Top Sail Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter (Brewmaster Reserve 2010) - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.1/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22 picked up at the COOP.. Poured into my Delerium goblet... Dark tan head.. black brew... nice lacing.

dark malts... and a bunch of smoke.. bourbon is there, but only with a bit of vanilla and bunches of booze... meaty.

I like the bourbon, but the smokey notes seem way out of place.. dark malts.. heavy cocoa... some sweet cherries.. I'm having a hard time pulling beer from this one.. the bourbon is huge... and the smoke seems like a smoked porter or maybe a scotch barrel brew...

Body and carbonation are nice.. but really the drinkability is pretty bad.

Man... wow.. I loved the last BBTop Sail... Had one recently and was still amazed... but this is a smokey boozey mess.

4/3/3/3.5/3

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2010 08:34:44 | More by JohnGalt1

iD9

California

3.3/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a straight pint.

Appearance: Opaque. Black. You know the drill. Sufficed to say its dark. A light ring of hazel brown is visible around the edges. The head pours thick and tan but dissipates quickly. As I review this beer with Wiseman Justin his glass, once again, looks much better.

Smell: I definitely get the strong notes of bourbon off this guy. It does remind me a bit of Full Sail's Black Gold in the respect that the warm, malty, boozy smell of the bourbon seems to overwhelm all the other aspects of the beer.

Taste: Malty, it has a slight syrupy taste to it possibly the influence of sugary molasses. The boozy bourbon makes itself known for sure and warms up the chocolaty finish on the end. Again, much like Full Sail's offering of Black Gold last year this beer is sweet and thick. This is not a brew for everyone.

Mouthfeel: Rich, smooth and thick. You can feel the sugary molasses on this beer for sure. Not my favorite porter but not bad by any stretch of the imagination.

Drinkabliity: Eh, a decent beer but nothing makes me want to come back for more. I'll be interested to see how it holds up with time. This beer is certainly drinkable and not too bad by any stretch of the imagination but not terribly remarkable either.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 06:25:37 | More by iD9

ThreeWiseMen

California

2.78/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Appearance: Imagine pouring out engine oil. This is not like that. It's much lighter. It pours a dark black color with a half finger mocha khaki head (this was with a viscious pour). Appearance: 4.0

Smell: It smells good. All the normal porter components are there; chocolate and roasted malts. Aging it in Bourbon barrels was a great idea, it fully compliments and almost dominates the smell. I get a strong smell of alcohol even on top of everything else. This one might need to age a little longer. Smell 4.0

Taste: I'm not a big fan of this. The bourbon dominates the palate. I wanted it in the smell, I got it in the taste. It's strong and overpowering. I get a very burnt aftertaste. Taste: 2.5

Mouthfeel: This beer is hot. The alcohol needs to calm down. I'm not a fan. Mouthfeel: 2.5

Drinkability: I dunno, there are many many more drinkable porter's than this. Drinnkability: 2.0

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 06:22:18 | More by ThreeWiseMen

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.15/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

2010 bottling pours an opaque black with tan head that recedes to a thin layer after a few minutes. Nose is boozy bourbony with roasty aromas taking backseat. On the palate there's a real bitchslap of bourbon flavors, with a pathetically weak roasty stout component in the background that cannot overcome the whallop of bourbon. Alcohol warmth is evident, and well before it warmed to room temperature.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 04:48:17 | More by yemenmocha

beertunes

Washington

2.73/5  rDev -28%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Served in straight pint glass. Poured black, like a stout, not the opaque dark brown of a Porter. The beer had a dark tan head, which had almost no retention or lacing.

The aroma is dominated by bourbon, so much so that it takes significant effort to even detect that there is beer in the aroma. No definable beer scents. The taste was also dominated by the bourbon, but you could at least taste some of the roasty malt characteristics of a Porter on the tongue.

The body was well on the side for such a solid style. Drinkability is going to depend on you taste for bourbon. I like bourbon, but I want those flavors to complement the flavors of the base beer, not lord over them.

Overall, not a completely bad beer. I think it could have used less time in the barrels and have a stronger backbone to stand up to the bourbon. It's worth a try if you see it, but probably not worth a big effort to try.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2010 20:22:55 | More by beertunes