Token Bourbon Barrel Aged - Alpine Beer Company

StoneTSR

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to ren for this one!

APPEARANCE: Pours a very dark brown, nearly black, with a few rays of red light sneaking through the bottom of the glass when held up to the light. The head quarter-inch, off-white head dissipates rather quickly leaving a couple of wisps of foam on the surface of the beer.

SMELL: The aroma is immediately noticeable upon cracking the bottle and provides the intense smell of bourbon and hops. Upon closer inspection a hefty dose of wood and bitter, dark chocolate round out the nose.

TASTE: The dark chocolate from the nose sweetens and hits the palate right off the bat along with a bit of smoke. There is not nearly as much bourbon flavor as the nose would indicate and instead there is a fruity tartness that finishes off the beer.

MOUTHFEEL: The Bourbon Barrel Aged Token is slightly puckering and a bit oily. Some sparkle develops towards the end of the sip as well.

OVERALL: Not bad, but the tartness is a bit overpowering. The lack of bourbon flavor is also a disappointment, however, it is still worth picking up a bottle and trying it out.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 07:55:04 | More by StoneTSR

moonknight31

California

2.75/5  rDev -15.9%

05-21-2013 21:17:10 | More by moonknight31

RWNay

Illinois

2/5  rDev -38.8%

05-17-2013 17:29:32 | More by RWNay

PlinyBeMiney

California

3.75/5  rDev +14.7%

05-12-2013 21:35:27 | More by PlinyBeMiney

Azrael

2/5  rDev -38.8%

02-09-2013 23:23:24 | More by Azrael

spycow

Illinois

3/5  rDev -8.3%

01-12-2013 03:48:08 | More by spycow

nmann08

Maryland

3/5  rDev -8.3%

12-30-2012 16:18:39 | More by nmann08

tbone1384

Wyoming

3.75/5  rDev +14.7%

11-03-2012 14:15:21 | More by tbone1384

jmarsh123

Indiana

1.98/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Pours dark brown/black with a big creamy beige head and lots of bubbles.

Some sweet malt, vanilla, oak and a touch of booze present on the nose. Dark fruits and a touch of sourness.

Flavor is overpowered by the infection. Tart cherries and apple cider vinegar prevail. The porter flavors are completely lost and there is no bourbon presence.

Infection has made this one too thin bodied and way overcarbed.

I'd love to try a non-infected bottle. Sometimes I dig some sour flavors in porters, but this is definitely the bad kind of infection.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 21:31:27 | More by jmarsh123

shoyoroll

California

3.5/5  rDev +7%

10-02-2012 08:11:29 | More by shoyoroll

AndresR

California

2.75/5  rDev -15.9%

09-10-2012 22:50:36 | More by AndresR

t0rin0

California

2.75/5  rDev -15.9%

08-18-2012 13:33:30 | More by t0rin0

ms11781

Massachusetts

1/5  rDev -69.4%

06-23-2012 03:12:05 | More by ms11781

CEDAMA

California

3.75/5  rDev +14.7%

04-16-2012 19:46:53 | More by CEDAMA

tjfinkle

California

4/5  rDev +22.3%

04-10-2012 05:58:50 | More by tjfinkle

acurtis

New Jersey

1.75/5  rDev -46.5%

04-09-2012 23:33:19 | More by acurtis

ineva

California

1.5/5  rDev -54.1%

04-04-2012 19:05:27 | More by ineva

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.48/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle on 1-21-12

A - A dark brown pour with a foamy tan head. Solid retention and spots of lacing left on the glass.

S - Strong bourbon, chocolate, and some wood.

T - Creamy chocolate with a strong bourbon finish.

D - Good carbonation, medium body.

O - Solid bourbon, a touch bitter, which made it seem unbalanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 23:03:06 | More by HuskyinPDX

axeman9182

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle from Dobby. This one was allowed to warm just a bit before being poured into my Duvel tulip.

Alpine's barrel aged Token pours nearly a solid black, but scant ruby highlights apper with backlighting. Maybe two fingers of khaki colored foam rise up on top of the beer, but the head quickly fades and doesn't leave any lacing. The nose is a little bit weak, but has some notes of vanilla and dark chocolate, but surprisingly no bourbon. There's also some sour cherries and dark fruits, but not not as much as I'd been bracing for. The infection is much more prominent in the flavor profile, especially as the beer warms. It definitely takes over from the vanilla and chocolate. The beer doesn't have a bad taste per se, it's just not anywhere near what a porter should taste like. Similarly, the mouthfeel is entirely off for the style. It's way thin and overcarbonated. I actually didn't hate the barrel aged Token, it's just not anywhere near being a porter.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 05:53:54 | More by axeman9182

DSlim71

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev +7%

03-12-2012 22:25:38 | More by DSlim71

AleWatcher

Illinois

1.95/5  rDev -40.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Bomber courtesy of Sideswipe-- big thanks John!
Served in a darkness snifter.

Some sweet malt, vanilla, and oaky bourbon notes are prominent but a hair overpowered by some dark fruit notes holding a hint of tartness.
Feels a bit thin-- but it is a porter so I can deal with the thinness. A lot more carbonation than necessary too.

Overall-- a fun one to try, but not worth what people were trading to land. It might be infected, which will lead me say that I'll re-review it when I try a future release-- but til then, this review stands because it was released like this.

EDIT-- after letting it warm up, I think it must be infected... Dark fruits, tart cherries, and apple cider vinegar probably weren't intended flavors. Also, the body is MUCH too thin and overcarbonated.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 22:42:41 | More by AleWatcher

ObeMaltKinobee

California

2/5  rDev -38.8%

03-07-2012 11:10:33 | More by ObeMaltKinobee

bsuedekum

Missouri

3/5  rDev -8.3%

03-07-2012 03:01:16 | More by bsuedekum

UCLABrewN84

California

2.98/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Growler shared while waiting in line for Churchill's Renaissance at Churchill's Pub & Grille in San Marcos, CA.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of sour fruit up front with some subtle roasty malt aromas if you search for them. Taste is of roasty malt, sour fruit, wood, and a slight funky flavor. This beer has a light level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a decent beer but there is an obvious infection issue going on.

Serving type: growler

03-05-2012 20:42:48 | More by UCLABrewN84

gford217

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber.

Pours a deep chocolate brown with a small off-white head that recedes to a small collar quickly.

Aroma is nice and sweet with some cocoa powder, vanilla and caramel. There is some bourbon character well integrated in the nose. There is a faint sugar-coated cherry character in the nose but it's subtle and actually pleasant.

The taste doesn't quite live up to the aroma as the tart cherries are a bit more prevalent. In fact, the nicest attributes of the aroma - chocolate malts, vanilla - are tough to find in the taste. The finish is a combination of roasty malts, tart cherries and bourbon.

The mouthfeel is thinish with low carbonation.

I knew the risk of this bottle going in but was still looking forward to trying it and I'm glad I did. This was nowhere close to a drainpour and I actually enjoyed some of the tartness. That said, it certainly doesn't stand up to the better beers in the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 04:10:41 | More by gford217