Alpine Beer Company Boris

Brewed by Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Imperial Stout
Alpine, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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In the ridiculous box I got from Snojerk recently. Gives you a pretty fizzy brown head that quickly dissipates. A decent vanilla and faint roasted coffee malt aroma. The flavor falls a little short unfortunately and has a slightly off finish. I think it is the overwhelming roast flavor that is getting to me. A little lacking in complexity and body.

Thanks to Brad for sharing this bottle. Served in a SAVOR wine glass. Pours a dark brown with a good off-white head and a bit of lacing on the way down. The nose carries some roast and chocolate plus some dark fruits and cherries. A bit of sourness there as well. The flavor brings out some more sour character, and this one unfortunately seems to be infected. Some cherry and lactic notes along with bourbon and oak. Medium body and a slight acidity to the finish. Okay, even with the infection.

reviewed 6/18/2009 Received in the Black Booty Bif from jtrockchalk, thanks for the opportunity and the generosity. Pours a solid black color with a good sized tan head that stuck around for a bit, but receded to form a cap on top. Smells of coffee right away with some roasted grains, and chocolate in there as well, but the aroma is definitely heavy on the coffee. Taste starts off with roasted grains and chocolate followed by a melding towards coffee. The coffee dries out and some bourbon pokes through and finishes with some oak and alcohol with bitter dark fruit and coffee bitterness in the finish. There’s a lot going on here, and its all good, but I wonder if this needed to have the coffee in here at all. Medium level of carbonation, thick body, creamy, somewhat acidic mouthfeel. This is my first Alpine beer, hopefully it won’t be my last this is a great stout. I can’t find anything to fault this one, it all works together very well imho.

22oz bomber courtesy of petematte46. thanks, peter! pours black with a thick, creamy, dark mocha head and great lacing. aroma is wonderful with rich, black coffee, earthy topsoil, and dark chocolate with notes of soy, roasted malt, dried prunes, and vanilla with subtle hints of smoked meat, wood, and bourbon as it warms. flavor is very tasty but a slight letdown with dry wood, black coffee, and smokey peat whiskey initially with the sweet notes of chocolate, vanilla, and toffee fading into the background a bit early ahead of slight dark fruits, roast, and earth with the aforementioned tart/lemony/lactic presence coming through as it warms. palate is on the thinner side with slightly overdone carbonation and a lingering, dry, smoked/roast finish. overall, a great smelling brew that disappoints in the taste department. surprised that this is from the extremely consistent guys at Alpine.

Bomber. Black body with tan head, rapidly diminishing. The aroma presents bourbon at first and tunrs malty with notes of roast, mild coffee, dark chocolate and molasses. Hint of resin and alcohol. The flavor is lightly to moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes lightly sweet and lightly to moderately bitter with a pronounced sourness. Medium body, watery texture and fizzy carbonation. While the beer doesn’t overplay the bourbon, which is a plus, the lingering acidity is out of place. Too, the mouthfeel is too thin and fizzy for this big of a stout. Nice aroma, though.

Nose is heavy bourbon but underlying vanilla and weak coffee offer some redemption. The taste is bizarre. Immediately hits the palate witha biting acidity and slight coffee bitterness. As it warms it turns into a full on sour, lactic and a bit lemony in the finish. Much better than itsounds.

Bottle:   Black, large foamy light brown head, spotty lacing.   Big woody Bourbon nose, noticeable alcohol.   Otherwise some roasted malts and toasted marshmallows.   Tangy sweetness on first sip.   On the back its Bourbon with some campfire like malts.   Good body and mouthfeel.   This one feels more of an Imperial Stout and less of a beer that is just Bourbon Aged.   Coffee is always present but isn’t assertive.   Has this lingering sour tangyness that seems a bit out of place.   Not bad, but makes me feel as if this beer has been around a it too long, as if that is possible.   Bourbon lingers, roasted malts in the background, slight campfire.   Thankfully this one is the way it is, more of a beer than a Bourbon bomb.   The slight lactose like sourness I could do without, but otherwise its quite enjoyable.   Could use a touch more Vanilla sweetness to round out the minor sourness.   Thanks Tim!

650 ml bottle. Pours a totally black color with a medium brown colored head. A syrupy dark fruit aroma, some oak, chocolates. The flavor is sweet milky chocolates and coffee, lots of near sour dark fruits, some light bourbon. A pretty light, thin and barely warm brew. Nice.

A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a four finger thick, deeply browned head. The beer is quite black, but does seem to have a touch of brown in its dark depths, but it is quite opaque when held up to the light. The aroma smells of toasted coconut, vanillin, hot alcohol, chocolate, nicely roasted coffee (that isn’t harsh like in many a beer), deeply toasted malt character that is quite rich smelling, and maybe a hint of fruitiness in the finish (is this signs of an infection, if so it is barely noticeable in the nose). The aroma is quite nice, I always enjoy a Bourbon barrel aged beer that focuses on toasted coconut and vanillin notes. Interestingly enough a lot of the Imperial stout aromatics play a subtle, supporting role to the Bourbon barrel notes.

Somewhat viscous as it first hits my tongue, the beer is really not all that sweet and it finishes quite dry. The dry finish is a combination of big roasted malt character, roasted coffee flavors, spicy bourbon oak, bourbon-like alcohol and fair amount of tartness. The tartness is definitely, at least partially, from all the roast grain character, but it seems more than that, like this has been infected a bit. A flash of toasted coconut and vanillin shines through towards the finish of each sip, but it is quickly drowned out by slightly too harsh roasted notes and the acidity. This does seem to be quite a bit lighter bodied than it should be. The acidity in the finish works in tandem with the charred roast character to make the finish quite acrid, bitter and acidic, all in a bad way unfortunately.

I really liked the aroma of this beer, the flavor though just didn’t live up to that standard. It comes off as a bit thin, to dry tasting and not nearly rich and satiating enough. Much of the body and richness may have been robbed from this beer by the infection that seems to be slowly setting in. This beer is powerful enough still that this hasn’t completely ruined this beer.

A: pours an abyss-like black, nice light brown head. great retention, with very nice lacing. S: huge aromas of bourbon. some coffee, chocolate and minor toffee. massive roasted malts. coconut and vanilla. T: currants, coffee, tons of bourbon notes. coconut and vanilla. rich roasted malts providing tons of chocolate and a light sourness. M: full bodied. huge palate with the bourbon. perfect carbonation.

22 oz. bottle. Pours black with a medium tan head. The aroma had astrong coffee and chocolate nose with slight bourbon hints. The flavor has a strong espresso opening, chocolate, dark fruits, and gulp sourness. The sour acidic notes were disappointing to discover. This may have been a bit over carbonated as well. Dry acidic finish. Medium bodied. This probably would have been very good had the infection not set in. Consumed 7/16/09 (from notes).