Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout - Central Waters Brewing Company

JamesShoemaker

New York

4.43/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle poured into two bar glasses.

A - much lighter than I expected. It pours light brown, like semi-strong coffee, and keeps its lightness in the glass. Dark in the middle, very light on the periphery. No head or lacing (in a clean glass).

S - a ton of chocolate immediately hits the nose. The sweeter notes from the bourbon are also present, but really it's just cream and cocoa.

T - pleasantly light with just a little touch of bourbon on the end. It tastes almost like a chocolate liqueur, but none of the syrupy action you get from most super high ABV BA stouts. I can definitely see why people compare this to BCBS.

M - nice and light. The alcohol really doesn't factor in, and the lack of carbonation allows the taste to come through nicely.

O - it's an interesting idea to barrel age a stout with such a low alcohol content. Central Waters continues to perform.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 00:14:40 | More by JamesShoemaker

Andrew61923

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2012 vintage. Poured from bottle out of my beer fridge into my Duvel tulip. Normally I'd say that it is entirely too hot out to have a stout, and especially a BA one, but I need to get through my cellar before the big move.

A: Pours a dark, dark brown that borders on black with a finger's worth of cream colored head after a fairly aggressive pour. I noticed a good amount of light coming through on the pour, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a darker end product than I expected. The head fades slower than I would expect with light lacing along the glass. A good start.

S: This beer smells so strongly of oak and delightful bourbon that I could smell it from across the kitchen after I poured it. A healthy dose of chocolate and raisin. I'm really excited to get into this one.

T: Wow. Picking up on a lot of chocolate covered raisin with a good amount of the oakiness coming through on the finish. Though a different style, I would compare this to Tyranena's Dirty Old Man...and that's good company to be in.

M: As I mentioned, this is similar in a lot of ways to a specific barrel-aged porter, not a stout as advertised. It is a bit thin, but there are no other complaints here. Carb is spot-on and the taste lingers plenty long enough to make me want to dive right back in.

O: I really enjoyed Peruvian Morning, so I'm not surprised that I had a similar great experience with this beer. Certainly different beers, but definitely cousins at the very least. If you see this, pick it up and drink it...weather be damned.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 02:22:45 | More by Andrew61923

everettsbeerguy

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5%

05-19-2013 18:36:37 | More by everettsbeerguy

jakeox

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5%

05-18-2013 23:50:52 | More by jakeox

barrelofbastard

California

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-18-2013 20:27:26 | More by barrelofbastard

EROCK75

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-17-2013 16:57:34 | More by EROCK75

BarrelAgedBrian

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -5%

05-17-2013 04:04:14 | More by BarrelAgedBrian

Pelican5

California

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%

05-16-2013 07:20:14 | More by Pelican5

illy0sis

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%

05-14-2013 22:19:01 | More by illy0sis

lookrider

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-14-2013 14:29:14 | More by lookrider

jgluck

California

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-13-2013 20:26:28 | More by jgluck

BMart

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-13-2013 17:03:43 | More by BMart

ajzy

Wisconsin

2.5/5  rDev -40.6%

05-12-2013 21:53:15 | More by ajzy

nrs207

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-12-2013 19:45:56 | More by nrs207

ANTHONYJAY

Michigan

5/5  rDev +18.8%

05-12-2013 19:15:01 | More by ANTHONYJAY

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-12-2013 16:50:53 | More by mikeburd1128

BYOFB

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%

05-11-2013 21:26:35 | More by BYOFB

jakea

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-11-2013 16:15:42 | More by jakea

tclang

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%

05-11-2013 14:32:01 | More by tclang

gumballhead1

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-11-2013 06:51:57 | More by gumballhead1

verndenherder

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%

05-11-2013 03:08:15 | More by verndenherder

PolloVagabundo

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-10-2013 19:07:38 | More by PolloVagabundo

leprechaunandfatman

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%

05-10-2013 09:00:55 | More by leprechaunandfatman

leedorham

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-10-2013 02:09:19 | More by leedorham

bum732

Maryland

4/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

S: Very rich breadiness, almost a yeastiness, sweet bourbon with some dark chocolate, medium high bourbon on the nose.

L: Very dark brown bordering on black. Light tan head that dissipates. Good lacing.

T: Rich breadiness up front with the bourbon sweetness following. Medium low bitterness with chocolate sweetness complementing the sweet bourbon. A big wave of breadiness hits before finishing.

M: Medium thin body, medium carbonation.

Pretty tasty, body was definitely on the thinner side. Not necessarily a bad thing. Nice balance of the bready malt with the bourbon.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 02:11:48 | More by bum732