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

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

Texasfan549

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%

04-18-2013 19:01:51 | More by Texasfan549

kjkinsey

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%

04-14-2013 00:56:29 | More by kjkinsey

BBrewington

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

03-25-2013 17:40:07 | More by BBrewington

Jave

Washington

4/5  rDev +1.8%

03-13-2013 02:04:04 | More by Jave

UWBadgerFan4Life

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +1.8%

03-13-2013 01:56:13 | More by UWBadgerFan4Life

kell50

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%

03-09-2013 05:58:05 | More by kell50

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

Hessian257

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.8%

02-24-2013 05:35:14 | More by Hessian257

pknyc

New York

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

02-22-2013 23:25:10 | More by pknyc

bcostner1

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +1.8%

02-16-2013 23:12:22 | More by bcostner1

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

02-13-2013 16:50:41 | More by jmarsh123

JohnK17

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

02-12-2013 17:51:42 | More by JohnK17

golf4collet

West Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.8%

01-27-2013 00:11:46 | More by golf4collet

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -17.3%

01-20-2013 15:46:44 | More by AleWatcher

djrn2

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

01-19-2013 20:32:56 | More by djrn2

captainbearcat

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

01-19-2013 04:47:37 | More by captainbearcat

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

smithj4

New York

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

12-23-2012 01:23:39 | More by smithj4

acurtis

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.8%

12-22-2012 13:45:57 | More by acurtis

valkyre65

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

12-21-2012 01:31:01 | More by valkyre65