Bourbon Barrel Stout - Odell Brewing Company

Dope

Massachusetts

1.38/5  rDev -65.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

(review from 02-11-2013) 2nd review of 2011 batch since I think my first was infected.

A: Pop the cork with nary a hiss. Not a good sign. Pours about as flat as you can get. Very dark brown body. 1/4" head from a really aggressive pour. Head fades quickly, zero lacing.

S: Smells like pure wine or sherry. Fruity, tart, sour, dry.

T: Sherry, sour fruits...solid chunks. What the hell is in this?

M: Thin and completely flat.

O: Welp, this one is definitely infected, much worse than the below review. Instead of being overcarbonated it is flat and disgusting. Revolting. 0 for 2.

(review from 04-14-2012) 2011 batch.

A: A pure black pour with a ridiculously over the top light brown head. Huge, dense foam. Retention is great, fades very slowly and never really goes away. Leaves decent splatters of lacing on the glass. (4.5)

S: Loads of boozy bourbon in the nose. Burnt caramel and oaky vanilla mainly. Hints of dark fruit. Boozy. Just the lightest bit of roasted malt but mostly it is overpowered. Great aroma despite the roasted malt being so subtle. (4.5)

T: Lots of bourbon up front for sure. Again with the caramel and tons of oak to follow. Getting a lot of licorice and leather. Earthy throughout. A bit yeasty like sourdough. Tastes a bit funky, like some belgians can be. Touches of dark fruit here and there. (3)

M: Relatively high carbonation makes this one feel thinner than it is. (3)

O: I was worried about infection (like many others), and I'm even more confused now that I've drank it. It looks great, smells great, and tastes halfway decent. But it's the least stout-like stout I've ever had. Honestly besides the label description and the color, I never would have expected this to be a stout. I don't really get much roasted malt flavor - I let it warm up completely and really there is almost no roast, chocolate or coffee in there. Very high carbonation for a stout like this too. It tastes like a bourbon barrel quad or a belgian strong dark. The question is whether or not that was intended. (3.5)

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 04:03:39 | More by Dope

corby112

Pennsylvania

1.6/5  rDev -59.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

750ml, 2009(?) vintage

Pours pitch black and completely opaque with a one finger frothy beige head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Sporadic rings and spots of lacing are left behind.

Slightly tart and metallic smelling with hints of sweet boozy bourbon and earthy oak. Faint roasted malt underneath but this one is dominated by notes of infection and barrel character.

This beer is overly oxidized and pretty badly infected. Tight abrasive carbonation up front that lingers throughout into a sour metallic finish. Some of the intended flavors are evident(sweet boozy bourbon, oak and vanilla from the barrel as well as some dark, roasted malt notes) but the overwhelming vinegary metallic infected notes kill off almost everything pleasant about this beer. Only a few sips and then down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 08:58:29 | More by corby112

Arbitrator

California

1.85/5  rDev -53.2%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Chilled bottle into a glass. Thanks to nickd717 for opening this.

A: Pours a dark brown body with a huge tan-colored head. Fluffy bubbles with substantial lacing. Very energetically carbonated. Kind of a bad sign for a barrel-aged stout...

S: Yep, as I suspected: it is infected. Cherries (tart with a light sourness), bourbon, caramel, vanilla, oak. The bourbon reminds me of honey a little bit, with some spiced character. I tend to be unforgiving of infected stouts, but the effect here is reasonably nice.

T: It kind of works in the taste, too. Cherry tartness complements the milk chocolate sweetness of the base beer. Oak and bourbon are noticeable, with pretty good balance between all of the characteristics of the beer: nothing is particularly dominant. It tastes like it would have been pretty good without the infection. Even now it's fairly decent, and I liked it more than the uninfected Blue Frog 10th Anniversary next to it.

M: It's a little on the dry side; lower than medium viscosity. I guess it will only get drier as the infection takes hold, but it's not at a terrible point right now.

D: While clearly infected, it wasn't irredeemably bad at this point. I found the base beer still shone through and complemented the cherries and barrel character reasonably well. It's only going to get worse, so I would drink sooner rather than later.

Also, two straight years of infection and it has an A- rating? Ridiculous.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 22:50:57 | More by Arbitrator

JamisonM

Arizona

1.88/5  rDev -52.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

2011 Vintage poured into a Tulip glass big pop on the cork

A: A slow pour yielded a huge mocha head body is black as night.

S: No bourbon notes here? A musty citrus note here along with slight chocolate and vanilla notes. Smells off.

T: Yuck this is infected! Tastes just like there wild yeast strain. Musty Citrus some black malt vanilla and chocolate. The wild yeast taste is really overwhelming the beer. No body no sweetness it has a very dry finish, not what I was looking for.

M: Body is not what I expected, its med low. High carbonation too high for the style. A very dry beer too.

Overall: Another infected batch?? Really Odell?? I paid 14 bucks per bottle I expect something better. Looking and the bottle more closely I see there is yeast at the top of the bottle near where the cork was. Maybe one day I will get to try a really good version of this beer, this was a huge let down.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 13:28:19 | More by JamisonM

Never2Dark

Minnesota

1.93/5  rDev -51.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A huge let down. I think this bottle must have gone horribly wrong. There was a plaque growing around the cork. Is this normal? For such high reviews, I felt this beer was on the verge of being foul. Still though, one of the best infected beers I've ever had.

A: Poured dark brown with a moderate head. Appeared thin. I was expecting a thicker beer for $16 a bottle.

S: I think it was corked. The smell was off, smelling almost of urine, backed up by a dark roasted malt, obvious bourbon-barrel tones, and alcohol.

T: An even bigger let down. Overwhelming oak, alcohol and stout, in that order. If I wanted bourbon-oak-tea, I would have invented it. This beer is lacking "Beer" flavor, as it is lost in the overwhelming oak taste.

M: Thin. If it wasn't so intensely flavored and scented, it would feel like a bud.

Overall: I wouldn't drink another even if offered one for free. A major let down. I'm a huge fan of bourbon, but this pairing was not meant to be.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 23:41:43 | More by Never2Dark

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

2/5  rDev -49.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Poured into Town Hall chalice.

Pours 1 finger of tan head. Amazing retention with splattered lace left. Color is an oil black.

Aroma: Nice chocolate notes. Subtle bourbon and vanilla notes with fresh grassy hops. Peanut butter and golden delicious apples.

Taste: Blend of vanilla and bourbon. The chocolate and oak hit next. Slight coffee flavors with roasted malts. Again, it tastes like a 2nd graders lunch: peanut butter and red apples.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy. No heat showing at all. Medium to full bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. Ends a little malty/dry, but pretty clean.

Overall, one of the worst -bal aged stouts I have had. I was not so impressed with Odell in this one. It mainly tasted like peanut butter and apples. wtf. It is expensive and I will probably won't grab another bottle. I don't recommend this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2009 18:21:16 | More by mothman

mdvatab

Indiana

2/5  rDev -49.4%
look: 1 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

2011 Vintage
Poured from 750ml bottle into KtG snifter

I'd really been looking forward to this one based on great experiences with other Odell brews, and positive buzz about this one. I purchased in late 2011, and cellared the corked & caged bottle on its side since then. The cork was tight. In most cases, when a c&c bottle is properly carbonated, the cork will get easier and easier to pull as it works its way out. Unfortunately, this one was a struggle the whole way, leading me to believe the was a carbonation issue...

A hard pour straight into the bottom of my snifter only resulted in a small group of large bubbles--no tight collar of foam here. Reminiscent of one of my early homebrews that failed to carbonate. Color is a dark cola brown/black-- a bit thinner than anticipated.

Before even tasting this one, I suspect that there's a major issue. With a sip, this one falls flat, both with respect to carbonation, and also flavor. Some malty, chocolate sweetness, moderate cardboard, a hint of oaky barrel, and a slight bitterness. This is obviously not what the brewer intended, so I'll stop the review there. Proceed to kitchen sink. Pour.

Unfortunately, I believe this bottle set me back $18, which is very frustrating. After reading other reviews, it appears that there is some significant inconsistency with last year's batch. Short of being offered a free replacement bottle this year, I won't be going after this one again.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 21:03:20 | More by mdvatab

harrymel

Washington

2.05/5  rDev -48.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

2011 from the dentist

A: black with three fingers of persistent toasted foam. Spotty lace.
S: leather, green olive juice, hints of cocoa
T: mostly leather, some green olive juice, some coffee grounds.
M; thin and hi carb. Dry.
O: unimpressed at best. Tastes like it will be an infectious mess soon.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 04:20:36 | More by harrymel

Rhettroactive

Virginia

2.1/5  rDev -46.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

From 750mL bottle to Bruges hybrid glass on 1/14/12
*From notes

-- Thanks for bringing this one back east, John --

*When I pull the cork, there's no hiss or pop. There's also this weird and nasty crust surrounding the cork and the entry to the bottle. Not the best of starts.

A: Dark maple brown in color. A hard pour down the center of my glass yields no substancial head, just a mere pop of carbonation that falls off. No lacing or collar.

S: Before I even poured the beer, I jammed my nose in the bottle to get a feel for the beer. Bad idea. This thing smells like rotting, concentrated black fruit. Entirely devoid of anything resembling a quality BA stout. Once in the glass, it comes off a bit like bubblegum, with a heavy dose of alcohol esters and wood.

T: Not quite as bad as I expected after the train wreck called the bouquet. Lots of bourbon, bubblegum, rubbing alcohol, woody char, fake vanilla extract and a good bit of ass puckering tang.

M: This lacks carbonation, and in the worst way. It's a bit of an oily mess. Oh, and did I mention how thin it is?

O: God....how I'd been dying to tick this beer from day one of my craft beer addiciton. I remember trying to trade for it, not having the kind of meager ammo the other guy wanted. With that in mind, I'm extremely dissapointed to see that the current vintage is an infected mess. Here's to hoping that this is merely a one-time occurance, and not a continual trend.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 22:57:49 | More by Rhettroactive

treyrab

Pennsylvania

2.15/5  rDev -45.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Got this as an extra in a trade - thanks for the opportunity to try this! Poured at cellar temp (55F) into a snifter...

A: The cork was a monster to get off. Needed to get out my wine corker. When I did finally get it off, it yielded a huge pop, with ample ghostly smoke coming out of the bottle. Poured into the snifter, it yielded a two finger tan head. Not so much creamy, but more of a spritzy head.

S: You know the smell when you are cooking and food boils over the pot and gets onto the oven and burns? That is what this smells like. Burnt toast, burnt grains, burnt food scraps, burnt coffee, and oddly, sour grapes. All blended with a touch of astringent oak. Burnt oak.

T: Pretty much the same. I never ate the burnt food that burned on my stove, but I can imagine this is what it tastes like. Astringent burnt roast, tons of oak, a hint of sour grapes, and ass.

Overall, something is odd with this beer. Could be showing signs of infection, but that does not explain the abundant oak and roast. I'd try again, but only if a different vintage.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 13:06:18 | More by treyrab

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

2.3/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

750mL corked and caged bottle. 5036-2011 is on the label.

almost black, massive thick tan colored head that leaves bid clumps of lacing, with great retention.

the aroma is not was is expected. instead of bourbon or roasted malt, I get maybe some malt, raisin, and a bit of black cherry.
taste is similar, a bit tart and dry in the finish. none of the flavors indicated on the bottle label (chocolate, vanilla, coffee, oak, caramel) show up at all.

smooth, but still significant carbonation. expected to be thicker.

overall, a big miss for the style. maybe some QC issues?
Unfortunately after I took the trouble of flying this bottle back from a trip to Colorado, I read about infection issues with this beer. So I drank right away. Can't say for certain if some wild yeast is talking hold or not. It's not bad, but not good. certainly not worth the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 02:20:30 | More by jmdrpi

UCLABrewN84

California

2.3/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Thanks to holden303 for sending me this one as part of the N00B BIF 6!

2011 vintage.

I have heard these have a track record of being infected and unfortunately I think I got a bad bottle.

Pours an almost opaque super dark crimson brown with a huge puffy 4 inch khaki head that doesn't settle. Thin rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of sour fruits, bourbon, and wood. I am getting no normal stout aromas whatsoever. Taste is of roasted malt, cocoa, bourbon, and wood along with abnormal sour cherry/berry and metallic flavors. There is a roasty bitterness that lingers on the palate after each sip. This beer has way too much carbonation with an extremely bubbly mouthfeel (even more so than soda). Overall, this is just not a very good beer and some sort of infection is apparent here. I assume this could be really good with a normal bottle but this one is a drainpour for me. It's not completely undrinkable but pretty close in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 00:13:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

drabmuh

Maryland

2.4/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Bottle shared by Thorpe, thanks. This was the biggest disappointment of the day, in fact I'd go as far to say that this beer failed completely.

Beer is dark brown and forms a thin tan head that leaves a little lacing, the beer is carbonated mildly.

Aroma is a little malty, a little bourbony, and a little...fruity. What is this giogn to taste like.

Its nearly impossible to be an active beer taster and not come across several bourbon barrel aged stouts, this is the worst. First off, its sweet at the front but super thin. The sweetness gives was to an odd funkiness and lactic acid. It finishes without bitterness but there is this odd tartness that lingers later, this was no enjoyable...at all.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 17:45:46 | More by drabmuh

thagr81us

South Carolina

2.5/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Big thanks goes out to the BA who sent me this one as an extra in a past trade (BM me if it was you) so that I could share it at one of our random Sunday tastings! Served from bottle into a Sweetwater 15th Anniversary snifter. Poured pitch black with a half finger light tan head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, earth, earth hop, wood, sweet alcohol, and metallic. The flavor was of sweet malt, earth, wood, metallic, oxidized, and roasted malt. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a less than average brew. I’m not really sure what went down here, but this brew was not happy about sitting in my fridge for awhile before getting to open it. There was a pop when cork was pulled, but this one was definitely oxidized. Really hated to see this happen if I am honest. There was some nice notes going on in the nose, but in the flavor it was completely dominated by the oxidation. Such a shame.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 13:12:19 | More by thagr81us

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.65/5  rDev -32.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to Hawkeyedaz for this bottle. Opened at a recent tasting.

Pours a dark shade of brown with a tan head and some light lacing. Nose brigs some roasted malt, bourbon, and the always-feared (at least in most styles) light dark cherry scent. Not too bad in the nose and well integrated to an extent, but it let us know what was coming.

Taste brings the aforementioned roast but also brings a pretty good amount of sourness that does not work well. I'm not too sure how common this is, but I would consider drinking bottles soon or wait and let them develop, as a dark bourbon sour could be interesting.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 22:38:56 | More by Thorpe429

antlerwrestler19

Nebraska

2.75/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Settles to pitch black color with an enormous light mocha colored head that rises up rocky and frothy - doesn't seem to fall until I begin to sip in which case it plants it's remains on the side of the glass in the form of thick chunky lacing. The aroma brings out subtle bitter chocolate, a slight vanilla, some "roastiness", boozy bourbon and some woody/earthy notes in there. The flavor is underwhelming....definitely boozy as the sting from the alcohol is pronounced and topples over the creamy chocolate and dark roasted malts that I was anticipating - definite bold flavors, but not in a good way. The flavor is only surpassed, or should I say, harshened due to the over carbonated mess of a mouthfeel - I'm left with a harsh boozy almost acidic/sour flavor in my mouth. I was pretty jacked for this release....and then I drank the beer, it's as simple as that. I am quite partial to Odell, in fact they're my favorite brewery that distributes to my area and it saddens me that I didn't get a wonderful bourbon-bal aged stout experience that I 100% expected of them....maybe the forum posts of infections and such are true of this brew, but it's rated so highly....I hope to one day try a delicious batch of this.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 05:17:18 | More by antlerwrestler19

billab914

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

750ml bottle poured into my Flying Mouflan glass. I believe this is a 2009 vintage, but it could be 2010. Dark brown in color with a thin tan head scattered around the top and concentrating around the edges.

The aroma has some sharper dark fruit notes to it. I get some brown sugar sweetness and a little bourbon but the imperial stout flavors are pretty well hidden. The sharp, tart dark fruits definitely hint at something being off in it, but it doesn't completely ruin it.

The sharp, tart, moderately acidic fruit flavors come through even more in the taste. It definitely has more in common with an American wild than an imperial stout at this point. The bourbon barrel comes through a little and adds an interesting twist to the tart fruits.

The mouthfeel is thin for the style and carbonation is above average. Overall, it wasn't what I expected or probably what was intended but it wasn't terrible. It was a drinkable American wild but not a good bourbon imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 00:25:18 | More by billab914

chugalug06

Colorado

2.78/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Nice 'Pop' from the C&C bottle. HUGE, sticky, lingering, layered, Tan/straw head with tons of foam and tightly wound soapy bubbles. Thick black brew flows from the bottle. Moderate lacing; especially at 11.5%...

Very light bourbon nose. Is this brew (again) tainted? Pretty cardboard-y and slight sourness...

Very bland and generic. Metallic and powdery. Not much bourbon, but lots of bourbon burn. This is not the BBS of old... Even with over the top head, it still drinks decent. Mild coffee and super light chocolate. Light on the tongue too.

Ok, so the debate rages...To review a potential tainted brew, or to not... IMO, one should review.

I love Odell, and it's not my intent to hammer them, but seriously? Twice, twice now BBS has been Funked. This is super disappointing, b/c I know how great BBS can be. I hope I'm able to re-review this brew in the future, but for now, steer clear, infection coming though :(

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 02:56:49 | More by chugalug06

ArrogantB

Colorado

2.83/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Picked up a bottle of this based on someone's recommendation, big mistake. Dark black color, a little head. Smells like alcohol, booze, a bit of stout and more booze. The taste had slight notes of grain and coffee but it was mostly alcohol, rubbing alcohol in fact. This was really poor quality considering the cost and I'll be really cautious purchasing their 750's in the future, probably just stick to the IPA and Lupulin.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 02:05:34 | More by ArrogantB

Kaiser81

California

2.85/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Rye726 for this as an extra.

Heard there may be infection issues, so decided to open this. I guess it's worth to celebrate my hat trick in my soccer game tonight.

Poured into my snifter glass.

A - A light black, if there is suc a thing with a finger worth of tan colored head. It lingers for a really long time, and leaves nice lacing on my glass.

S - Lots and lots of tart cherries mixed with whisps of oak and bourbon. Slight boozy smell from the bourbon as well. If this was a blind smell, I'd think it'd be supplication or something along those lines. ::sigh:: infection.

T - Tart cherries, metallic tinge, some roast and barrel mixed in. I'm sure it's a former shell of what it used to be. Too bad this is infected. I'd love to give a fresh bottle of these a try.

M - Medium to light medium mouthfeel with over carbonation.

D - I'm sure I would really like this if it wasn't infected. It's not bad...I'll finish the bottle, but it's not what it's supposed to be.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2010 07:00:17 | More by Kaiser81

MbpBugeye

Ohio

2.85/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Big thanks to boatshoes for this one. He has been overly generous to me. EDIT: 100th review for this beer!

I pull this one from my box, the star of the lot. Sure there are rumors (well actually confirmations) of infection in this beer, but I remain hopeful.

A- The beer looks great. Just the right amount of head with unstoppable retention and precise rings of lace that mark every sip.

S- The smell is where I get my hopes dashed. Sure the roastiness is there, hell even the bourbon is accounted for, but there is a minor level of tartness and acidity that is a tell tale sign of contamination. I must admit that its not that awful, Ive certainly encountered non-infected beers that smelled worse. It just has some things out of line, thats all.

T- If the smell wasnt confirmation enough, the taste is. Sourness and acidity are minimal but still there. The biggest thing is that this beer isnt the rich, decadent stout that it should be. Its as if a huge hole opened up in the flavor and things were lost.

M- This isnt over fermented enough to created any sort of over carbonation problem, yet. Although the body does seem to be a touch on the light side.

Say what you will about reviewing beers known to be infected, and I certainly battled with my conscience on this subject. The conclusion that Ive come to is simple. A review of a beer with an infection issue can help others determine that they have a bottle with the same problem. And besides that, this is how the beer was as it hit stores.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 05:25:10 | More by MbpBugeye

FosterJM

California

3.05/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

975th Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
750 ml

2011 vintage

Thanks to poonamibaxter for this one (i asked for one, not his fault)

App- A very dark chocolate brown. Much like liquid chocolate in a glass. A huge 2-1/2 finger very craterous crackly head with only a small ring of bubbles and only a couple dots of cling.

Smell- Whispy booze notes open this one up. The vanilla, chocolate, barrel notes are gone. Replaced by a very prickly note of hop bitter and grainular impish malts.

Taste- I am so dissapointed in this one. I waited forever to land one. Nothing about this screams BA stout. This infected bottle is like a export stout with grainy malts and a bit too much bubbles.

Mouth- A medium body and a prickly high carbonation. A little too prickly from carbonation. No residual chocolate, barrel or vanilla notes.

Drink- 2 words- Damn it !!!! I wanted this for so long and wanted another gem like BASC! I hope one day I can find it on tap

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 07:07:37 | More by FosterJM

sweemzander

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

750mL corked and caged bottle poured into a tulip. Thanks for sharing this one Matt! 2011 vintage.

(A)- Pours a pitch black color. Produced some tan froth and lace.

(S)- Some nutty oaky notes. Bits of prune and raisin.

(T)- Similar to the smell. Lots of raisin and oak with some bourbon notes (but subtle).

(M)- A rather high; almost fizzy carbonation level. So high that it actually makes this feel thinner that it probably is.

(D)- Not bad, though with the super ridiculously high carbonation level, it really throws this off for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 19:26:50 | More by sweemzander

mdcrouser

Missouri

3.23/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Caged, capped, and corked, this beer is darker than the bottle that houses it. It pours with about a finger's worth of head. A shallow cap stays, with a pool of bubbles coalescing into a single pool in the middle of the pint.

I'm picking up less bourbon on the nose than I have in past barrel-aged beers - I thought so with the cork, and now when sticking my nose in the pint glass. It does though convey a bit of smoke, some sweetness (maybe toasted coconut?) and then bourbon.

The bourbon is most apparent, but measured nicely. It's one of the few I've had that I can say that about, with nice vanilla flavors. No burning bourbon fire, just a sufficient amount that is nicely balanced. Problem is, there isn't much stout in support. I'm getting very little of any indication of stout - might as well just dark beer on the label, because it's not reflective of a stout.

Very light carbonation, fitting with the light bourbon. Nice, and a pleasant surprise, as too many beers are over-carbonated.

This beer is fitting for a cold afternoon, but only if you don't mind missing out on the stout that should accompany the bourbon. Wish there was smoky, malty, toasted character within.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2010 22:25:25 | More by mdcrouser

dirtylou

Washington

3.28/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

750ml bottle, paired with post-blizzard conditions and NFL action

2009 batch

appearance: corked & caged, served in an oversized snifter, big ebony body, big chocolate foam, patchy tan lace

smell: chalky, dry cocoa, light roasty notes, bourbon is trace

taste: It appears this beer has had major infection issues - i dont get much sourness but there is definitely a chalky taste and the flavors are off. The bourbon barrel provides some alcohol heat but really nothing in the way of flavor enhancement, carbonation is aggressive leaving a fizzy finish, dry roasty flavors, dry cocoa. If it's not infected, this beer sucks. My hunch is that this is one that got away.

mouthfeel: bad, fizzy foamy body, hot finish

drinkability: meh

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 21:48:41 | More by dirtylou