Fifteen - Central Waters Brewing Company

tut2528

Illinois

4.71/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A: deep jet black in apperance, with a slight film of khaki colored head (but this was created due to forced carbonation. alcohol legs are definitely evident

S: big big chocolate, nice amount of coffee, and big bourbon booze, alcohol, and it is extremely well balanced.

T: excellent balance here. big bourbon, coffee, alcohol heat, sweet ass bourbon, light graham cracker, and a nice finish of vanilla.

M: full bodied, leaves a big bourbon note on the palate with a nice sugary sweetness

O: just fk'in fantastic and so stoked to finally try this. simply amazing brew and the complexity was awesome!

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 03:56:49 | More by tut2528

emerge077

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Quick review from written notes, thanks Aaron for sharing!

Black body with a ruby glint in the light, wispy tan foam on the surface has little staying power, leaving behind a small amount of random spotty lace around the edges of the glass.

Alcohol is very present in the aroma, plenty of whiskey barrel heat, a little one-dimensional.

Fudgy chocolate, toasted caramel, almond, roast malt and a bit of barrel char in the back. Tobacco, woody oak. Very dry finish.

Light bodied, it could use more heft to it, like most of CW's stouts. Overall it tastes solid, just a little boozy and thin for my taste personally.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 17:40:44 | More by emerge077

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.29/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Bottle opened on 3.30.13

A - Pours a dark brown with a smaller dark tan head that quickly moves to the edges.

S - Tons of bourbon, some chocolate and a touch of barrel-wood.

T - Still lots of bourbon, but more chocolate and wood and more balanced than the nose.

D - Lower carbonation with a heavier body.

O - Boozy bourbon and chocolate with some of the barrelshowing. A very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 03:29:56 | More by HuskyinPDX

Treebs

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

22 oz. bottle served in a BCBS snifter. Thanks to BA supercolter for this bottle. Thanks Jeff!

A: Pours a dark black color with ruby edges. A light tan ring forms on the pour and recedes to a thin ring. Splotchy lace is left on the glass.

S: Bourbon, dark fruit and caramel sweetness. Nice notes of chocolate with some vanilla and oak barrel.

T: More of the same, heavy on the barrel with out being hot which is a nice surprise. Really smooth actually. Roasted malts with a marshmallow sweetness. Bourbon, oak and some caramel.

M: Medium thin bodied with out the heat. Smooth and sweet finish.

O: Thin, but it was pretty drinkable. Very barrel heavy, but it was still a nice beer that I'd definitely have again.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 00:48:59 | More by Treebs

sweemzander

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

22oz. bottle poured into a snifter. Major thanks to Treebs for sharing!

(A)- Pours practically pitch black in color. Subtle tan froth that dissipated rather quick, but still left a light layer for quite some time.

(S)- A lovely rich chocolate and raisin caramel bourbon oak profile. Ever so slight vanilla hint on the finish.

(T)- Very similar to the smell. A lovely rich chocolate/vanilla/raisin bits. Just a superb barrel showing that surpasses its younger brother (14).

(M)- Very smooth and mellow carbonation level but fitting for what you are getting out of this. Just awesome barrel notes yet extremely smooth and drinkable for the style.

(O)- This really is just a superb showing of what a barrel aged stout can be like without having a massive cloying sweetness or thickness. At least for me, this exceeds the 14 in almost every way.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 20:39:05 | More by sweemzander

nrs207

Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A - Pretty dark, but not as dark as something like BCBS. Minimal head, not a surprise there.

S - Smells like bourbon at this point. That's actually my biggest complaint. It's dominated by dark fruits and bourbon notes. The actual base beer is minimal at this point.

T - Same as the smell. It is excellent if you want a bourbon bomb. I think the base beer just couldn't hold up to 26 months in barrels. Maybe that's what they were going for though. But It's barely a stout at this point for me. It tastes like some kind of strong ale, lacking big roasted, chocolate, and other notes an imperial stout should have.

M - Not hot, but big bourbon presence which can be mistaken for alcohol presence. It's very smooth and low to moderate carbonation.

O - It's a very interesting beer, and unlike anything I've ever had. I would never turn it down, but I think it went a little overboard in the direction of bourbon.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 03:40:53 | More by nrs207

Jimmeekrek

Wisconsin

4.96/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

The only thing I can say is that this is my favorite beer of all time. Had a bottle of 2010 Ivan The Terrible in same tasting session, and that was damn near as good, but not quite at the level of this. The only thing I wish it had was a little more thickness to it, but that is splitting hairs. The flavor was beyond what I thought beer could be. Roasted Marshmallows, Coconut, Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Fudge were present in the nose, and taste as well. I couldn't possibly do a quick review of this beer, its greatness deserves more respect than that. Glad I have more of it, so I can see how it develops. Simply a phenomenal beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 17:45:47 | More by Jimmeekrek

oline73

Maryland

4.3/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a goblet. Served side by side with 1414.

The beer pours a mahogany color with a layer of tan head. The smell is sweet and quite rich with some nice dark fruit, vanilla, and bourbon notes. The booze level is a bit high. The heat carries over to the taste with a nice sweetness level. I'm still getting dark fruit, mild vanilla, and some bourbon. The finish is a touch more bitter than expected. The mouthfeel is thinner than expected but not so much that it's a problem. There is an aggressive amount of carbonation with a finish that's quite dry.

Overall I really enjoyed this one and would love to have it with some age on it. I liked this better than the 1414.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 22:49:57 | More by oline73

dogfishandi

New York

4.3/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

22oz bottle at cellar temp into a snifter. Gang bang tasting

Pours out pretty much black, a touch of a dark brown on the very edges in the light. Spotty dark tan head and some light alcohol legs on the glass.

Lots of booze, but it comes off fairly bourbony and nice, some sweet burnt sugars and hints of different barrel qualities.

A nice taste, but still pretty boozey. Lots of bourbon flavors. Behind the bourbon you get some sweet burnt sugar, caramel, molasses, a bit of vanilla.

Big mouthfeel, quite warming. Viscous and sticky.

Overall, a good BA stout, really showed off the bourbon, boozey, but the kind of boozey I rather enjoy. Good, but there is better out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 23:26:48 | More by dogfishandi

MasterSki

Illinois

4.09/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

So apparently this is the same recipe as Fourteen Fourteen, but aged in barrels longer. Served in a snifter at Sarah's birthday bash - don't remember who brought this.

A - Tan foam settles to a collar, wisps, and minimal lacing. Dark brown body with hints of amber-brown transparency at the fringes of the glass.

S - A lot like Fourteen Fourteen, but perhaps even more whiskey and booze heavy. Bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, and a really nice coconut note. I had a similar complaint about last year's version and the additional time in the barrel hasn't mellowed things one bit.

T - The taste has a bit more roasty malt presence, dark chocolate, caramel and a touch of char. The base stands up a bit better relative to the intense and oak and whiskey flavors, but this loses some of the great coconut and marshmallow I dug from last year's edition.

M - Moderately tannic and oaky medium-full body. Surprising alcohol warmth that makes this seem stronger than last year - guess it picked up more bourbon? Pleasant moderate carbonation, and a bit rough around the edges.

D - The flavors are nice, but this a bit hot out of the gate. I like last year's release better, but given some time this may eventually equal it. I'd like to give it another shot in six months or so as I think there's a great beer waiting to get out.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 04:34:11 | More by MasterSki

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.03/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

the beer pours a dark brown with a razor thin tan head. the nose lacks the same potent toasty coconut that he regular has, more on par with the 1414. definitely more boozy in the nose than the regular. the taste is caramel boozy with a lingering vanilla bourbon. tasty beer. it's not nearly as full bodied as I'd hoped, but packs a big boozy sweetness with the best of them. tasty beer, but not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 21:26:32 | More by ThePorterSorter

popery

California

4.16/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown. Looks pretty transparent. Dissipating light brown head. Aroma is a bit boozy but still has lots of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, roast and a bit of wood. A bit better than fourteen. Taste adds some soy and a bit more roast. Low carbonation. Good beer, a bit boozy but good flavors. I preferred Fourteen Fourteen slightly, but it's awfully close.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 03:40:29 | More by popery

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.51/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: black bodied beer with 2 fingers of medium brown head. The head has some nice staying power, but eventually drops down to no head on top of the beer.

Smell: very strong barrel notes! Massive oak, vanilla, and sweet bourbon. Also got some smoke and a hinting of chocolate.

Taste: Similiar to the nose. Massive barrel notes mostly notable is a sweet yet nicely integrated bourbon. Complimented by big vanilla, oak, and smoke flavors. A really fudgy chocolate flavor as well. Hint of nuttiness as well just for good measure! Everything is in balance and is down right delicious!

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with low end of moderate carbonation. Creamy and slighty silky body. It does feel just a little bit thin, but its not a big hang up for me with this beer. Pretty smooth and the abv isnt harsh at anytime. Really nice drinking beer.

Overall: This beer is another awesome anniversary beer by Central Waters. They are ahead of the game when it comes to barrel aging stouts! I think that you are splitting hairs between 1414 and 15. They are very similiar beers, but I think that 1414 has the edge in the mouthfeel department. Taste is the biggest difference between these beers, the barrel notes are much better with 15. Much more flavorful and robust, without being over the top. Cant go wrong with either of the barrel aged anniversary stouts by Central Waters honestly I am on the fence with which beer that I like better. They are both wonderful.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 04:44:07 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.21/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

650 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Black, but transparent at the edges. Thick collar. Not too much of a head. But some wisps.

Smell - Loads of bourbon. Almost corn. More barrel than Fourteen Fourteen, better oak and vanilla. Roasty, but almost lost behind the barrel.

Taste - Lots of bourbon up front. Raw bourbon flavor. Sweet malts. Deep roast but bright alcoholic flavors. Tasty, but mostly bourbon and barrel character.

Mouthfeel - Extremely hot. Extremely boozy. Thin, as always from Central Waters.

Overall - It's boozy as hell, but the flavors are very nice. Better than 1414, but not by much.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 02:54:11 | More by Alieniloquium

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.39/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A big thank you to Robbie for this bottle! Consumed on my birthday, March 7th.
Poured in to CBS snifter.

A - Poured black with a thin layer of espresso brown head that reduced to a ring around the glass.

S - Sweet chocolate fudge intermingles with massive barrel aromas of charred oak, bourbon and vanilla. Some roast and sweet molasses with a hint of coconut in the background.

T - The barrel really shines in this beer, which is expected given the 26 months of barrel aging. Bourbon, charred oak and vanilla are dominant with some lighter chocolate fudge, molasses and roast flavours also present. The charred oak stands out more and more as the beer warms.

M -Medium to full body. Light carbonation.

O - This was a huge barrel bomb. A little more barrel than I would like but drank very nicely nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 20:03:49 | More by TheSevenDuffs

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Reviewed from notes. poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Half Acre snifter.

A- Pours black with a 2 finger tan head. Minimal lacing.

S- big fudge and chocolate, bourbon, vanilla

T- lots of chocolate, fuge brownies, vanilla and just enough bourbon

M- full body and medium carbonation. Syrupy and thick, but smooth.

O- amazing beer! Perfect amount of chocolate/fudge, vanilla, and bourbon. I guess that's what 26 months in the barrel does!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:56:48 | More by kawilliams81

UCLABrewN84

California

4.09/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to scribe594 for sharing this one during the Churchill's weekend festivities.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, bourbon, and wood. Taste is much the same with a cocoa flavor and an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a mild amount of woody bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that tastes much better than it smells in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 02:45:33 | More by UCLABrewN84

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.26/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Poured jet black with a moderate but appealing tannish cap which resedes after a few moments leaving spotty lacing and a ring of bubbles

S: As you woould expect. Big bourbon nose with wood, vanilla, chocolate and a whiff of drak fruit to boot

T: Damn good. Initial bourbon upfront greets the tastebuds in a good way. I could immediately tell this was a good barrel with great tretament. Chocolate, hints of coffee, light wood and vanilla are found. This beer is just good. The finish is nice, loads of flavor and a nice warming burn.

M: Full bodied, well carbonated, a nice heat presence on this, a creamy mouthfeel with a truckload of barrel character

O: Very nice beer. Balanced. I was more pleased at how well the barrel complimented the beer versus burying it!

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 14:22:44 | More by barleywinefiend

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into HF stemmed glass. Thanks Josh (thebigredone) for this one! First beer in our CW stout tasting that consisted of 15, '11 BB Stout, '12 BB Stout, '12 Cherry BB Stout, '12 Peruvian Morning, and '13 Peruvian Morning.

A- Pours a dark brown that appears an opaque almost jet black in the glass. Decent carbonation (definitely a bit more then I was expecting) with great consistency. A thin mocha head that has decent retention but recedes to pretty much a flat top leaving some spotty lacing.

S- Definitely strong notes of bourbon and oak (can definitely tell this has been sitting in a barrel for awhile) with some underlying notes of chocolate. Fairly aromatic, only complaint is the bourbon/oak is a tiny bit overpowering and overshadows the chocolate notes a tiny bit too much.

T- Similar to aroma with strong bourbon notes, some woody oak, creamy chocolate under the bourbon, and some light vanilla. Like the aroma though I thought the bourbon was a little bit too overpowering and got stronger as the beer warmed up. Overall though nice tasting with a flavorful base beer that still shined through despite 26 months of barrel-aging.

M- Medium bodied, fairly carbonated with a nice consistent feel, some heat on the finish which could have maybe been hidden a little bit better.

O- This was a very nice beer and one of my favorites of the night. The base beer was very nice and still had some chocolate notes hidden under the bourbon. For a BA beer I thought the bourbon flavors could have been balanced a little bit more and finished a little bit smoother. Overall though I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend checking it out, however I wouldn't say it's the best BB stout out there. I do think the extra aging improved it a little bit from 1414.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 05:04:46 | More by jaasen64

maximum12

Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Finally popped a bottle open with my wife after drinking a few glasses of this at the Anniversary Party...with the creeping beginnings of a cold. Glad to enjoy it properly now. 22 oz. bottle split in half...almost.

Pour is black & fairly still, even with a harder pour. The nose is much more impressive, & mimics almost exactly a bourbon-soaked, double-chocolate Ghiradelli fudge brownie. That's a pretty nice smell. Actually, that's a damn marvelous smell. Nice start.

Fifteen isn't going to get you a supermodel GF, make you popular, or thicken that hairline, but hey, only dumb beer geeks expect things like that of a brew. What it is, is much like the smell. Bloody big bourbon jars the palate right out of the gate: no subtle touch, & that's fine by me, I hate searching for the booze in my barrel-aged beers. That lovely fudginess comes up right behind, almost batter-like. Big vanilla & nice roast add to the mayhem. Drying, toasted wood rides up at the end. Thick & chewy. Ridiculously drinkable, I'm sipping this like ice tea in the Sahara.

Is Fifteen the end of beer evolution? No. Haters are hatering, though, the backlash being so obvious as to be amusing. Anyways, I love this beer less than my daughters, which by geek standards means this beer is a miserable failure. Wait, no, actually, it's excellent. A beautifully constructed brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 03:41:15 | More by maximum12

CLCardinal84

Illinois

4.96/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Got this bottle in a trade with Mike (SixPack6)

I am not sure why the last few reviews have been so average as this was one of the best beers I have ever tasted.

A: Cola colored pour with a decent ring of carbonation in the top of the snifter

S: I could just sit and smell this beer. Bourbon, chocolate, molasses and oak hits the nose.

T: Wow, mind blown. This was the most perfectly integrated stout I have ever had. It hit every taste that I am looking for in a barrel-aged stout. Every smell I listed above, I tasted in the beer.

M: Albeit a little on the thin side (not every BA Stout is as thick as BCBS), it was very well carbonated and creamy on the tongue.

O: I would put this just below BB Vanilla Bean Dark Lord and Rare but above just about every other barrel-aged stout I've ever had. Fantastic beer, and if you have the opportunity to get a bottle I would do it in a heartbeat.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 23:30:09 | More by CLCardinal84

RandomBattle

New York

2.95/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22oz. Poured into a snifter, like a boss!

Appearance - Dark, dark brown, with about 1 fingers worth of beige head. At this point I was pretty amped...

Smell - Heavy whiskey/bourbon in the nose, very in your face and it severely overpowered any other aromas wafting forth. At this point I was still mildly amped...

Taste - Heavy whiskey/bourbon notes with a decent chocolate, toasty stout flavor in the background. Slightly one dimensional. At this point I was a little disappointed...

Mouthfeel - Very thin and fleeting. Many reviews claim this is thicker than the 1414...which makes me glad I never had it. This is definitely the weakest component of this beer. At this point I was very disappointed...

Overall - not for nothing...but I'm pretty mad at myself for buying into the hype of this one. This beer completely fell through my expectations of it, based on the hype. I've had countless barrel aged stouts that were far and away better than this. At this point I was extremely pissed I traded for this...

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 05:21:00 | More by RandomBattle

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.71/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to joshuasereese for the bottle!

Pours motor oil black with hardly any head from a vigorous pour. Slight lacing. Looks fairly flat.

Big chocolate aroma. Some vanilla and maybe oak and chocolate if I strain enough, but chocolate is overpowering, but smells delicious.

Unfortunately the flavor does not live up to the smell or hype. Big chocolate bomb of a beer. Up front the tastes are muddied and all over the place. A little booze although not nearly as integrated and present as I'd prefer. Some roasted malt, oak and vanilla. Finishes with a big bitter dark chocolate linger. Easily the best part of the flavor.

Pretty thick body with lowish carbonation.

Don't understand why the hype train is pulling out of the station for this one. Not bad by any means, but the flavors are a jumbled mess, alcohol is not very well integrated and it's just hard to drink in general despite the fact that there are some legitimately good flavors coming out of this at times. Really it's a slightly less sweet version of what ST Chokolat wants to be. Maybe it'll age better, but for now I'll pass on trying to obtain any more.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 15:45:30 | More by jmarsh123

rodkin

Missouri

3.2/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance is pretty flat, black, medium thickness. Nothing special.

Smell is humongous chocolate, followed by vanilla, caramel, oak, bourbon. Really just waves of chocolate though. Smells great, if slightly one-dimensional.

This is, well... hmm. Boozy upfront, astringent bitter coffee, oak, some chocolate in the finish, slight bit of vanilla. The flavors are jumbled together, it's kind of a mess. This is very average. As it sits it opens up slightly, becomes a bit less boozy and a bit more chocolatey. Still though, a BCBS blows this out of the water.

Mouthfeel is overcarbonated and not thick enough.

I don't get what people are on about with this beer. Smells great, but it's all downhill from there. Honestly, I don't think you should waste your time on this. Not worth what you have to trade to get it.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 04:29:38 | More by rodkin

Sean9689

Illinois

3.49/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to thetomg for sharing. 22oz bottle into tulip.

Pours black, light mocha head, thin ring around the glass, and some legs & spotty lacing. The nose is lots of booze, some chocolate, burnt sugars, and a good amount of barrel influence. Taste is all barrel and hot booze, pretty messy. The chocolate and burnt sugars are hidden by the overpowering oak & booze...the extra time in the barrel is to blame, I'm sure. Body is medium, light carbonation, sweet creamy finish.

After being let down by 1414 last year and reading all the stellar reviews here on BA, I was expecting this one to be amongst my top beers of 2013 so far. After trying this, I can easily say this is overhyped beyond belief and is just a hot boozy & oaky mess. Perhaps some additional time in the bottle will improve this one, but right now, it's the most overhyped beer on BA.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 18:25:34 | More by Sean9689