Stoudt's Barrel Aged Old Abominable

Highly carbonated with a 3" tan head on 1" of reddish brown beer.

Nose is full of vanilla and whiskey notes. So far, nice.

Sweet vanilla, whiskey and dried fruits in the taste. Dates and raisins. Some brown sugar. Pleasant alcohol heat at the end.

Super carbonated mouthfeel. Swirl this a few times and then a few more times so that you can actually appreciate the flavors present.

Nicely done whiskey barrel aged beer. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-04-2010 07:10:45 | id: 1119834

A: Pours a monsterous head that has lots of breaks between bottles leaving big gaps. The beer itself is a murky looking brown, but there is some transparency when held in the light. Also one the head settles there is only a mild amount of lacing left behind

S: At first all i could smell was caramel and toffee without a hint of barrel, but as it warmed a bit more there were nice vanilla notes and a touch of smokiness as well as a nice whiskey boozy aroma. A touch of breadiness is also present

T: heavy vanilla note to start that is quite agressive and overpowers but of the caramel and toasted flavors. A very nice whiskey flavor is present as well. A bit more earthy wood presence would have been nice.

M: It has a very nice and smooth feel with no heat present aside from the whiskey. It could be a bit creamier but overall is solid

D: Splitting this bottle is the way to go, but a few glasses would be ok

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-25-2010 23:36:00 | id: 1091301

Thanks to Jettanbass9 for hooking me up with this Christmas in July beer! 750mL split amongst four people. Poured into snifters.

A- Pours copper, amber color. Produced a fingers width of off-white, cream colored head. Dissipated pretty quickly. Mild, soap-like lacing.

S- Very, very nice. Combination of various complexities. Big, sweet malt character with hints of dark fruit in the background. A bit of vanilla and toffee come in the mix as well. The whiskey and toffee almost give off a nutty wood like aroma.

T- The taste suffered tremendously from the extremely high carbonation. From what I was able to pick out, the ingredients in the nose were definitely here, just somewhat muted from the carbonation. After 15 minutes of swirling my glass was I finally able to get a glimpse of the full potential of this beer. Had sweet malt background, with a soft vanilla, wood flavor. A touch of whiskey in there as well with some caramel.

M- As stated above, WAY too much carbonation.

D- For such a big beer, the whiskey barrel aspects had mellowed very nicely and gave off nice vanilla flavors. However, the overcarbonation really kept this beer from giving off its full flavor.

Overall, this was a good BA barleywine, but it did have the potential to be great. Sadly, I will most likely never get to find this out.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-17-2010 16:11:25 | id: 1084819

Thanks to Deuane for the bottle. Opened at the perfect time on a perfect night and split with great friends.

Pours a dark copper color with nice head.

Smells of bourbon, hops, and a wonderful toasted malt.

Taste follows but is sublime. Carmel, bourbon, molasses, hops, everything dancing wonderfully together. A bit hot, but not young - this has got to be getting near its peak flavor. Everything melts together.

Mouthfeel was good but a little too carbed for my liking. But enjoyable and good body.

My buddy (who has caught the beer bug after a solid few years of my urging) said "this is it. The single most complex and challenging beer you've ever served me". Certainly something for brave, this is highly recommended. Great stuff!

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 12-28-2009 14:38:06 | id: 1068941

Big ole 750 received from DIM quite a long while ago.. I shared this one on Saturday at the Pennsylvania vs. Ohio beer tasting.. Thanks a Ton Dan... Probably my most favorite trader ever.. no shit.

Poured into a big balloon wine glass.. good head and lace.. the brew is a crystal clear amber... pretty..

The nose is nice and very balanced.. caramel with toasty malts.. once it warms up a tad, there is a bunch more wood and vanilla blossom

More "English" than American for sure.. fruity esters really are present with some toffee and perhaps too much lite caramel.. a really firm pale malt essence is present from the beginning to the end... the wood is much more "American".. slightly tannic and just enough vanilla.. The body seems a tad light.. maybe the carbonation is a touch high.. but the flavors and the aromas are very very pleasing... Sam seemed to think that I was being to hard on this one.. ehhh.. maybe.. This is actually a 750 that I could probably finish over a couple of hours and never really feel sorry for not sharing.. it takes some time to really open up.

Thanks Dan for the incredible trades... I truly appreciate the sentiment... a good man and a better BA.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 11-09-2009 08:26:07 | id: 1034436

Big thanks to tpd975 for bringing another in a long long line of amazing brews to the weekly tasting. Pours clear copper with thin tan head. The aroma has pulses of sweet dark fruity esters moving into vanilla, oak and booze. The taste is smooth and near silky with malt and dark fruity ester sweetness followed by wood, vanilla and booze. This is just so smooth and tasty and carries a fairly full wood sensation from front to back. It seems to achieve a nice balance between barrel and barleywine notes. Upon further inspection it does lean some toward barrel rather than beer.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 10-07-2009 14:19:02 | id: 1011330

A-Deep, dark copper color with a medium off white head that reduced to a thin cap and left nice lace.

S-Rich biscuit malts with a touch of vanilla and oak. Upon warming spicy/herbal hop notes poke through

T-Rich, chewy biscuit malt and prominent vanilla notes. With warming strong bourbon notes start to dominate with more alcohol and a dry oak finish.

M-Medium bodied, VERY smooth...a real "sippin" beer! Nice lingering flavours and a dry finish.

D-Well done BBA BW...not too much againg, not too little. The bourbon augments and compliments this, good to start with, barleywine. The right way to take a good beer and make it even better, well done Stoudt's!

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 08-25-2009 14:45:23 | id: 982903

Alright! A fresh EBW. See what all you limeys have been talking about...

Slow pour, but it's still a little wildly fizzy. Nice head, deep amber that's very opaque.

Smells of smooth aging in a whiskey barrel. Like "whiskey aging," not like whiskey. This is kinda how rotisserie became a flavor back in the 90s, instead of just a way of cooking chicken. This has the woody smoothness of whiskey aging but not the burn of whiskey. And there's not all that much else there, actually. (EDIT: As it warms it gets gorgeous)

Tastes great, though, much more complicated than the aroma. The firmness of an EBW is found in its strong malt profile, which is woody (even without barrel aging) without being thick or syrupy. This is balanced--not raped--by a firm blend of noble hops. Here, thankfully, the hops are a wee bit more aggressive than your average English barley, but not enough to ruin the spirit of the style. And when you smooth everything out with whiskey burn it's just heavenly.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 07-08-2009 05:00:43 | id: 950439

Thanks Dim
This bottle is from the second release.
I spilt the bottle with a few fiends we poured into Portsmouth tulips and it produced a large tan head on top of a reddish brown body.

The aromas of the whiskey barrel are strong on this brew I also picked up some light hops as well. It really became more pronounced as it warmed.

The flavor of the barrel was also the fist to hit you I'm glad I like whiskey. The bitter from the hops and heat from the alcohol come into play as well. This had great carbonation, if you swirled the glass the head would revive all over again. The feel of the brew in your mouth was medium as well

I liked this barleywine but I was glad I spit it. One glass is enough at a sitting. The general conscientious was that this brew is still young and need's some age. I would have to agree. I am glad I have another to due just that. Thanks Dim, I'm sitting on the next bottle for a few years

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 05-17-2009 15:37:27 | id: 917145

Original release, no idea who sent me this beer it was so long ago! Possibly akorsak or zrrbrrt?

Deep carmel colored beer, almost dubbel looking without being so brown. Throws an attractive looking cask-like foam.

Oxidized at this old age. Once you accept and/or learn to overlook the oxidation a wonderful beer appears. Smells and flavors of old school british brewing. None of the heavy, angry alcohol and viscosity of many big American barleywines, this is a big, round, Marris-Otter based ale that remains tamed but expresses it's wild side. Dried fruit esters, but they are balanced. Lots of hops, but the bitterness is gentle and the aroma is mild. Dusty and woody like an old book, and a slight tart note in teh finish as the beer warms. You even learn to enjoy the oxidation in this case.

Stoudts Double IPA is more of a barleywine than this in terms of aggressiveness and alcohol presence, and this beer is more like a big brother to the (retired and sorely missed) Y2K IPA.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 05-17-2009 06:33:27 | id: 917061