Bourbon Barrel Aged Empire Imperial Stout - Cutters Brewing Company

eyeenjoybeer

Indiana

4.45/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the first barrel-aged offering from this young brewery in Bloomington. I think they knocked it out of the park.
~250 bottle brewery release. Beer was aged for ~9 months in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels.

A: Pours thick and dark with a dark brown head.

S: The smell immediately let me know that the barreling had been dialed in well. I smelled my glass of this for a long time. I got whiffs of chocolate, molasses, vanilla, and bourbon all balanced very well. I think it smells a lot like BA Plead the Fifth, another one of my favorites of this style.

T: First taste was delicious. I got notes of dark fruit, light licorice, vanilla, toasted oakiness, and very well balanced bourbon. The finish has a bit of ash, molasses, and lightly lingering bitterness. As the pour warmed, the barrel notes (wood) came out a bit more.

M: The carbonation was spot on for the style light but present. I like my imperial stouts pretty thick, and this beer does not disappoint.

Overall, the folks at Cutters should be proud of this first barrel aged offering. I am stoked to see what kind of beers they produce moving forward with their expansion.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 20:13:07 | More by eyeenjoybeer

Zaphog

Michigan

4/5  rDev -7.6%

04-29-2013 18:09:24 | More by Zaphog

Boilerfood

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -19.2%

04-13-2013 19:11:55 | More by Boilerfood

Rempo

Indiana

5/5  rDev +15.5%

03-26-2013 21:28:44 | More by Rempo

IrishColonial

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -13.4%

03-23-2013 18:51:35 | More by IrishColonial

siege06nd

Virginia

4.56/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

HUGE thanks to bertram for this little delicacy!

A. Pours a dark, opaque brown. No head to speak of beyond a bubble or two. Flat. Big oily legs rim the glass with each swirl. Looks like a beast.

S. Really good. Melted fudge, slightly singed brownies, warm nougat, caramel, vanilla bean, toasted oats, roasted grounds. This is excellent.

T. Follows the nose and improves upon it. Thick baking chocolate, brownie batter, little bit of smoke, toasted bread, vanilla bean, caramel, some ripe cherry, burnt oak, and bourbon finish. Finish is drying and slightly hoppy. Wow.

M. Carb is low, which the pour hinted at. Definitely would have benefited from more carb. However, it still has great balance and a nice, cloying mouth feel. Each sip is a warming experience, with a cascade of flavor.

O. This is a very impressive barrel aged stout, one of the better ones I have had. The aging was done very well, as the bourbon barrel was well integrated. Lesser stouts would have a thin mouthfeel with the barrel overwhelming everything. In this beer, the base stout shines as much if not moreso than the barrel. Outstanding. Big thumbs up.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 18:43:09 | More by siege06nd

bertram

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%

01-24-2013 17:43:40 | More by bertram

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Split with the girlfriend while watching some football.

Pours black with a medium sized beige head. Pretty creamy. Good lacing and retention.

Loads of chocolate with a few roasted malts along with some bourbon, vanilla and oak undertones. You can tell this one spent time in a barrel, but the base beer is still there too.

Very chocolately up front with a bit of a licorice flavor as well. Oak and bourbon then come in more toward the back of the palate. Finishes with some brown sugar balanced out by a kiss of bourbon. Also a touch of smoke as it lingers on the tongue.

Nice thick chewy mouthfeel with a very creamy body. Bourbon is well integrated and you can still taste the rich chocolate from the base beer. Carbonation is a bit low, but present which is all that is needed for a big creamy stout.

Great job by Cutters on their first barrel release. Empire is a solid base beer and the barrel aging did this one well. My only thing keeping is from perfection is it got a touch cloying in the aftertaste after reaching room temperature. Make sure and get it down when it's in the sweet spot for optimum flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 17:44:39 | More by jmarsh123

khumbard

Indiana

4.45/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A couple of tasters at the small bottle release. Bravo to the guys at Cutters on their first barrel aged beer. I think the regular Empire is the best of their normal offerings, and this took it to another level. The nose is full of bourbon, roast, barrel, and chocolate. Probably the best aspect of the beer. The barrel qualities remind me of some other high quality BA stouts like bourbon county, BA plead the fifth, and parabola. Taste is also very good. Nice amount of bourbon and wood, dark fruits, roastiness, subtle sweetness, but does finish just slightly acrid which is really my only knock on this one. Overall this is an impressive beer, and I'm very glad to have been able to grab a handful. Looking forward to sharing them over the next year or two.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 16:38:59 | More by khumbard