Barrel Aged Fireside Chat - Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery

Treebs

Illinois

4.19/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Enjoyed on draft at the release. Served in a goblet.

A: Pours a murky brown color with some light ruby highlights. A thin khaki head forms on the pour and recedes slowly to a minimal ring. Some splotchy lace.

S: Bourbon sweetness with some oak and smooth caramel. A little spice with some sweet malts, light hops and dark fruit.

T: The taste was much more complex than the nose. Boozy with notes of chocolate and rum raisins. Mild hop bite with some mellow spice. Light bourbon notes with some vanilla and oak. Dark fruits, figs, with some caramel notes as well.

M: Medium plus bodied with a slight chew to it. Nice medium carbonation level with a sweet finish.

O: This was really delicious, especially as it warmed up. We opened up a Batch 2 BA Hi-Fi Rye before this and the Fireside Chat was better fresh than the BA Hi-Fi was last year. This was slightly on the muddled side, but some time in the bottle will definitely do wonders and I'm excited to see what comes of it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2013 02:45:49 | More by Treebs

coffygrinder

Illinois

5/5  rDev +16.6%

05-08-2013 15:29:37 | More by coffygrinder

emerge077

Illinois

3.79/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Quick review from written notes, thanks to Justin for sharing!

Two separate pours into a rounded tumbler glass. Color was a tawny reddish orange with fine clarity, some spotty foam that clung to the sides of the glass.

Rich and sweet aroma, brown sugar and whiskey, dried fruits.

Boozy and sweet with flavors of bourbon, caramel malts and trace molasses. Viscous and sticky on the lips, it's just short of cloying. Potent in small doses and best shared. Didn't seem especially complex or nuanced, not bad at all, just not a favorite.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 18:43:32 | More by emerge077

sliverX

New York

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

04-28-2013 19:19:58 | More by sliverX

ThePorterSorter

New York

4/5  rDev -6.8%

04-28-2013 19:15:37 | More by ThePorterSorter

metalgdog

New York

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

04-28-2013 13:48:33 | More by metalgdog

Twoheartedzombie

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

04-28-2013 01:37:04 | More by Twoheartedzombie

dogfishandi

New York

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

04-28-2013 00:49:50 | More by dogfishandi

Gonzoillini

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

04-24-2013 01:12:41 | More by Gonzoillini

jegross2

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

04-21-2013 20:28:43 | More by jegross2

Stalinski

Illinois

5/5  rDev +16.6%

04-20-2013 17:32:23 | More by Stalinski

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.06/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Pours rusty brown with some reddish hue near the edges. Small beige head quickly recedes. A touch of lacing.

Smells like a bourbon soaked raisin. Lots of caramel in the aroma as well along with some winter spices.

The nose is slightly sweet, but nothing compared to the flavor. Boozy raisin is present in a big way. Lots of caramel notes and other dark fruits overpower the nuances of the barrel. Light spiciness along with a touch of alcohol burn near the end.

Medium to full bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Very chewy. Mouthfeel was the only reason I could finish my pour. Brought everything up a notch.

Was really looking forward to this and ended up disappointed. Is it bad? No, but considering barreled barleywines are among my favorite style I certainly expected much more so style specific it grades out lower. The barrel presence is kind of muddled and the flavors really don't seem to gel properly. By the time it warmed up the sweetness was too much limiting drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 17:22:03 | More by jmarsh123

ravot

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

03-29-2013 21:40:18 | More by ravot

ncaudle

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

03-25-2013 16:59:31 | More by ncaudle

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reddish-brown pour, cloudy, with a thin tan head that receded to a bubbly ringlet. Nose was malt-dominant, bready, caramelly, lesser notes of vanilla, raisins, barrel. More of this in the taste, caramel malts, run raisin, vanilla/bourbon/oak profile, but not too sweet or intense, allowing some subtle leafy and earthy hop notes in. Body was edging towards the fuller side of medium, but never quite got there, chewy, but not quite as rich or full as some of the other barleywines that were consumed side-by-side with this one...e.g. MoAS, King Henry, BarBar. Still a good beer overall, and I was glad to have tried it.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 21:50:06 | More by Rifugium

kawilliams81

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a 12 oz glass.

A- pours a dark copper with a 1 finger tan head. Minimal lacing.

S- brown sugar, caramel, plum and dark fruits, vanilla.

T- brown sugar, toffee, dark fruits, light bourbon, and vanilla.

M- full body and medium carbonation. Smooths out as it warms with some syrupy feel.

O- good BA Barleywine. A little sweet but has nice dark fruit notes to complement.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 03:12:28 | More by kawilliams81

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.8%

03-23-2013 21:30:29 | More by Sparky44

jeonseh

Indiana

4.43/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle in a snifter

A - Dark walnut brown with no head but small wisps of foam. Thick and coats the glass

S - Vanilla, caramel with lots of malty goodness with a light breadlines. You pickup a slight booze and oak presence from the barrel as well

T - Brown sugar and vanilla hits up front. This sweetness helps coat the tongue before a slight bitterness and dark fruit hits the tongue. The finish is bourbon and oak from the barrel.

M - Medium yet syrupy body that coats the tongue yet remains it easy to drink

O - This is a great and complex BW from Flossmoor that is loaded with vanilla and caramel sweetness balanced against the slight hoppy bitterness for the American BW style. They also manage to get a nice barrel presence as well.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 02:51:37 | More by jeonseh

schneid

Illinois

5/5  rDev +16.6%

03-13-2013 18:28:06 | More by schneid

SchuStar

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

03-11-2013 18:47:04 | More by SchuStar

strangebrew321

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%

03-11-2013 16:04:25 | More by strangebrew321

C2H5

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +10.7%

03-08-2013 19:13:30 | More by C2H5

imperialking

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.8%

03-05-2013 19:35:53 | More by imperialking

stxSS07

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

03-05-2013 19:19:35 | More by stxSS07

xtrastoutalex

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%

03-04-2013 22:43:25 | More by xtrastoutalex