Bluegrass Jeffersons Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

Brewed by Bluegrass Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Louisville, Kentucky USA

Serve in Snifter

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Draft. Got completely hammered on this and had to sleep in the back of my truck. That said, I will revisit the brew again.

Presumably on tap at Fireflies Del Ray in Alexandria, VA. It poured a clear, deep cola red with a scant, tan, creamy head that left swathy lace by the grace of God. I’m rating this under the Jeffersons Reserve entry since I read that somewhere on the menu even though there is a normal BBC Bourbon Barrel Stout entry. Aroma here is pretty null- I would not be able to pick out any specific character from this beer partly because of the shitty pour handed to me and partly because the bourbon has probably not added anything to this beer, which is obviously very thin bodied given the SRM and high abv. Taste is watery, roasty, thin, cola, bitter. No bourbon. No body. Feels like 5% abv. I just cannot imagine how this could possibly be 8.5% without any significant hoppiness or sugary body to balance. Should taste like straight vodka if that was the true abv. Maybe bourbon barrel age a true 8.5% imperial stout and put it in the barrels for more than two months. You will get about zero character from only two months in the barrel. Some breweries will barrel age imperial stouts for a year or more. Light cardboard.

poured from a 12 oz bottle Thanks to Sefus12 Appearance: pours jet black with a 1 finger head. tan in color. doesn’t sit long and left very little lacing. i don’t think this is going to be very thick or leave stickiness on my lips. Smell: Hints of bourbon swirl through some roasted coffee, oakiness, and touches of powdered chocolate. Taste: Lots of roasted coffee, little bits of malt punched with oak. I thought i would get more bourbon tastes but there is just a little. I think the flavors balanced, but really i could have used more of all of them. Mouthfeel: Dry on the end, a touch of light creaminess in the front, but thin and light in the middle. not what i expect from an Imperial stout, reminded me more of a porter. Drinkability: Easy to drink for an Imperial because its thin. The alcohol is well masked, i wouldn’t think this had 8.5% in it. but really for a Imperial stout it should be thick and creamy. I think I would drink this with a steak/steak sandwich, beef roast, or meatloaf. I don’t think it would stand up to anything too heavy like prime rib or heavy smoky grilled/BBQ items. maybe a Jack Daniels glazed steak if you head that direction.

nice bourbon nose, poured a black color with lasting beige head. flavr is vanilla and bourbon with nice malts. little light on the mouthfeel but really nicely balanced bourbon stout.

UPDATED: JUN 1, 2011 2006 bottle, nose was very bourbony and vanilla, jsut have been a frist fill completely, the bourbon overtakes the nose completely. The stout however isn’t as overbearing, roasted, medium bodied stout, drinkable

On tap at Rustico. Seems to be on nearly year round there. Reviewed from notes. Pours deep brown with a nice off white-tan head and bits of lacing here and there. Nose brings a pretty good amount of bourbon along with some oak, vanilla, dark roasted malt, and some mild sweetness. Taste brings a moderate amount of bourbon and oak along with some sweet, roasted malt in the background. Medium body with light carbonation and not too much booze; a nice mix. Drinks fairly well, but isn’t as smooth as I would like. Serving type: on-tap Reviewed on: 10-16-2010

UPDATED: FEB 12, 2011 12oz bottled Dec ’10 (now Feb ’11). This pours with a frothy, white, vanishing-foamy head that leaves just a lacing-thick layer over an opaque beer and gives a genie-is-out-of-the-bottle special effect. The beer has a roasty, woody, high-quality, bourbon-pipe-tobacco-smoke aroma. Also, sweet chocolate, coffee, and nuts, Beautiful aroma! The taste is not so special. Kind of every taste that is no taste. The carbonation is quite lively; the finish, astringent (something a tiny bit soapy about my beer); texture is kind of thin and a little oily and slightly sticky. It kind of slides down leaving one wanting. These are too easy to drink. This Kentuckyan impresses out of the gate but doesn’t quite finish in the money; but I keep it in my box if it’s a weak field.

Review from notes, sampled 2/8/2008 12 oz bottle received in trade, but I don’t know who from. I’ve been trading too much and I forgot who sent this. But thank you for the opportunity! Pours a dark brown/black. Lets a little light through when held up to it. Meager tan head that disappears quickly. Aroma is some chocolate, some bourbon, some oak, and I pick up a bit of vanilla, faint but its there. Taste is roasty, oakey, sweet and chocolaty. Mouthfeel is thinner than I would expect for a stout. Tasty mix of flavors, but should be a bit thicker. Drinking this feels more like drinking a porter or even a strong brown ale. Tasty, but labeled incorrectly.

Poured into a snifter. 3.5 A: Pitch black color. One and a half fingers of creamy head that doesn’t retain too well and doesn’t leave much lacing either. 4.0 S: Pleasant fruitiness with black currants. Next, is oak and vanilla. Bourbon is more subdued than I’d like, but still adds to the depth. Hints of roastiness as well. 2.0 T: Comes through a lot drier than I had hoped. Way too dry. There’s a touch of bourbon, but not much. Not much malt character except for hints of roasted barley. 1.5 M: Light body, super light for the ABV and style. A bit undercarbonated, but pretty smooth. 1.5 D: Not impressed with this one. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 12-30-2009 03:14:17

12oz bottle than has been in my fridge for months. Pours dark brown with tan head. Aromas of bourbon, vanilla, little roast, and some chocolate. Flavor of bourbon, sweet vanilla, chocolate, and some roasted malts. Mouthfeel was a little thin. Nice bourbon flavor. Better than I was expecting.