Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

Brewed by Central Waters Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Amherst, Wisconsin USA

Pour is mahogany with a small beige head. Aroma is heavy bourbon with caramel and roasty malt. Flavor is very much bourbon, caramel and vanilla. Watery and thin. Not very good in my opinion.

Bottle courtesy of Secret Santa (thanks!). Pours like an imperial stout generally does, decent sized head. Aroma primarily bourbon and vanilla, with some roasted notes on the back end. The taste was dominated by the barrel unfortunately. Not that it didn’t taste good, just that I couldn’t taste any of the stout. Lots of bourbon and oak here. Slightly tart as well. Finish was similar.

Slight aroma of coffee and vanilla with a touch of bourbon smoke. Pours a dark black with about half an inch of tan head that leaves good lacing on the glass. The taste is a bit tart with a touch of bourbon and smoked malts. Not bad, but not what I was expecting.

(bottle thanks Badgerben) Pours brown with an off-white head. Aroma is predominately bourbon. Taste is pretty much bourbon with some slight roasted malt coming through on the finish. Not really complex.

Bottle: Dark brownish-black pour with a small cream halo. Notes of chocolate, dark roasted malts, vanilla bean, brown sugar and a ridiculous amount of bourbon permeate the nose. Massive bourbon-oak flavor throughout with some of the chocolate malt flavors coming through along with some vanilla. Quite good but a bit too bourbon dominant.

[Bottle, thanks Badgerben] Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is bourbon--a lot of bourbon. Taste has something a little odd, then some roasted malt, and of course, bourbon. Fairly thin. Quite carbonated. Not that amazing, too much bourbon for me.

GABF ’07. Pours black with an average, creamy, lasting, light brown head, fair lacing. Aroma is average malt (cookie, caramel, chocolate), light hops (grass), average yeast (dough, leather) with notes of bourbon. Medium bodied, creamy texture, soft carbonation and a bitter finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, light acidity and bitterness.

12oz bottle thanks to Ughsmash. Sweey bourbon and coffee nose, sweet milk chocolate note, with moderate yeast apparency. Sweet but rich and delicious bourbon up front, then more sharp and acidic over the middle, finishing a bit lactic and sour, but still with a hefty dose of bourbon, though it’s a bit too sweet. Still, good stuff.