Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

GABF 2009. Darkest brown in color with a small but lasting beige head. Aroma is bourbon, roast, vanilla, and oak. Flavor is bourbony - but not too much - with roasted malt, caramel, chocolate, and vanilla. Some barrel notes also present. Not too boozy, which some bourbon stouts can be. Palate is smooth and fairly full with soft carbonation. A very good bourbon stout, but come on, everyone’s doing a beer of this style nowadays.

12oz from my summer Secret Santa - thanks!!! Murky brown pour rather than the oily black one would expect from the style. Dry nutty notes in the nose alongside understated barrel sweetness and stoutliness. The body is a bit thin, but there’s some life to it. Taste is a bit odd, I’m afraid: while there are trace elements of vanilla and chocolate malts, balanced ever so slightly by some roasted and woody flavors, there’s a weirdly brackish finish, which could charitably called vinous but could uncharitably be called slightly infected. Either way, not the greatest example of the style.

On tap at Quivey’s Grove Beer Fest. Pours out a deep brown with a small lacing head. Wonderful aroma of vanilla, oak and bourbon. Flavor is complex with roasted malt, burnt fruit, oak and a bourbon. Nice coffee and chocolate aftertaste to go with the vanilla. This was far and away the best beer of the day!

The pour reveals a deep black color with a thin beige head. Very appealing aroma of wood barrel, chocolate and roasted malt. Very good flavor of roasted malt, chocolate, wood barrel and vanilla. The body is light to medium with a creamy texture and moderate carbonation. This is solid stuff.

Thanks inflatablechair for this awesome beer. Pours dark brown with a foamy tan head. Nose is milk chocolate, roast, bourbon, booze, brown sugar, and goodness. Flavor is sweet chocolate, booze, bourbon-soaked dark fruit, slight bitterness, and vanilla. Medium-bodied with lingering boozy fruit, chocolate, and bourbon awesomeness. One hell of a ride.

Bottle courtesy of markwise. Pours a hazy dark brown to black with tan head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of bourbon, malt, barrel, sour tartness, overripe fruit, milky goodness. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of caramel, bourbon, honey, grain, brown sugar, overripe dark fruit, light spice. Generally medium body with a pleasing malty finish.

thanks to big bad john fox .. . Lots of dark bourbon, molasses, and twisted tar Aromas .. . pours a very dark brown, fantastic foam issues, lacing is very nice .. . . very smooth, nice tart sweet smack, very very nice abv, amazingly well masked .. . christopher walken is such a badass, like this brew, lots of bourbon in him like this brew(watch Suicide kings) .. . a very well made brew, perfect bourbon presence.. . This is a damn fine brew, deserved of its top score in the CW lineup.. . http://www.hulu.com/watch/4165/saturday-night-live-census-taker

12oz bottle. Pitch black. Minimal white rimmed head. Bourbon aroma greets you. Huge bourbon character dominates the flavor as well. Some classic Imperial Stout tendencies, but the bourbon is overwhelming. True to style.