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

garuda

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - Black, with a thin mocha head that has some retention and lacing.

S - Strong roast, oak, vanilla, booziness, burnt sugar.

T/M - Roasted malts hit first, and are followed up by the bourbon notes. Mouthfeel drops after the initial taste, feeling thin and watery. Booziness settles in and dominates the lingering aftertaste, which lacks depth.
O - Looks good, smells good, but the thin body and booziness just seems out of place.

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2012 15:55:08 | More by garuda

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

3.48/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served on Tap.

Pours black with an off white head that lasts all the way down. Red around the edges. The nose matches the taste. There is a bit of chocolate, a bit of coffee, some roastyness, a bit of vinalla, and of course a touch of bourbon. The tastes all seem balanced and in check but its not extremely exciting and I didnt get a ton of the bourbon character. The feel of this beer is decent, It has a nice size but it has a somewhat unpleasant soapyness that I cant quite put my finger on. It's a pretty decent beer, nothing to really seek out by any means but if your into it, not bad.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2012 02:21:54 | More by TwelveOunces

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served on tap at BBC (4th St) in Louisville, KY.

A: Pours a jet black in color. The beer has a half finger tall dark beige head that reduces to about a quarter finger tall but never completely goes away. Very light lacing is observed.

S: The aroma is not as intense as I expected - a little on the mild side. Aromas of burnt and dark roasted malts, some light oakiness, and bourbon + vanilla.

T: Lots of intense bourbon and vanilla flavors along with some light amounts of oakiness/woodiness. Light amounts of dark roasted (almost burnt) malts. The beer has a light lingering bitterness. I can also taste some of the harshness of the alcohol from the bourbon.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Some alcohol warming is present. Slightly thin.

O: Not a bad beer but a little thinner that I wanted/expected for the style. There is a nice complexity to the flavor but it is a little harsh to be a sessionable beer. Alcohol could have been more well hidden.

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2012 14:19:38 | More by dbrauneis

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

FanofHefe

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served on-tap at the brew house in a fluted pilsner glass (not sure about the bartender's choice of glassware here). Deep black body and a small tan head. Not much lacing.

The aroma is weak overall, maybe due to the glass (snifter or tulip may have been better). Some define bourbon aroma and only a small amount of roasted malt.

The flavor is a little better. Heavy bourbon and vanilla flavors dominate the taste. Roasted malt and oak come along for the ride but in minor roles.

The mouthfeel is very thin for a stout. Overall, I find this beer to be too sweet and thin to compete in the -bal aged category. Decent try but not great.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2012 21:36:43 | More by FanofHefe

dmfrench

Indiana

2.25/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

Weak artificial flavors trumped by an even worse aroma
___

A: Very dark but still clear ruby body with a quickly settling light khaki head.

S: Coffee, light dusty hops, and a foul stinky aroma that I can't identify... kinda like you smoked a cheap cigar through you ass and then belched it up through your mouth.

T: Biggish but stale chocolate coffee roast. Syrupy sweet, almost artificially so, yet still thin tasting. Slight drying earthy hops on top. No aspects of barrel aging are apparent.

M: On the thin side but with a decent texture.

O: Taste is not exactly a winner, but the aroma is a complete deal breaker.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2011 12:45:15 | More by dmfrench

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

Redrover

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I was happy to see this on as a tap offering at the Tip Top in Columbus.

Served in a standard shaker, the beer is jet black with a smallish tan head.

It has a nose of molasses, bourbon, charred malts,

The taste is similar to the smell; it is sweet with charred malts, very subdued bourbon. It also has percolated coffee and brown sugar.

Mouth is thinner than expected. But it does make for a pretty drinkable beer

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2010 00:57:21 | More by Redrover

argock

Virginia

3.15/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served on-tap in a clear pint glass at Beer Run (Charlottesville, VA).

A: Nearly black with 1-finger tan, big-bubbled head with good retention and nice lacing down the glass.

S: Strong cardboard bourbon aroma with fairly weak roasted maltiness and earthy hoppiness

T: Bourbon occupies most of the flavor as the maltload falls way short of adequate. The flavor is by no means bad but just isn't up to snuff for the style. Unfortunately, BBC undermalts most of their brews.

M: Medium body at most which is below the bar.

D: Just doesn't have the girth to even approach the 2nd tier for this style. Middle of the road.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2010 02:07:17 | More by argock

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

barczar

Kentucky

3.59/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque brown/black with a foamy half inch tan head that dissipates fairly quickly.

Roast malt, chocolate, coffee, and oak form the initial aroma. There's a bit of nuttiness and hints of dark fruit, adding complexity. Vanilla and bourbon surface as it warms.

Flavor is fairly roast dominant initially, fading to chocolate mid palate, and coffee bitterness at the finish. It's a touch acrid. Oak underlies the profile, with bourbon being just a subtle note. Vanilla is present, but not overwhelming. There's a bit of nuttiness and toast, as well.

Body is a tad watery, with low carbonation and moderate alcohol warmth.

Lacks in bourbon character. Good notes of chocolate, but may be a little overly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 23:39:39 | More by barczar

Treyliff

West Virginia

3.66/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A- poured into a snifter. Vigorous pour gives a pitch black appearance with a small, fizzy tan head that reduces quickly and eventually completely dissapears leaving no lace.

S- melted Hershey bar, tobacco, and charred wood. Just a hint of woodsy bourbon at the end.

T- chocolate continues on the palate with notes of day old coffee. Chocolate and roasted malts give a bit of charred character, finishes dry with just a hint of bourbon. Can't really pick up any of the oaky barrel flavors. I actually get a bit of cola on the back end.

M- low carbonation with medium body, somewhat slick mouthfeel with with light-carbonated foamy finish. Mouthfeel felt a little thin overall.

O- my grading is based on what it is, a stout, although the ABV may suggest otherwise. I was looking for more bourbon flavors but its still a pretty tasty stout nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 02:05:52 | More by Treyliff

kojevergas

California

3.58/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap acquired at Ramirez Liquor in Los Angeles and served into a New Belgium stem-goblet in me gaff in Los Feliz. Expectations are low given its current ratings. I'm starting to see this brewery as one that needlessly bourbon barrel ages everything whilst lacking the finesse to pull it off. Reviewed live.

Bottled November 2012.

I do think it's intriguing that this is currently labelled simply an American Stout and yet it's barrel aged. Not sure what to make of that. I naturally assumed it'd be an imperial stout.

Served straight from the fridge and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Not paired with food.

A: Pours a quarter finger pathetially thin dark khaki colour head of no real cream, okay thickness, and abysmal (~20 second) retention. Body colour is a solid nontransparent opaque black. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Standard fare for the style, with a below average head.

Sm: Bourbon is prominent, but I get little subtlety; there are no vanilla or toffee notes, for example. Dark malts. Maybe a light buried roasty character. It's simple but appealing; the bourbon in particular is intriguing. A moderate strength aroma. No yeast or alcohol is detectable.

T: Bourbon, certainly. Dark malts. Chocolate malt. The bourbon character is certainly dominant, and is more rounded here than the aroma suggested; I do get traces of vanilla and toffee. Caramel. It's decently balanced but disappointingly simple. That said, it's quite a success as a stout with bourbon notes; I don't understand its current low reviews. Sure, it lacks the complexity and subtlety needed to be great, but I don't think it's merely average. No yeast or alcohol comes through, and that's fairly impressive at 8.6%. I like it. As it warmed, I noticed a very light buried chili pepper like spiciness.

Mf: A bit too smooth and wet for a stout, but it suits the flavour profile so I won't complain too much. Carbonation is good. Slightly creamy; I'd love more of that. Good palate presence. It's not unique or special, but it really works for the beer.

Dr: I quite like this one; I think many reviewers expect the complexity of an imperial stout. The price is a huge turn-off, but if I get out to Kentucky I'd seek out more beers from this brewery. It gets better as it warms. I'd have this again at a better price. Very drinkable for the well hidden ABV. What you see is what you get; it's a bourbon-forward stout. And a pretty good one at that. It accomplishes what it sought to, and I always applaud that.

Low B

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 04:50:34 | More by kojevergas

Groomsy

Kentucky

3.16/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

12 oz. bottle poured into a nonic. Bottled in September 2012.

An aggressive pour on this yields about a one-finger head of tan foam that fades rather quickly. Some alcohol legs are evident in the glass, but zero lacing is left on the glass. The beer itself is a very dark brown that does not let light through in the glass.

With this being a bourbon barrel stout, I was expecting a much "bigger" nose on this. What's there is nice, if a little too mild for my expectations. The first thing I notice is the scent of dark fruits. There's a slightly smoky back to it, as well as some coffee and roasted malt. I don't pick up much "bourbon" smell; made just a hint of woodiness and vanilla smell if I concentrate really hard. What's there isn't bad, but if you're going to do a barrel aged beer, ya better go big with it.

As far as taste goes, it's mild, but balanced. A good dose of malty sweetness hits the tongue at first with flavors of smoke, dark fruit, and some dried cocoa/milk chocolate. The bourbon really comes in on the finish with some drying alcohol and some woody/vanilla character. For being as mild as it is, this beer is still well-balanced, I think. Respectable.

The body of this beer is far too thin for the style, though. However, in its defense, its crisp, medium body is a nice contrast from what one would expect for the style. The alcohol is fairly drying on the finish, and the lingering smoke/chocolate flavors are nice. I'm scoring this fairly high because it was easy to drink for this kind of beer.

Overall, not a bad beer. I was expecting something much bolder in flavor, but I can see that the barrel aging didn't take the main focus here. My biggest beef is that the base beer, the stout, was fairly standard to begin with - if we were dealing with a top-notch stout as the base beer, this could have been great.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 03:01:57 | More by Groomsy

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

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Oh man, this looked so good from the bottle, then saw the lower r-avg... now I'm not so sure, but I gotta judge for myself. Bottled in June 2012, thanks to JonnyGalt (reddit) for this one.

Pours a darker colored fizzy head that hits about 1/2 a finger before fading semi quickly, no real lacing, looks like a 10% abv beer kinda head, pitch black beer.

Nose is mostly dark malts, bit of dark choc, cocoa, light roast and coffee and a bit of acrid roast. Lots of syrupy malts, caramel like but more candy dark syrup. Some oats, other dark malts, black malts, etc. Very light barrel with some vanilla and barely a hint of bourbon.

Taste starts with more dark malts, creamy milk chocolate and oats out front, with some caramel, toffee, and a bit of candy syrup. Just a touch of roasted malt and some coffee but not a lot of either, and that limits the touch of acrid flavor that seems to have died down in some of the sitting in the bottle. Nice vanilla character as well, from a touch of barrel but barely any other barrel characters and no bourbon. It brings a light chalky powdered cocoa as it goes, with light spicy hop bitterness, and some warming booze. Finish is drier but a little sticky, a bit more warming booze, more creamy milk chocolate but also powdered cocoa, hint of coffee and dark malts, and bit more vanilla.

Mouth is med to fuller bodied, fairly creamy, light but decent carb for the style, some warming booze.

Overall not bad, not a great beer, but the base stout seems like a pretty good beer. It doesn't have a whole lot of malts and flavors going on, it's not an imperial stout so fairly good for just an American stout. however, the lack of Bourbon Barrel really hits hard as I really wanted some of that.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 03:25:54 | More by jlindros

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.26/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 2.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Another Kentucky "find" man going random this trip was a bit hit & miss...Bottled July 2012

Pours mahogany with a thumb of mocha colored head. Slight traces of lacing & head retention

S: Boozey vanilla & caramel

T: Vanilla, mocha & slight coffee flavors up front. Mocha flavors as this warms, some roastyness, milk & dark chocolate notes & dryness. Finishes dry, roasty, with cocoa notes

MF: Fairly thin, slight carbonation

A fairly okay Barrel aged stout, nothing special

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 05:05:18 | More by russpowell

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

beer2day

North Carolina

2.91/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Pours dark black with a fleeting 1/2 finger of darkish cream head. Light lace sheets.

Nose is light, sweet bourbon, light roast coffee, and light roasted malt. Not unappealing, but just not robust enough.

The taste is even lighter than the nose. The bourbon makes for nice flavor, but there is not enough underneath this to make the beer more interesting. There are light hints of coffee, a suggestion of chocolate, and very light roast malt. Just needs more of all of this to be good.

Feel is thin. Too thin for what I would expect from the label.

I want to like this more, but for the price there are just too many others that surpass.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 03:47:53 | More by beer2day

patpbr

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours Dark but with no head. The smell is Coffee. Taste is vanilla, dark chocolate and caramel. A little sweet and some fruit. Bourbon and woody barrel taste as name implies. The alcohol lingers on the tongue. Creamy and has a full body. However the body needs more depth before I rank it higher.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 03:18:02 | More by patpbr

rangerred

Tennessee

3.08/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle into a snifter.

Pours pitch black with no head to speak of. There is a very thin ring of carbonation around the top of the beer but that is it.

Aroma has a distinct chocolate character along with somewhat subdued bourbon. A little bit of coffee and roasted malt as well.

Lots of bourbon and vanilla up front in the taste. Chocolate quickly rushes in along with caramel and some dark fruit. All this quickly fades, however, leaving a chalky feeling on the tongue. Mouthfeel is extremely watery and does nothing to support the heavy flavors. This really kills the beer for me. All the flavors are there to make this a very enjoyable brew but it needs a much more heavy mouthfeel.

Overall, a real missed opportunity here. I think if the mouthfeel could be improved this could really be a top notch brew. Until then, not really worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 02:48:02 | More by rangerred

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

DisasterDave

3.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I'm a rookie at tasting and reviewing but making notes so I can remember where I've been.

The smell was exactly what I was hoping the taste would be. A sort of rich molasses like presentation. The taste was was pleasant but weaker than I expected for a stout.

Overall a good experience but a little pricy for just good.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 01:46:58 | More by DisasterDave

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.28/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from bottle into a flared pilsner. Poured a dark red brown with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of roasted malt, dark chocolate, wood, and sweet alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, wood, sweet alcohol, subtle caramel, and smoke. It had a light feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a fairly decent brew. I saw this one on the menu and that it was bourbon barrel aged and had to try it. However, while the barrel was definitely there in this one it really made me wonder how good the actual base beer really is as the barrel was pretty much the dominate factor on this one. While being okay to drink it did leave a little to be desired. Worth trying at least once if you can, but I would leave it at that.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 18:27:59 | More by thagr81us

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

2.4/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

12oz bottle into a snifter

A: Pours black with a finger of dense light tan foam.

S: Mild, but a buttery flavor is in the forefront with a bit of sweet bourbon and caramel in the background. I get a bit of dark chocolate and green apple as well.

T: Buttery up front with some toffee sweetness and a bit of dark chocolate in the background. The butter ruins it, though.

M: Medium thickness with ample carbonation.

O: Mild and buttery - not terrible, but certainly not average.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 23:34:33 | More by coreyfmcdonald