Black Cauldron - Bourbon Barrel Aged - Grand Teton Brewing Co.

beagle75

Iowa

3.48/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into a tulip glass.

A: Opaque, dark brown color with one finger of diminishing mocha-tinted foam head. Light lacing remains on the glass.

S: Unctuous and earthy, yet defined by a persistent spirituous--even boozy--quality that extends beyond the effect of the wood.

T: Begins off-dry, with refined dark malt, anise, and somewhat aggressive acidity. Flavors turn genuinely soft as acidity fades, with a diminishing combined effect of vanilla and toasted coconut. Alcohol is not detected.

M: Medium viscosity, slightly acidic but otherwise smooth on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This easy-drinking stout is ultimately a little too docile, unable to compare to other beers in its barrel-aged peer group. Tasted acidity counters traditional qualities, making the beer seem bright and lively.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 16:52:47 | More by beagle75

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.79/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

750ml. Bottled 11/19/12
Riedel tulip

A: Pours a deep dark brown. Got a nice full finger of medium tan head. Faded into a layer. Leaves sticky lacing.

S: Lots of roast coffee on the nose. Not getting tons of barrel. Maybe some soft vanilla. Really mild though. Some chocolate is there.

T: Tip of tongue is chicory and roast. The barrel isn't really there for me. Missing the vanilla and oak character I was expecting. Thin too. Finish lingers.

M: Big medium. Good carbonation. Thinner than expected.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 15:03:50 | More by inlimbo77

Dope

Massachusetts

3.99/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a very dark brown, just about black. Huge dense medium brown head. Fades slowly. Great retention but mild lacework, sorta spotty at best.

S: Sharp and boozy bourbon. A lot of caramel primarily with some nice vanilla. A bit of chocolate from the roasted malt pokes through along with a touch of smoke.

T: Caramel and smoked meat up front with just a hint of dark fruits. Sweet chocolate in the middle. Finish turns a little bitter as the sweetness fades from the chocolate. A little bit of char and smoke joins the party too. Hints of oak and char in the finish.

M: Medium bodied, smooth. Slightly chalky in the finish. Just slightly.

O: Overall quite a big improvement over the original. The smokiness is much less pronounced in this version and the bourbon is well integrated and adds quite a bit of character and complexity. One of the lightest bourbon barrel stouts I've seen or heard of (not even 8%), combined with a nice smooth mouthfeel makes for quite a drinkable brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 03:57:21 | More by Dope

Hex92

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beers like this are why I like being in the beer club. I love the regular version of this and the bourbon version is a nice treat. Nice roasted malt flavor with this beer. You smell and taste the bourbnon, but its of overpowering. It just complements the great flavor of the beer.

The only real drawback of this beer...needs more alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 03:52:35 | More by Hex92

MasterCraft

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Served from a 750ml bottle in a tulip..never heard of Grand Teton Brewing, but I love me some barrel aged stouts

Pours a pitch black tulip with a nice mocha head, all is right so far.

Smells of char, bitter chocolate, oak, coffee, vanilla, more bourbon as it warms, slight booziness

Tastes nice, highly drinkable. Robust coffee and chocolate flavors mixed with oak and smoke, and a little bourbon. I quite like it, as I have something of prejudice against overly sweet RIS's. Drinks slightly higher than the ABV, though this is not a bad thing considering the style

Mouthfeel is again indicative of a higher ABV. Quite smooth, borderline-velvety. Evident tannins, probably from the oak and possibly from hops.

Very nice BA stout, am glad to have another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 06:31:20 | More by MasterCraft

TMoney2591

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Mundelein Craft Beer Festival shaker pint glass.

What better time to open a beer-of-the-month-club-exclusive bottle than at a holiday party amongst close (and beer-loving) friends, eh? This stuff pours a straight onyx topped by a finger of dark brown foam. The nose comprises darkly-roasted malts, coffee, charred bourbon barrel, and light buttercream. The taste brings in more of the same, creating the distinct flavor of roasty bourbon on my tongue. The body is a hefty medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a lightly chewy feel. Overall, a very nice stout, one that has taken to the barrel very well.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 21:31:15 | More by TMoney2591

DaveAnderson

Minnesota

2.48/5  rDev -36.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This looks like a regular bottle of Black Cauldron, but with a sticker that amends the ABV and states that it was aged in bourbon barrels.

Poured vigorously into a Darkness tulip, I can barely get this to form a small, dense brown head, which dissipates very rapidly. The beer is very dark, but not particularly viscous.

I don't really smell bourbon on this one. It's an oak monster, though. It smells like oak and burnt oak and burnt chocolate aged in oak and smoked oak and maybe a little oak. I'm not sure what they were trying to accomplish with this one, because the oak leaves very little room for anything else.

It doesn't get a whole lot better in the mouth. It tastes like charred wood. It's as if every ingredient were smoked or burned before brewing. I feel like I should pay a carbon tax after drinking this one.

I don't have any idea what regular Black Cauldron is like, but I presume it is more enjoyable than this. I don't have the patience or determination to claw my way through this.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 04:41:14 | More by DaveAnderson

mwilbur

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter. Bottled on 11/19/12.
A: Pours a fairly thick blackish brown...opaque with no light emerging with backlighting. Faint dark mocha head quickly recedes. Looks like motoroil.
S: Dark semi-bitter chocolate, roasted caramel malt, wood smoke, uber dark fruit, molasses, and a faint hint of sweet bourbon. Simply intoxicating.
T: Dark roast coffee, raisins, bready yeast, notes of wood and bourbon, cinnamon and extra-dark baker's chocolate. Beechwood-smoked malt and sweet cherries. Phenomenal.
M: Medium body, but feels lighter since you are expecting a heavy ass beer. Smooth and creamy up front, turning slightly bitter with a mild alcohol burn, then finishing sweet and wood smoky with a good dose of light dry hops. Very pleasant and lingers wonderfully on the palate.
D: Thanks to the relatively low ABV for style, this one is extremely drinkable. Honestly if they had pumped the ABV up to 10-12% this one could get out of control (and for complete disclosure I love high ABV beers)...it is a big beer as is. Aging this one in bourbon barrels added a nice extra layer of complexity...and not just as a big wallop of boozy bourbon. The bourbon note is actually quite muted but it brings along some cherry and vanilla notes too. Very limited release...seek it out if you can! Thanks RBC!

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 05:26:29 | More by mwilbur