Americas Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

Brewed by Americas Brewpub
Style: Imperial Stout
Aurora, Illinois USA

Bottle. Pours a viscous black with a small trace of head. The aroma is sweet and almost red wine like. Some roast and chocolate is also detectable. The flavor is smooth and rich, with thick roasty malt, chocolate, and some soft wood and whiskey. The alcohol is lightly detectable, and slightly warm, which is minute considering the high abv. Not the best wood aged I.S., but pretty good.

DecemBeer. Sample from a bottle shared by decaturstevo. Dark tan head over a dark dark brown body. Aroma is bourbon, oak, whiskey, woody. Taste is more bourbon, light roast, chocolate and wood. Not bad, just too brash.

Bottle at an impromptu tasting at lithy’s. Everyone at the tasting hated this except for me. It’s not a great beer by any means, but I could easily drink a bottle. Anyway, it pours a thick black with almost nonexistant tan head. The aroma is strong chocolate, Kahlua, and mint juleps. The flavor is chocolate, junior mints, chalk, and raw plant material. The finish is wood and roastiness. Some tannin and sugar notes come out from time to time, and it takes on a slight iodine quality as it warms up.

courtesy of 6daybottomocean pours black oil, thin mocha head with lasting golden lacing. Aroma is of soy, with strong bourbon aroma and some wood oak chip. Flavor, lost of malts, bourbon with light vanilla. Boozy palate with some chocolate, low carbonation. As the beer gained in temperature, I was getting a lot more chocolate and some bitetrness. Finish has some char, smoke and wood elements.

Bottle from Archer Liquors. Pours black with a decent dark tan head. Aroma is treacle, bourbon, burnt malt, chocolate and likely a bunch of other stuff. Near full bodied with fluffy carbonation. Flavor is chocolate, vanilla, maybe oak, and coffee and burnt malt. Quite smooth though. Ain’t Paradox, but it’s in that category. Damn tasty beer.

Special thanks to beastiefan2k for sharing this bottle with me:
12oz bottle. Liquid Candied Sex. Black pour, dark brown head. Big aroma wafting out of the glass. Vanilla, bourbon, candy, chocolate. Huge vanilla aroma. Flavor of alcohol, chocolate, bourbon, chocolate, and vanilla beans.
"This is definitely where I parked my car!"

Bottle. Aroma is very chocolatey, significant barrell character. Opaque, motor oil brown with a thin creamy tan head that leaves thin lines of sporadic lacing. Quite sweet and chocolately upfront, not a really potent bourbon flavor, but it is present and noticeable oak in the finish. Full and creamy with a welcome faint carbonation.

100th rater. I really liked this Impy Stout, which is unusual for a barrel aged beer. Fortunately, this wasn’t an alcohol bomb, the barrel and bourbon character were low as well. Pours black as heck with a dark brown head, which fades quickly. Aroma is sweet and sugary with slight tobacco. Close enough to a pastry, I like those kind of stouts. There is light licorice and of course plenty of chocolate. All those residual sugars hide any alcohol but it never gets into the tooth ache sweetness. Flavor is similarly sweet and sugary, chocolate but there is a bit of barrel coming through in a plummy char character. Again, low on alcohol perception, don’t get much oak side effects. Thick body with a reduced carbonation makes for a thick and filling mouthfeel. I like this stuff.
12oz bottle, no date, La Chouffe tasting glass.