Very Mad Cow - Revolution Brewing Company - Brewpub

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewpub - December 27, 2010.

Pours near black with a thin mocha head that persists for a bit before falling to a thin cap. The nose brings a very strong bourbon presence. A bit heavy on that and the booze right now, though it is nice. I think this will develop well, it just needs a bit more time. The taste adds a bit more complexity with a bit of roasted malt and some chocolate. A bit of sweetness counteracts the boozy nature of the beer. A bit too much alcohol in the feel, but is nice and rich. Drinks pretty well overall. Wish I had a bottle or two to age for a bit.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2011 01:28:26 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to jmgrub for sharing this one at drewone's tasting.

Pours a clear dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, bourbon, and wood. Taste is much the same with a smooth bourbon finish and a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is really tasy and smooth.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 22:30:21 | More by UCLABrewN84

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a shaker pint glass.

Why would you wanna piss a cow off that much, anyway? Regardless, this stuff pours a deep black-brown topped by a finger of tan foam. The nose comprises chocolate cake, bourbon, and a twinge of coffee. The taste brings in more of the same, along with some light cardboard and some mild roasted malts. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid-ish feel. Overall, a generally tasty and enjoyable beer. I wouldn't say that the barreling really injected the base with a significant amount of better-ness, but it certainly didn't hurt it.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 01:56:02 | More by TMoney2591

MasterSki

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Goose Island Stoufest. Out of all the strange Goose one-offs, BCS variants, etc. this might have been my favorite beer. Served in a taster glass.

A - Pours with a big persistent tan foam that settles to a thin cap, leaving splotchy lace. The body is a very, very, dark brown that is a bit lighter at the fringes. Good looking brew!

S - Tons of barrel notes - coconut, butterscotch, whiskey - meld perfectly with lactose sugar, roasted grains, cocoa, and some earthiness. I just kept smelling this one all afternoon - a reference quality barrel-aged milk stout.

T - Taste is a bit of a letdown, but still quite solid. Lots of milk chocolate, roasted grains, butterscotch, and a little whiskey bite. Perhaps a bit muddled and understated.

M - Smooth, lower carbonation, medium body. Finishes quite sticky. It could stand to be a bit creamier, I suppose, being a milk stout and all.

D - This stuff is awesome. I went back for numerous pours throughout the event. I hope it makes a reappearance at the pub soon (and that they allow growler fills).

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2011 14:38:28 | More by MasterSki

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.51/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This was sent time from mjmadsen21, major thanks on this one man! This beer poured out as a nice looking black color with a brown head on top. There is a moderate retention and lacing. The aroma on this beer is huge, it screams bourbon, it's sweet and boozy and strangely addictive. The taste of the beer follows the nose, lots of bourbon, chocolate and vanilla with a boozy wooden flavor in the finish. The mouthfeel is pretty slick, lightly carbonated and finishes with some ethanol heat. Overall I loved it, I think if anything there is maybe too much bourbon and it masks the a dual beer, but either way I thought it was great.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 01:39:03 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Draft serving at Revolution.

Black in the glass, thin off white tan colored head that didn't stick around for long, not surprising considering the abv. A thin skim and ring around the edges is all that's left behind.

Aroma is straight up bourbon, brown sugar and coconut sweetness with some toasted oak and booze. Definitely strong, this batch.

Any nuance that Mad Cow had is completely obliterated by the barrel this time around. It's straight up Woodford, with some feeble cocoa and mild roasty stout notes peeking through. Definitely lost any smooth creaminess and sweetness, it's astringent and boozy from the barrel. Flavors are still good, just a bit harsh and bourbon focused. Seems like it would benefit from a little blending with standard-issue Mad Cow to smooth the rough edges.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2012 20:53:46 | More by emerge077

jrallen34

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at On Photon...Light black beer, light tan head but not much there, low carbonation...Nice aroma with typical Woodford vanilla and bourbon, molasses and a hint of roast...The taste has a big bourbon bite on the front, but its quickly balanced by bitter chocolate notes. Very creamy, another nice depth twist, makes it very full and sweet though.

Another above average barrel aged from Cibak. This is worth trying.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-24-2010 00:05:49 | More by jrallen34

AgentZero

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Darker brown beer that has a nice tan head. Little bit of lacing on the sides.

S - For a milk stout this smells awesome. Roasted grains and cocoa with some nice oak and bourbon. Less of a lactose and milk bomb, probably due to the barrel aging. Smells appealing.

T - Milk chocolate, impressive roasted notes, the nicest bit of bittering espresso to mellow the sweetness. Bourbon is more of a hint than a presence, not hot at all.

M - Smooth, lower carbonation, medium bodied, no complaints.

D - Like this a lot more than most milk stouts, found it very good and went back for at least one more pour before the night got hazy. Good stuff I would like to have again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2011 04:58:19 | More by AgentZero

GbVDave

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into two Kentucky Breakfast snifters. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the asssist!

Bottled on: Nov 12 2012

A: Pours a coal black with only a slight reddening at the edges. A 1/2 finger of dark khaki colored foam sat on top before quietly melting down to a thin collar. Lace left behind was random and specky.

S: Fresh from the beer fridge, this was all bourbon. Delicious, delicious bourbon. I set it on the counter while cleaning up from Christmas and came back to it after about an hour. As it warmed up, this beer really opened up and let out aromas of fudge/dark chocolate, dark fruit, and the slightest hint of the base beer.

T: The taste pretty much follows the pattern of the smell but with the scales ultimately being tipped towards the bourbon side. The other things are in there, but we had to search a bit harder to find them.

M: Suprisingly thin when first poured. This score benifited greatly from warming up about 10 degrees. This beer obviously spent quality time in a bourbon barrel AND has a higher ABV than the base Mad Cow, but this does a fantastic job of hiding the alcohol content. We could smell and taste the bourbon, but the expected burn never arrived. Just a mild spiciness that blended well with the sweetness of the chocolate & dark fruit..

O: This was very enjoyable. We are fans of Mad Cow and had hoped that more of the characteristics of it would've shown through. We weren't disappointed (in the least)...more like we are intrigued as to what this will be like in a few years...and what the next batches of this will be like.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 19:42:34 | More by GbVDave

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.64/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Bottle dated Nov 12/12. Thanks to Robbie for this one.
Poured in to tulip glass.

A - Poured dark brown and settled black with two fingers of light brown head.

S - Roast and sweet milk chocolate dominate with oak, vanilla and a touch of bourbon in the background.

T - A big hit of bourbon and charred oak up front followed by a huge sweetness. Milk chocolate, roast and molasses flavours are present. At first the flavours seem well integrated but after a while they start to seem disjointed and the sweetness becomes somewhat cloying.

M - Medium body but somewhat watery at times. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 01:39:27 | More by TheSevenDuffs

sweemzander

Illinois

4.54/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22oz. bottle poured into a snifter.

(A)- Pours a near pitch black color. Produced some nice tan froth and some lacing as it dissipated.

(S)- A lovely combo of a creamy but chocolatey raisin and vanilla oakiness. Its not super complex but really quite sexy.

(T)- Very similar to the smell. It really does have a sexy profile overall. Quite creamy with underlying notes of vanilla, raisin, and gingerbread. Finishes almost dry with superb oak and bourbon notes.

(M)- A smooth carbonation level. A really nice balance to it. Such a nice smooth underlying creaminess to this (base beer), that it really mellows out.

(O)- Overall, a superb barrel aged stout. So smooth and creamy yet having great bourbon barrel notes. Sadly, this might get overlooked by all the other bigger barrel aged stout releases out there, but this is one great offering by Revolution!

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 21:58:08 | More by sweemzander

Sean9689

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Rev Kedzie Grand Opening Party.

A - Pours black, cream-colored head, thin collar.

S - Bourbon, coconut, vanilla, barrel, light roast, and chocolate. Very sweet and boozy, but in a good way. Sweetness works well with the booze and there's a touch of creaminess that comes through as well.

T - Mostly bourbon with the remainder of the beer coming afterwards. Light barrel, chocolate, roast, and vanilla in the middle which helps tone down the booze. Alcohol is there, but works well with what's going on. Finish is coconut booze and creamy chocolate.

M - Full body, rich and smooth, creamy finish.

O - A nice BA milk stout that could use a bit more time before it's really "on". That said, I easily finished my pour and would have again if offered up.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2012 17:27:49 | More by Sean9689

homebrew311

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: appearance is dark black with brown highlights at the edges, a hint of clarity, minimal head

S: nose features an onslaught of whiskey and barrel. Not getting a lot of the milk stout base. Some coconut comes through.

T: the barrel seems overdone on the tongue, quite a bit of booziness with the milk stout getting lost in the background. The wood provides a raw character too that somewhat detracts from the smooth creamy stout

MF: this feels a little thin with mild carbonation

O: this is the second barrel aged treatment I have tried of Mad Cow, and I must say this one leans towards dissapointment. While this wasn't a bad brew by any means, Revolution has been holding it to such a high standard and I feel this one is a little short of that.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2012 07:37:03 | More by homebrew311

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown almost black with a small beige head fading into a tiny layer. Some lacing as well.

Lots of roasty chocolate with a little milk sweetness in the nose. Bourbon is evident, but not overpowering to the base.

Bourbon and milk chocolate hit the palate immediately. Usually bourbon doesn't hit my palate this quickly so it's interesting. Some milk sweetness and roast comes through before finishes with a hint of booze with a semi-sweet dry finish. Bourbon presence is noted, but subdued throughout the palate.

Medium mouthfeel and alcohol is hidden to a good degree. Would prefer it to be a little more full bodied especially considering the base is a milk stout.

A nicely made bourbon stout. It didn't knock my socks off, but was still enjoyable to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 19:01:29 | More by jmarsh123

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes on 12/23/12. Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a 8 oz snifter.

A- pours black with a 1 finger light tan head. Some small bubbles speckle the glass.

S- smells like straight bourbon with slight chocolate.

T- follows nose. Bourbon forward, with chocolate initially and the bourbon with some bitter roast.

M- medium body and finish. Somewhat smooth, alcohol is there but not hot.

O- too bourbon forward! Overpowers base beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 03:28:34 | More by kawilliams81

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

poured into cascade hybrid tulip / snifter glass.

Appearance: light black bodied beer with a full finger of off white almost tan colored head. drops quickly to a thin cap.

Smell: really nice barrel notes pair with that trademark lactose sweetness of a milk stout. Lots of vanilla and oak. Sweet bourbon too.

Taste: bourbon forward stout. Sweet bourbon, vanilla, oak, milk chocolate, and totsie rolls. More bourbon in the aftertaste with a hint of tobacco and leather. The lactose sugar seems to linger even longer than the bourbon, tobacco, or leather notes do.

Mouthfeel: low end of a medium bodied beer with low end of moderate carbonation. Its nice and silky. The carbonation is appropriate just wish it was a little thicker mouthfeel. Just a hint of booze and no harsh burn at all; really easy drinking barrel aged stout.

Overall: This is a great BA stout by Revolution. I like Bean Gene much better though. My biggest hold up is the thin body. Other than that this was a great brewery only offering from the windy city!

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 04:39:07 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.49/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Dark chocolate brown, leaves a thin toffee colored layer and a marginally thin and delicate toffee colored ring on the glass.

S - Light chocolate, cherries, light oak, light vanilla, bourbon, light chocolate.

T - Matches the nose: perfect balance between bourbon, oak, vanilla, light cherries, and has very light alcohol and pleasingly lingering aftertaste with caramel, oak, and bourbon vanilla that's not at all overpowering.

M - Velvet smooth on the palette.

O - Exceptional and underrated when considering the overall score. This beer is a real find.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 21:23:15 | More by jzeilinger

Vonerichs

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dark, dark brown that's much lighter around the edges. It has an aggressive head from a not-so-aggressive pour. The head is pretty persistent, too.

The nose is toasted coconut, marshmallow, and vanilla. It has some great bourbon notes in it.

What I really like about this is that is imparts flavors from the bourbon, maintains a high abv, but doesn't come off as boozy. Vanilla and coconut are the main flavors with a dashes of chocolate and vanilla. It has a nice sweetness to it without becoming syrupy.

Fantastic creamy mouthfeel. It's very smooth and as I already said, not boozy at all.

I thought this was a really solid b.a. milk stout. In fact, I don't think I've ever had a milk stout from a barrel. Everything about this was subtle, but in a good way.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 02:10:50 | More by Vonerichs

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

3.93/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Presentation: 22 oz. bottle chilled and poured into a Cigar City tulip. Big thanks to Beerlistman for the bottle. Bottled in November of 2012.

Appearance: Dark brown to black in color with a light, beige colored head. Really nice one finger, pillowy head with really impressive retention. Keeps a nice lacing throughout.

Aroma: Pretty strong bourbon character with some caramel and brown sugar notes. A touch of peat and smoke from the barrel as well. The barrel notes are definitely front and center. Some chocolate and fudge cake tones in the background as well. Really nice flavor profile but the raw bourbon character is a bit strong.

Taste: The barrel character is really strong and provides a huge raw bourbon character. Almost like sa shot of nice bourbon has been added to this beer. Caramel, molasses, and milk chocolate make up the rest of the beer. The booze character from the bourbon stands out a little, but this is still relativel easy to drink.

Mouthfeel: Perhaps a bit lighter body than the average bourbon barrel stout. Plenty of carbonation though.

Overall, a nice beer that suffers from a bourbon barrel character that isn't completely integrated into the base beer. I feel that a little more time in the barrels or in the bottle would have helped the beer come together better. The bourbon character is really nice though and the whole experience is a lot like sipping a bourbon. Very tasty but with some noticable flaws.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 00:39:13 | More by Gosox8787

yamar68

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for this one dsal!

Big black body with an edge of mahogany clarity, pale khaki head sinks down to thick collar that laces in a BIG way.

Creme brulee all day. Some light dessert candies... caramel, toffee, a bit of vanilla. Pretty one-dimensional in a way that doesn't detract from the beer. Creamy cocoa, but mostly those lighter sweets.

Fresh cream, soft bourbon notes, not nearly as sweet as I would have expected. Some cola flavors, no apparent booze character, a touch of vanilla, a surprisingly mild finish... good stuff.

Very glad to have had the chance to try this one - thanks dsal!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 01:22:58 | More by yamar68

bobhits

Kentucky

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 4.25

Rather tame in appearance, this one pours like a milk stout with light brown clarity from the bottle turning deep dark brown in the glass, a head forms but the alcohol is too strong for it. No real lacing left over.

A sinfully good bourbon nose with hints of lactose, milk chocolate, oak, vanilla, and light sugars.

A bourbon infused milk stout flavor...simply amazing. Milk stouts have a somewhat milk chocolate flavor unlike most stouts which take on a bakers dark chocolate. This beer takes on that same element of vanilla, lactose, and milk chocolate with just an astonishing amount of bourbon. Honestly if only woodford (a bourbon nearly as over rated and hyped as makers mark, without being terrible like markers is) tasted this good.

Sadly the body is rather watery and thing. The alcohol is very apparent and the carbonation is all but non existent.

A damn DAMN tasty beer that at 16 bucks a bottle is worthy of a try though splitting it might be a good idea as this isn't upper echelon.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 00:38:42 | More by bobhits

ChugginOil

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Solid black with a finger of light cream colored head that leaves mass lacing.

S- Light bourbon up front with a twist of vanilla and oak. Bourbon dominates mostly here but not nearly as much as most barrel aged brews.

T- Sweet caramel and creamy butterscotch come through the bourbon tones that strike me first. Vanilla and oak are nicely blended making this brew quite balanced.

M- Thick and creamy. The motor oil I seek. This coats it up in fashion.

T- If i had six livers I would drink this all day!

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2011 19:40:19 | More by ChugginOil

lstokes

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very dark with a thin tan head and plenty of lacing. This is heavy on the whiskey and oak notes, with the lactose only showing up in the taste, and that late. I like the bourbon-into-sugar development in the taste, but ultimately the bourbon is a bit much. I guess I like my milk stouts sweet? Creamy, rich mouthfeel--I was happy to drink my snifter but probably would not want another.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2012 05:22:34 | More by lstokes

KDawg

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

had on tap at revolution. Poured into a snifter with a good dark brown color with very little head

pungent nose with the noticeable bourbon aromas to it along with some raisins, dark chocolate, and loads of malts

full bodied with a good feel. The flavors aren't as complex with notes of bourbon, dark chocolate and malts. The bourbon dominates a bit too much

A quality stout. Full bodied with more complexity on the aromas than the flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2012 21:30:45 | More by KDawg

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.16/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

22oz bottle from The Beer Temple (Chicago, IL). 17.99. No bottle date. Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

Pours cola brown with three quarter finger pale tan head. The head fades quickly, lacking retention or lace.

Smells of sweet cream, sugar, vanilla and bourbon.

A complex sweet bomb. Lactose, Cadbury cream, bourbon, vanilla, sweet coffee creamer and a little oak. Very little alcohol presence. Nice sweet mixture.

Medium feel with moderate carbonation. The sweet lactose remains on the tongue for a long finish.

A damn fine barrel aged sweet stout that I would definately buy again at half the price. Quite enjoyable but the cost makes it a one time purchase.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 19:46:35 | More by ThickNStout