Tap @ GTMW. Mostly opaque and dark brown in color with some mahogany edges. Looks fairly sleek and slippery. Aroma culminates subtle cardboard and bourbon, primly roasted brazils and hazelnuts, and chocolate and vanilla undercurrents. Bourbon adds a syrupy flavor trait to the standard London Porter. Slicker and stickier than the standard brew as well. Some elements of chocolate-chocolate chip cookies and Hershey syrup drizzled over the cookies, transitioning to a bourbon profile in the finish. Balance seems to have been skewed in the barrel aging process. Decent, but I had higher aspirations.

Sampled this at GTMW. This beer pours to a dark brown/black body with a thin tan head. The aroma is dark fruits and chocolate malts with an oak cask flavor. A touch weak. The flavor was light and weak.

Mich Ale Fest 05, thin head, bourbon nose but queched a thirst in the heat. Actually one of my favs for the day...

On tap at the 2005 MBG Fest. Dark beer with mahagony highlights when held up to the sun. Thin foamy head. Obvious bourbon barrel nose. Very dry beer that almost evaporates off the tongue. Lots of wood and vanilla, with some red wine tanins and buttery bourbon notes. The barrel completely changes this beer.

The 4th of 5 must have beers at the MiBG Fest 2005:

Pours nearly opaque with a small fizzy head and is surprisingly oily. The aroma has notes of lactic sourness, bourbon, burnt and caramel malt, grassy hops, walnut, mocha and a bit alcohlic esters. The taste stats fruity and twangy with berry and apple notes. Also detected some caramel and nut finishing with a burnt bitterness and oak highlights. The bourbon is not as dominate on the palate as the nose. The feel is oily and lush yet light as expected from this porter. This is yet another beer that didn’t disappoint. Yet I would rather have the regular porter first.