Black Diamond Bourbon Barrel Grand Cru - Black Diamond Brewing Co.

sukwonee

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +17.4%

01-19-2013 07:49:51 | More by sukwonee

UCLABrewN84

California

3.56/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at 38 Degrees in Alhambra, CA.

Pours a clear dark copper with a foamy khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, earthy spice, and bourbon aromas. Taste is much the same with bourbon and spice flavors on the finish. There is a mild alcohol kick on the palate after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but it smells slightly better than it tastes in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

05-13-2013 04:50:26 | More by UCLABrewN84

beertunes

Washington

3.18/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Served in tulip. Poured a medium-dark brown, with some reddish tint, but not as red as usual for a Dubbel, with about 1/2 inch of medium khaki head that had low retention and moderate lace.

A light bourbon scent was at the front of the nose, with the typical fruit, yeast and grain just underneath. The story was pretty similar on the tongue. The bourbon, while not overpowering, was clearly the lead flavor. The base beer seemed to be somewhat hidden, thus hard to judge.

The body was thinner than I look for in the style, but smooth and even across the palate. Drinkability was pretty good, the was smooth and easy to quaff. Overall, a nice little brew, nothing really notable (and probably not worth the $8/12oz pour), but worth a shot if you see it in around you.

Serving type: on-tap

05-12-2013 21:54:55 | More by beertunes

bconsidine

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

05-10-2013 18:36:47 | More by bconsidine

KiMiRaiK

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +17.4%

04-21-2013 21:39:45 | More by KiMiRaiK

IRONRakkasan

California

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%

04-10-2013 23:43:44 | More by IRONRakkasan

kaseydad

California

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Growler from the Brewery.

Pours a dark brown ale with burgandy flashes, Decent sized cream colored head. Moderate lacing.

The smell is characterstic of a Barleywine. Sweet malt, vanilla, plum and the bourbon barrel is in the background. Toasted oak. Leather. Aroma is pretty good for the style.

The taste gives a glimpse of fruity flavor at the front of the sip, but a big dose of malt and spice overwhelm the back end of the swallow and leaves slightly bitter finish. The fig taste is there too. Tangy. A tad watery. The aftertaste leaves a lot to be desired. It is bitter but was hoping for more.

Thin mouthfeel.

Overall this was just okay for me. The overall flavor just didn't do it for me. It got tiresome but a bomber or one glass would probably be just right. I will be trying the Brandy barrel version for comparison.

Serving type: growler

03-24-2013 01:00:15 | More by kaseydad

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +17.4%

03-21-2013 23:57:53 | More by RedneckBeerz

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Hm, somewhat different than I was expecting. Poured at a good temperature with an average size light tan, slightly fizzy, foamy head that eventually settked and some lace. Color is a clear orange mahoganey with lots of rapidly rising bubble trails. Aroma is at first dark ripe fruit, yeast, malt, and later vanilla. Flavor's like nose but much more intense. Has nice interplay between bitter - sweet- and carbonic tang (although tang starts to get in the way after a period). Flavor reminds me of some sort of candy I've never tried before and while I kind of like it, I wasn't all in. Body is decent but carbonation is a little too aggresive. Finish is like flavor, alcohol comes out strong, and length is long. Not a bad brew, but not a fav.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 02:17:53 | More by drpimento

SupremePie

Vermont

4/5  rDev +10.5%

02-06-2013 23:19:47 | More by SupremePie

SGToliver

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +24.3%

01-29-2013 20:55:53 | More by SGToliver

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A dark brown, chestnut colored brew with a large cream colored head of great retention. Tons of sticky lacing clinging to the glass. Decent enough aroma with hints of bourbon, oak, cherry, some phenolic presence, but opens up in the flavor into something quite interesting. I thought this one was actually pretty unique and complex; lots of wood, cherries, dark fruit; some belgian yeast esters and spiciness, muted phenolic character; hints of the bourbon that once rested in the barrel, but the oakiness is prominent.

Medium to slightly full body, medium carbonation, pretty smooth on the palate. I quite enjoyed this. Not a bourbon bomb, not the typical massive stout that usually gets the barrel treatment. A hybrid brew that has a lot going on for it and is definitely worth a shot if you're not opposed to a Belgian-style in a bourbon barrel.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 14:28:06 | More by tobelerone

JAHMUR

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%

01-29-2013 02:47:19 | More by JAHMUR

JakeDebus

Maryland

4/5  rDev +10.5%

01-19-2013 20:33:23 | More by JakeDebus

Aznflyer14

Washington

4/5  rDev +10.5%

01-17-2013 18:06:36 | More by Aznflyer14

Newbiebeer

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%

01-12-2013 00:35:58 | More by Newbiebeer

CEDAMA

California

5/5  rDev +38.1%

01-06-2013 21:33:01 | More by CEDAMA

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.93/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Maudite snifter. Pours a dark, hazy, mahogany amber. Half finger light tan head with good retention and slippery lacing. Nice aroma of dark toasted and caramel malt and bourbon with a little wood. Flavor is light and dark dried fruit, some toasted malt, distinct vanilla, bourbon and a hint of oak. Flavor drops off a little in the middle, but the finish leaves a nice memory of the bourbon and wood although with a slight astringency. Medium bodied. A little sweet, flavors are not that well integrated, but it has decent complexity. I enjoyed this take on a bourbon barrel aged ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 02:46:02 | More by LiquidAmber

Travisnin

Idaho

5/5  rDev +38.1%

09-13-2012 06:32:47 | More by Travisnin

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into goblet. 2011 vintage.

3.5 A: Dark brown color. A little over one finger of frothy tan head. Retention isn't very good, but a short ring of lacing is left.

4.0 S: Ass load of cocoa powder in this. I didn't read of this addition on the bottle, but I'm convinced that they had to have. Just super chocolaty. Vanilla is also pretty potent. The bourbon, however, is barely detectable, which is probably the right way to go with a dubbel. Light leather and earthiness from that and subtle oak. Fig and plum fruitiness. Banana under that. Surprisingly this isn't very spicy.

3.5 T: The barrel comes through a lot stronger in the taste. Some tannic astringency with oak and vanilla. Tangy caramel, earthy, and leather. Not as cocoa-y as the nose, but it's still there and is plentiful. Lots of banana, fig, and plum fruitiness. Brown sugar and molasses. Light clove, but not spicy overall. Not bad.

4.0 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation with a light spritziness to it. Also reasonably creamy. Good here.

3.5 D: A little strange, but it's not bad. Give it a try if you can.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 03:08:13 | More by DavoleBomb

WesM63

Ohio

3/5  rDev -17.1%

08-04-2012 04:10:00 | More by WesM63

Vierenner

Ohio

2.6/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I'm always interested in bourbon barrel aged beer and even though it's only partially barrel aged, it seemed worth a try.
Pours somewhat cloudy with minimal head. Mildly sweet aroma. The taste is a bit bizarre. Depending on how/where it hits the mouth it either tastes a little sweet or a little sour. Also, I wasn't expecting Belgian yeast flavors, but they are certainly there. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 00:04:54 | More by Vierenner

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Having bought this on my first stop in the US on this trip (BevMo in Sunnyvale), I carted it around until I got to Portland, where I needed to thin out my beer collection somewhat.

Pours a deeply hazed brown-mahogany hue, with a pretty decent head of yellow-white froth that leaves impressive spidery lacing. Body is smooth but light, perfectly suitable for the style. Overall, I'm impressed with the look: hits the style bang on.

Nose is smoothed and masked by the bourbon barrel characters, which lend rich vanilla overtones to the maltiness, meaning that there's good caramel throughout. However, this smooth sweetness is about all that it has to offer, and while it's robust, it leaves the rest of the aroma a little empty.

Taste is smooth but lightly organic and a little empty. Flavour is truncated by a mild tea-leaf note that seems to blunt any hint of true rich sweetness, while the lighter body, while suitable for the style also cuts off any real complexity. Finish leaves a touch of oxidation, a slight bready or cardboard note. Hmm...

It's not bad, but the beer itself doesn't seem to warrant the barrel treatment. Give a complex beer to a bourbon barrel and you'll be rewarded with extra nuance and flavour: this one seems to rely on the oak too much, and once it's gone, it's flat and uninteresting.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 04:03:45 | More by lacqueredmouse

Naterobsnyk4

New York

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%

06-24-2012 06:01:22 | More by Naterobsnyk4

womencantsail

California

3.33/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The pour is a dark brown color with a bit of amber/red to it. There is some mild roast quality to the beer, but it’s mostly sweet. Heavy on the toffee and brown sugar, a little bit of dark fruit character. It’s also got a little bit of sweat/feet to it, strangely. The flavor lacks any foot-like qualities, fortunately. It’s mostly sweet toffee, brown sugar, and some vanilla. A nice dark fruit quality, mostly plums and raisins. I don’t get a lot of the figs, but certainly some currants.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 16:56:43 | More by womencantsail