeable. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's thin for a stout. It has moderate carbonation, and goes down easy enough. I'm a little disappointed that the bourbon in this brew isn't stronger, but it's still a decent beer overall. With that being said, I wouldn't pay $11.99 a bottle for this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 21:30:13 | More by bluejacket74

Mantooth

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -21.1%

05-22-2013 22:21:14 | More by Mantooth

alex021224

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

05-22-2013 03:07:20 | More by alex021224

wtkphoto

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-22-2013 02:48:46 | More by wtkphoto

WizzardOfHops

California

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-21-2013 22:44:30 | More by WizzardOfHops

neophilus

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Dark pour with ruby highlights. In the light the brew takes a rich brown hue, not quite black. Decent head at first with some lacing.

Rustic, earthy aroma like freshly turned soil. Wood notes flow in, baker's chocolate and tobacco leaf on the nose. Rich chocolate flavor up front with vanilla highlights. Tastes like bittersweet chocolate. The finish is semi sweet with lingering vanilla and cocoa nibs. No bourbon to be found in here.

Mouthfeel has a thick and velvety body like an well made cream soda.

When the label says "Bourbon Barrel Stout" I am looking for some serious flavors but this did not deliver in that regard. Closer to a brown ale than a stout IMO and had no bourbon to be found anywhere. Still this could make an excellent desert beer or a beer for a lighter palate who doesn't like a lot of roast or bourbon in their beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 21:36:37 | More by neophilus

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle split with my brother - my portion into a Deschutes tulip...

A: Dark brown/black body with a thin head and some lacing.

S: Mild spirit aromas, whiskey, vanilla, chocolate and malt/bourbon sweetness. Stout character seems subdued - overall the nose is a bit muted in general.

T: Follows the nose, thin-tasting whiskey and spirit flavors, vanilla sweetness, mild char and roasted malt. Flash of milk chocolate.

MF: Medium bodied with a thinner mouthfeel than I would hope form though with the lower ABV maybe I'm expecting too much? Carbonation is decent.

O: Even for a >7% abv bourbon barrel stout, I expected this one to be more pronounced and 'full' in smell, taste and feel. A bit disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 13:44:18 | More by Scotchboy

BigBarley

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-20-2013 09:22:54 | More by BigBarley

bbfc

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

05-20-2013 04:45:31 | More by bbfc

craftbrew502

Kentucky

2.75/5  rDev -27.6%

05-20-2013 00:35:37 | More by craftbrew502

shehateme

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-19-2013 20:04:33 | More by shehateme

nzerbe

New York

3/5  rDev -21.1%

05-19-2013 16:36:57 | More by nzerbe

hopkrid

Florida

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-19-2013 16:11:35 | More by hopkrid

KiMiRaiK

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

05-19-2013 03:48:39 | More by KiMiRaiK

Gmann

New York

3.61/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a near black color with a dense creamy tan head that settles into a solid cap.

The aroma is subtle but has a nice aroma of chocolate and sweet whiskey. Mild vanilla notes as well.

The flavor is of a powdery chocolate, smooth caramel and a hint of vanilla. Not much from the whiskey. There is a light booze flavor nothing really specific

The feel is moderate with soft carbonation. Sweet on the palate but not syrupy.

A rather boring barrel aged brew but it drinks nice and has a nice flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:45:15 | More by Gmann

DangerDawg

Ohio

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-19-2013 02:35:26 | More by DangerDawg

nyrblue2

New York

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-19-2013 01:30:18 | More by nyrblue2

acurtis

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

05-18-2013 23:11:43 | More by acurtis

djrn2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -21.1%

05-18-2013 22:51:18 | More by djrn2

Kreko7

California

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

05-18-2013 17:25:02 | More by Kreko7

argock

Virginia

3.11/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 22 oz brown bomber into a clear glass snifter. No freshness date evident. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA).

A: Not quite opaque dark brown with 1 finger of light-beige head with below-average retention and minimal lacing.

S: The aroma is not strong with only some hints of whiskey and nothing that really resembles Wild Turkey. The stout base is not very characterful with some caramel malt notes.

T: The flavor is a big letdown with some caramel malt sweetness. There are some dark malt qualities, but they are weak. The body is so light that it seems like the flavors are diluted. The bourbon whiskey flavor is there but very muted. A big disappointment.

M: The mouthfeel is all wrong for a bourbon barrel aged stout -- too thin.

O: This was one of the more boring beers I have had in the last couple of years. One of AV's poorer beers -- I think this is an attempt to lighten up a beer that I don't think really can be light -- it needs the big imperial stout dark maltiness to work with the whiskey character. Without it, they both feel off. I would definitely skip this one, especially at the unbelievable price point.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 03:21:41 | More by argock