 holdenn (1188), Chicago, Illinois, USA
May 29, 2008 Updated: Oct 9, 2008
12 oz bottle, big thanks to drewbeerme for sharing this. Pours black with a bubbled head that disappears. Lots of fruit and rich chocolate in the nose. Dark fruit dipped in dark chocolate with licorice and burnt notes. Flavors of dark chocolate and licorice. Almost no noticeable alcohol. The bourbon seems to add a depth in the richness of flavor. Tasty beer. I think we can do stouts pretty well in this area.8/3/8/4/16 = 3.9 <br /><br />
10/9/08. It appears I forgot to hit the re-rate button last time I re-rated this, so I’ll do it again quick. The roastiness is strong and inviting in the nose with creamy chocolate and licorice. But the fruit seems to be coming through in overbearing ways. The fruit and alcohol are becoming more apparent as the roastiness and burnt malts are overtaken. The touch of oak is well done but the alcohol is becoming to fruity and thus not as enjoyable. This one should be drunk soon as it comes out. 8/3/7/3/15 = 3.6
JCB (1118), Durham, USA
Nov 17, 2008 12oz bottle from scubarex - thanks, Rex! Nice pour, thick and promising. There’s very little carbonation at all, but that in itself isn’t a knock I suppose. The aroma starts to worry me - if you were in a charitable mood you’d call it merely boozy. But it’s more than that: it’s medicinal, and in fact astringent. Sure, there are some mild hints of ’bourbon barrel’ in there, but it is to well-done barrel aging what Velveeta is to a nice, complex cheese. Anyways, it tastes like ass too - menthol, tongue-burning heat, burnt soy sauce, and - best of all - the taste of really old cheap red wine. Sweetness, indeed. Doesn’t Walter Payton deserve better?
Silphium (2041), Lansing, Michigan, USA
Oct 21, 2008 Deep opaque black-brown, thin buff head. Sharp vanilla and oak nose backed by roasted malts and chocolate. Bitter with noticeable alcohol. Somewhat tart body with chocolate and bourbon notes- oak and vanilla, tannic, with earthy wood. Not a lot of heft or complexity beneath the barrel notes. Medium palate. Too much barrel, too little beer, although my enjoyment of the style results in a better-than-poor rating.
drainey (221), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Oct 19, 2008 Oily black with a small brown head. Aroma is heavy on the bourbon, but with chocolate notes. And I agree with thegreenroaster, the flavor hits with a blast of bourbon, is there any beer flavor there? Tasty, but the bourbon and the stout aren’t married as well as in some bourbon barrel stouts (Goose Island, 3 Floyds).
thegreenrooster (1559), St.louis, USA
Oct 17, 2008 Pour is a black oil looking with a small tan head. Aroma is first off bourbon barrel with some roasted chocolate malts bring up the rear. Flavor is not as good as the aroma as its just a full on bourbon bomb that finishes super hot. I like a nice bourbon on the rocks to sip on but this is just to heavy and the barrel aging takes over anything the actual beer would offer. Still they got the bourbon thing spot on and now i may have to go buy a bottle of Makers Mark tomorrow.
lb4lb (1499), Austin, Texas, USA
Oct 14, 2008 bottle in trade from raverjames. Thanks!<br />
pours dark oily black with a rich brown head. Smell is rich and dark chocolatey malt with some bourbon and chocolate chip cookie smells. Taste is tart cherry, dark chocolate and mild bourbon. A bit tart. Oily m.f. and could be more roasty and less tart, but still not bad at all.
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