Arcadia Bourbon Barrel Shipwreck Porter

Bottle. Pours dark brown. Coffee, oak, bourbon, malt. Hops were barely dectable, and the finish was overly sweet. eh.

Bomber. Poured medium-deep brown with a creamy, well-retained cap of tan head. The aroma picked up a lot of bourbon, which unfortunately masked some of the underlying goodness.. deeper down were dark chocolates, coffee grounds, oak, and vanilla.. it wasn’t a bad bourbon, but I was hoping for more porter. The flavor was also over-laden by the barrel.. sharp, prickly bourbon, stale oak, and vanilla oppress the dark chocolate and nutty base.. finished with sweet bourbon, vanilla, and milkier chocolates. Medium-bodied on the palate and it felt a lot stronger than it should have from the bourbon presence.. OK flow across the mouth.. long, sweet finish. I like a good bourbony beer, but this wasn’t the one for me.

Bomber, aged at least one year. Pours a dark but slightly translucent chestnut brown color. A foamy tan head fades pretty quickly, leaving a thin film with a pronounced edge behind. Random, jagged lines of lacing cling to the glass. The aroma is pretty straight forward, showing primarily sweet, dark caramel, molasses, cola, strong bourbon, and even some smoky notes. Surprisingly, I even picked up a bit of marshmallow on the nose. The flavor is nice enough, with bourbon infused chocolate and caramel malts showing well. Some cream lends lactic sweetness, while subtle woody notes lend a vanilla character. Indiscernible dark fruits and cloves mingle in the background. The palate is substantial and quite creamy, feeling almost like a thin milkshake in the mouth. Goes down smooth and finishes with a lingering, woody, Jack Daniels candy finish. Overall, very nice, but perhaps a bit too bourbon-forward with not enough base beer character.

dark black body with creamy light brown head on this two year old bottle. Sweet malt and bourbon on the nose. Creamy bourbon body that has cooled considerably over the years.

This is different. My initial reaction was negative, but as I kept sipping the beer grew on me. It looks beautiful - dark with nice, frothy head. Flavor has hints of whiskey, molasses, clove, raisin, wood, and licorice. Heavy, but pleasant hops. Palate is nice--a touch oily with nice carbonation. Whiskey aftertaste.