Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

Brewed by Saint Louis Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Maplewood, Missouri USA

Pours black with thin tan head which dissipates to a film. Armoma is roasted malt, sweet malt, vanilla, molasses, and alcohol. smotth yet carbonated mouth. flavors of coffee, molasses, wood notes, vanilla, hint of bourbon. finishes woodsy citrus dryness. Has a nice alcoholic warming. Pretty complex and pretty damn tasty. everything is well balanced. good brew.

i have now had this beer on tap and from the bottle, honestly, i liked it better in the bottle. on draft, it tasted a little too fresh for a good impy stout. another thing was the tap room served it a little colder than it should have been. bottle, on the other hand was good. the bourban taste was not so pronounced in the bottle. it had the good carmel taste as expected, medium sized, brown head. the draft had a little more of a citrus hop finish than the bottle, which is always a plus. this will be a great beer down the road, it is definitely not bad right now, though!

750 ml bottle - tried the 2006 (thanks to after4ever) and 2007 (thanks to bvc); 2006 - very slight sour, rich aromas of bourbon, vanilla, chocolate; drinks silky smooth with mildly dry; much more bourbon in this one; 2007 - jet black and a little more syrupy; coffee more noticeable and the bourbon less so; same smoothness; a little more raw with sweet chocolate and bitter coffee; barrel aging not as strong and a touch more in balance; wow, this is a terrific beer

Sampled at the Boise tasting 1/16/10
Appearance: Poured black with a small off white head
Aroma: Bourbon, caramel, vanilla, chocolate
Taste: Dark chocolates, caramel, bourbon
Very smooth beer, not alot of hot alcohols.

750ml, boxed, 2008 vintage bottle from grape & gourmet. been wanting to try this one for a while now and it did not disappoint. pours a deep, dark brown but sits black in the glass with a sticky ring of khaki lace and very little head. aroma is wonderful with big roasted malts, toffee, caramel, fudgy chocolate, and coffee with elegantly integrated, subtle notes of bourbon, vanilla bean, and black cherry. flavor is where this one truly shines with roasted malt, dark chocolate, caramel, and dark fruit notes up with smooth, subtle bourbon, vanilla, and ashy wood notes rounding out the sip and leaving a long, slightly sweet, oaked finish. lightly carbonated with smooth drinkability and a palate that’s just a touch thin, my only true knock on this brew. overall, a great example of not overdoing the barrel aging and an excellent beer.

750 ml. into a mug for lack of anything else. Oil black pour with a light-tan fluffy head that holds pretty well and provides some lacing. Aromas of booze (brandy), chocolate, roasted malts, dark fruit, and, most notably, vanilla from the barrel aging. I would have given the flavor an 8, or maybe even a 9, if the alcohol was better hidden. At 10.5 this is a hard task and, though the alcohol is apparent, it provides a pretty complex brandy/whiskey like aroma. Besides the alcohol, vanilla, molasses, and oakey malts dominate the flavor. It is coating, rich, smooth, and thick on the palate. Overall: this is a good impy and is, I feel, a bit underrated; I think this thing could be amazing with a couple of years under its belt.

2007 Bottle received via trade with MrRain. Poured a syrupy black color with minimal carbonation. Aroma was caramel and a little bit of alcoholic vanilla. Flavor was much better than I expected; rich and mellow vanilla, bourbon and a slight bit of coffee and stone fruits. A nice beer, and one I would trade for again.

2008 Vintage from the bottle. Strong smell of caramel, wood and earth with hints of vanilla and some spices (nutmeg?). Good caramel, vanilla and wood taste. Also hints of tobacco and more spices. The bourbon is present without being overpowering in this beer along with almost no alcohol heat. Overall great beer for the price.