Bourbon Barrel Stout (Clay Street Series) - Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's

Hoptometrist

Oregon

4.8/5  rDev +46.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap into a becker glass at Doc Crowes

A- Poured black with a one-two finger frothy mocha head that leaves coating lace. Everything you want a stout like this to look like

S- Strong and complex aroma of vanilla, oak, chocolate, and roasty notes.

T- Big flavoful stout with notes of vanilla, oak, chocolate, roasted coffee, and bourbon. Nice balance between sweet and roasty, the bourbon notes are not overdone and complements the stout very nicely

M- Soft, creamy, chewy mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Really a silky smooth mouthfeel perfect for a stout.

O- A great barrel aged stout that is very drinkable. Hardly a trace of booziness in this beer, just some nice warming. Really flavorful and a great mouthfeel. I have not had a ton of bourbon barrel aged beers but many I have had really overdo the bourbon but this beer strikes a great balance.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2012 04:18:55 | More by Hoptometrist

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

4.4/5  rDev +34.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a tulip

A:Pours a very deep brown, settling into an opaque black. The head is almost nonexistent for mine, but the bubbles that surface are tan and surprisingly large, although if you can generate the head, it's much, much more flavorful. It doesn't flow as thick as one would hope, but it's more viscous than a traditional porter.

S: Aroma is exquisite: sweet dark chocolate, hints of caramel and bourbon, bits of coffee and molasses, lots of scent and very welcoming.

T/M: Has a low to medium amount of carbonation with the bourbon very well balanced between caramel, chocolate, and coffee notes. Some slight roasted malts and just a touch of bitterness finish it off.

This is a very good bourbon barrel beer and likely the best year round bourbon barrel on the market.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 00:06:31 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

Dave1999

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +30.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours pure black with a tiny tan colour head.

The smell is toast and coffee . Smells good but a little weak.

The taste is chocolate like a shake,milky and smooth, very nice. There also some coffee and roasted malts.

Mouth feel is fairly thick and creamy with low carbonation.

Overall I'd say this is pretty good the chocolate flavour was great,smooth and creamy.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 02:54:49 | More by Dave1999

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.24/5  rDev +29.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

a thick black pour with a slight bit of head which quickly dissipated. smells of delicious sweet chocolate, hint of vanilla and bourbon, molasses. the bourbon smells really subtle, which is honestly relieving for a change. OOH YEAH! a delicious coffee/chocolate flavor blast up front followed by a nice mellow vanilla bourbon bite. a really nicely done stout, i honestly cannot for the life of me understand the average rating.. this is one of my favorites so far. nice bitter dark chocolate flavor lingers for most of the drink and every gassy burp brings up hints of vanilla. really loving this one. medium in bod with moderate carbonation.. light for a heavy bourbon barrel stout, but honestly nice for a change. a very nice easy drinking stout mellow on the bourbon, but it's still very noticeable. really like this one a lot.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 02:02:53 | More by facundoCNB

cagocubs

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +29%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up in Louisville KY. Poured from bottle into glass.

A: Pours dark, pretty much an opaque black. Real thin off white head dissapears to a thin ring around the edges. Slight lacing.

S: toated malt, oak, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, and buttery bread.

T: Toasted malt, barley, vanilla sweetness, chocolate and coffee bitterness, and a definite oak and woody character. Intresting tastes that are pleasant. Aftertaste is toasty.

M: Medium body with decent carbonation for a stout. Good flow and a pleasant aftertaste. Good stuff. I liked it alot.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 02:13:44 | More by cagocubs

BelgiumBill

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I think I'm liking this more than the other reviewers here. Perhaps there is a lot of variability in the bottling? Or perhaps I am a fan of the style?

It poured black into the Sam Adams glass with just a trace of a brown rim. Very thin head despite an aggressive pour. A ring of foam lasted the whole way down.

I could smell the stout even before bringing it to my nose. Coffee and dark chocolate on the nose.

The flavor was also chocolate and coffee along with some roasted nuances and a mineral presence on the finish. Interestingly, as the beer warmed a bit, I started to get a distinct bourbon and oak flavor.

I am surprised it is at 8.6%ABV as the alcohol is well hidden.

In the mouth I found it rich and a little creamy with adequate carbonation but not too much to produce any adverse scrubbing of the palate.

I liked the bottle I had and would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2011 23:24:27 | More by BelgiumBill

Mora2000

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Cavie for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma is very nice and quite complex. I get a lot of bourbon as well as some chocolate, vanilla, maple and dark fruit. The flavor is just as complex. The chocolate and roasted malt come through very strong, but the flavor also has all of the components you expect from a bourbon barrel aged beer. I get some bourbon whiskey notes as well as some maple, oak and vanilla. Medium to thick mouthfeel and low to medium carbonation. A very nice barrel-aged stout. Glad I got to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 00:52:09 | More by Mora2000

jonsarts

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +28%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is essentially an ordinary stout with extraordinary vanilla oakey, splashing of bourbon finish. Great on a cold evening with a nice steaming bowl of stew.

There is a hint of that char from the inside of a barrel that penetrates the brew. I don't care for that flavor in a wine, but it works well with a stout so long as it is subtle.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 00:01:00 | More by jonsarts

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.13/5  rDev +25.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a chalice.

A: Dark, dark brown, almost black. Completely opaque. No head, no lacing, no carbonation. Intimidating.

S: Complex. Toffee sweetness, coffee, dark chocolate. This portends for an excellent stout.

T: Here the bourbon makes its presence known, lurking in the background as a caramelly alcoholic sweetness. I detect light smokey notes as the slightly bitter coffee flavour takes over and carries me out to the aftertaste.

M: Nothing special here, move along.

D: This is a pretty tasty beer, but I don't foresee me drinking more than one of these at a time. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2010 01:24:38 | More by AgentMunky

mdfb79

New York

4.11/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Got this as an extra a few weeks ago but forget who sent it; thank you! 12 oz. bottle poured into my Bruery tulip. Bottles in September 2012.

a - Pours a pitch black color with two inches of dark tan head and moderate carbonation evident. Head leaves a tiny bit of lacing on the glass and the head leaves quickly.

s - Smells of sweet chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla, bourbon, oak, coconut, light coffee, toasted malts, and caramel malts. Really nice nose, a lot going on and they work well together.

t - Tastes of sweet milk chocolate, cream, vanilla, roasted malts, bitter chocolate, toasted malts, coffee, light bourbon, and oak. Much less bourbon here than the nose, but still very nice.

As it warms, up a littke bourbon comes out, which is nice.

m - Medium to full body and moderate carbonation. No real heat, and pretty nice and thick.

o - Overall I liked this one a lot; I was pleasantly surprised and liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Lots of chocolate and vanilla and some nice light bourbon, this is a good BBA stout that comes in 12 oz. bottles and isn't too heavy or high ABV. Would definitely have it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 22:29:22 | More by mdfb79

pastradul

California

4.05/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

thanks for wchesak for throwing this in the box!

pured into Stone irs tulip. poured somewhat rough and produced a finger of head that doesn't stick around much.

The smell is yummy smooth vanilla and oak. with a milc alcohol smell.

The taste is similar. Lots of vanilla upfront followed by some smooth roasted malt. But not harsh or burnt. With just a hint of alcohol on the back of the mouth.

The mouthfeel is somewhat thinner than I think it should be IMO.

Over all a great beer. Nice to try a ba brew that you can drink nice and easy.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 22:24:51 | More by pastradul

mgbickel

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Duck Rabbit snifter. A thin layer of khaki film settled on top of a brown/black body. Poor lacing...the foam cannot be forced to cling to the glass.

Hmmm...nice aromas from this one! Cocoa, cream, espresso and roasted malts all sit on top of an oaky, bourbon backbone.

The taste has a ton of chocolate up front which turns into a sweet, almost milky cream center. The end finds some coffee/malt characters which give it a nice, roasted finish. You can pick up some of the bourbon flavors in the finis...and they last through the aftertaste.

Medium mouth feel, creamy yet slick with moderate carbonation.

This is drinkable for sure...not as complex or strongly flavored as other BA stouts, but worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 20:52:17 | More by mgbickel

CaptinRedBeard

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +22%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Poured from a twelve ounce bottle into a Duvel tulip. Very dark brown to black with a thick and tight two finger head that dissipates in about a minute or so. Moderate lacing left on the glass.

S-Roasted barley and Bourbon. Not as much Bourbon in the nose as I had anticipated.

T-The Bourbon flavor comes through nicely but isn't overpowering. It comes more on the back of the pallet. Up front you get a lot of the chocolate malt flavors and a little bit of hop bitterness.

M-Nice and smooth, perfectly carbonated. Enough to coat the pallet but not really overly heavy.

D-Probably one of the easier drinking barrel aged stouts around. I'm not sure of the ABV but there is really very little alcohol presence detected. Overall a well done Bourbon barrel stout from Bluegrass.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2010 13:24:54 | More by CaptinRedBeard

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to wisconsinality for yet another Kentucky beer. Poured into my pint glass the beer is pitch black with no head. A small beige lace ring forms on top of the beer.

The aroma is quite nice and complex. Lots of dark roast coffee and sweet chocolate. Plenty of bourbon as well. Pretty much what I expect from barrel aged stout.

The flavor is pretty much a mirror of the nose. Coffee and chocolate stout with a solid dose of bourbon and barrel. No flavors were out there but solid all around.

Medium body maybe a touch thin. Low if any carbonation.

Overall a very decent barrel aged stout. I might seek this out again.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2010 03:00:35 | More by beerwolf77

secondtooth

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep mahogany/black, with way too much carbonation. Bubbles almost overflowed! Massive tan head. No lace.

Aroma is rich chocolate and vanilla.

Flavor is a strong and woody, so there's definite signs of the barrel-aging. Nice and delicious hint of bourbon vanilla and a detectable alcoholic burn at the finish.

Lighter-bodied than would be expected from this type of stout, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2011 17:07:01 | More by secondtooth

Mosstrooper

California

3.85/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into 16oz Samuel Adams Perfect Pint glass.

Appearance: Pours black coffee in color with a very minimal brown head that dissipates quickly but leaves some floating foam. Many bubbles on the inside sides of the glass.

Smell: Roasted malt dominates, but this definitely has a bourbon-esque aroma to it.

Taste: Begins with a sweetened coffee and molasses flavors that has notes of woodiness, finishing with bittersweet roasted malt and a bourbon hint.

Mouthfeel: Heavier body with balanced carbonation and a dry finish.

Drinkability: This beer is pretty good, and very drinkable for its ABV, but it lacks depth to make it very good. Not quite worth its price tag, but still solid and worth a try, if only once.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 20:31:36 | More by Mosstrooper

Ghenna

California

3.85/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Received as part of the December Reddit.com beertrade

Hard pour into a DFH Tulipish glass, 2 fingers of light brown head. Very sweet malt smell, a bit of caramel, a bit of wood, and a bit of astringency.

Malt is well balanced with a dark roast flavor- not nearly as sweet as I expected it to be. Very pleasant dark chocolate and roast coffee aftertaste. MF is not particularly strong, pleasingly creamy- lending to make this a medium drinkable beer.

I've had a lot of luck in the last few porters/stouts that I've had the pleasure of tasting, and this is a pretty nice stout. Much like the most recent porters I've tried, this succeeds in that it doesn't try too hard to be overpowering in any sense of the word.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 05:28:27 | More by Ghenna

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into Duck Rabbit snifter.

Pours a layer of tan head. Color is black.

Aroma: Marshmallows and cocoa powder. It has vanilla with a bit of roast malts. Not a lot of bourbon, but I like the nose.

Taste: More marshmallows and vanilla. Very sweet and creamy. Cocoa powder, chocolate, and roasted malts. Again, not a lot of bourbon notes here, but I do like it.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth. Medium to full bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends a bit dry and roasted.

Overall, I like this beer, but the bourbon notes are no where to be found. The flavors are good. Rating this as a stout, it is good. Rating it as a bourbon bal stout, it is not up to par. I like it though.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2010 23:58:55 | More by mothman

Vdubb86

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a Sam Adam's Perfect Pint Glass

Thanks to billab914 for this Kentucky tick.

This beer pours a very very dark brown to the point that it is opaque in the glass. There is little to no head to speak of the beige foam that was initially on the surface didn't stay around too long. I perhaps have allowed the beer to get to cold as the aroma doesn't appear to be as bold as I would have anticipated initially. A bit of time helped, as the aromas that came out were rather pleasant. There is a great deal of vanilla on the nose with oak portions. Hints of coffee waft into the aroma as well, surprisingly I can smell no bourbon as of yet. The palate is rather woodsy upfront, but the vanilla helps it to fade back and go down easy. The aftertaste has some bitterness due to the late arrival of the coffee flavor to my palate. I wish I'd gotten a little touch of bourbon in this beer, but I am sadly out of luck. This is a good beer to sit down and drink and enjoy. On the lighter end of the spectrum for it's style, yet delicious and robust as it should be. I would recommend this beer. I found it to be quite nice.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 05:30:07 | More by Vdubb86

KajII

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

[Best served in a Pint galss]

Poured a deep rich black with a large light brown frothy head that lasted about 3/4 of the way though the glass and produced some really excellent lacing. The aroma was strong of burnt dark chocolate malts, a medium leathery yeast with notes of roasted coffee, molasses, some chared oak and a mild dose of bourbon with a hint of vanilla. It tasted, (WOW) pretty awesome with a nice bitter coffee flavor from the onset and then slowly maturing into a nice chocolate, molasses, coffee medley with an ever so slight whiskey finish. Mouthfeel was kind of bold but not as full as I would have thought, more medium than full in body. The texture was absolutly smooth and creamy with a flat carbonation. Overall an outstanding stout, although I would have like a little more body and a tad more of the bourbon flavor.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 13:00:42 | More by KajII

steve8robin

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First brew from these guys for me. 12oz bottle bottled on Jan 2011...

A: A very dark black that has very faint ruby highlights around the edges. A huge 2+ inch tan head that fades slowly. Good.

S: A nice vanilla chocolaty scent upfront with some bitter roasty scents in the middle. Some sweet malts on the backend. Smells more of a smoked milk stout or something like that. Good.

T: A very milky flavor upfront followed by some mild chocolate in the middle and a faint bitterness on the backend. Tastes like milk, kind of odd. Decent.

M: Medium body with an amazing carbonation! A nice creamy finish. Very good.

O: All in all, this one is slightly strange in the taste, but not unbearable. Just kind of taste like milk with a hint of chocolate syrup. Good to try if you want a milk chocolate stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 01:39:25 | More by steve8robin

PhageLab

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip.

A - Jet black brew sporting a small bit of froth. The head didn't stick around very long, but it did leave some washy lacing behind.

S - Fairly hoppy, with a potent aroma of dark chocolate. Sweet, with an earthy quality.

T - Chocolate malts hit the tongue initially, followed by a mildly bitter wash. Definitely some oak notes, as well as a smoky finish.

M - Medium bodied with a low carbonation level. Finish is dry with a lingering bitterness left behind.

D - Pretty good overall, let it warm up just a bit and it is quite enjoyable. A decent stout that I would have no problem picking up again.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 16:37:36 | More by PhageLab

silverhorn

Texas

3.76/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours black with a thin, tan head. Nose has chocolate, coffee, vanilla and bourbon. The tastes are balanced with a nice, but not overwhelming bourbon character at first and finishes mostly vanilla bourbon. The feel is very nice and chewy. I would have this beer again. Nice on a cold night.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 01:30:30 | More by silverhorn

McNealc31

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

It's black, thick, and smooth with a huge, creamy tan head. It was excessively carbonated and took a couple of pours to get it in the glass. The color had me instantly wondering something that unfortunately was true of this beer. Because of the stout characteristics including the roasted, smokey, nutty flavors, the bourbon was really hard to pick up. There were some late woody and vanilla notes, but the bourbon was not as prominent as I would have liked.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 18:52:26 | More by McNealc31

BuxMontBeerLover

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to a BA member recommendation, we headed out to the Blue 5 restaurant in Roanoke, VA. This was one of the beers on tap. Served in a standard pint glass.

A-Nice, dark, opaque color. Little to no head but a slight frothy ring around the glass.

S-Very nice. You can smell a sweetness that also has that bourbon smell in the background. So far, so good.

T-Ah, nice stout. A nice mix of carmel, coffee and chocolate. The ending is where you get that slight boozy taste of bourbon.

M-Not an overly heavy beer which is usually associated with a stout. Slight burn from the alcohol.

D-I enjoyed this beer. It does have a decent ABV at 8.6% and that is really the only thing holding me back from having several of these. We were sampling some other beers they had on tap so I had to stay sober enough to call us a cab to head back to the hotel...HA, HA! Overall, not an everyday beer but a nice stout none the less.

I enjoyed this enough to purchase a bottle at the Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA to share with my buddy at our next tasting.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2010 14:59:55 | More by BuxMontBeerLover