Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

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Deep, dark black with a small light brown head. The aroma was full of woody goodness...slight bourbon and earthy (almost sour) characters. The flavor was pretty bitter up front...coffee, dark chocolate, smoke, wood, bourbon. The feel was slightly thick with a crisp, dry feel. Awesome. Thanks Mike!

here we go, rating #1000. pours 95% black with a diminshing head that was brown. not the most robust impy that i have seen definately. araoma of bourbon, smoke, chocolate, coffee, and some alcohol, but not that strong. flavors were rich with boubron aging, coffee, chocolate, and some chocolate covered cherries. This is good, but not that overly complex. The alcohol is well hidden i have to say. This is a cool beer, but I dont think its worthy of a top 50 place. Needs more body and appearance to be a contender IMO. Thanks to JPDISPO for the bottle!!

This is a wonderful brew. Oh my! Dark color. I don’t know if it’d pass the flashlight test but fuck it. Looks good enough to me. Nose is huge with chocolate, whiskey and a big whiff of coconut that adds an impenetrable richness---most excellent. Flavor is not quite so intense but has an edge of cocoa liqueur, dark chocolate, spiced rum, vanilla, burnt sugar, campfire roasted marshmallows--well, you get it. This stuff is complex, intense, insane, astronomical. It’s the Cadillac of big stouts. Big long lingering bitter chocolate and booze finish almost forces you to take another sip. Damn.

Pours a nice pitch black with a very, creamy beige head. A light lacing is evident. The aroma is of raspberry and chocolate coffee, dried plum, vanilla, wood, light bourbon and hickory smoke. I really like the way the bourbon is "suggested", not rammed in there like some I’ve had. The well-balanced flavor is of espresso, mellow bourbon, dark chocolate and charred wood. Full-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and lively carbonation. Lengthy, bitter, burnt, dry finish. One of the best I’ve ever had. Thanks John for an excellent imp stout.

No shit, there is bourbon in this beer! A bit too much, but quite interesting. Past the bourbon flavor is roasted malts. Brackish dark with translucent shallows. Aroma of chocolate and booze. Kinda like bourbon and coke without sugar. Thin bodied and acrid. Not a huge fan.

Nice rich brown w/no head. Bourbon, toffee, chocolate, oak and vanilla nose. Med weight with dry burnt toast finish. Bourbon, carmel, burnt toast, toffee, and chocolate cake flavors. Alcohol is well balanced on the finish. Great beer.

UPDATED: JUN 11, 2008 Dark brown,not as pitch black as some Impy’s.Dark tan head.Nose nasal receptors were in heaven with this one.Bourbon-oak,big vanilla,roasted malts,dark chocolate.each one easily enough detectable from the other.I had a hard time understanding how they do this and why can’t more beers be this good??Loved the blend of vanilla and chocolate,much less the overtones of the bourbon.Great brew.a little thin for an Impy. Re-rate. this has gone down hill some after the first batch. Pity

Nice dark brown,small tan head that faded quickly leaving little behind.Nice roasty aroma with a decent coffee and chocolate side.Nice smooth chocolatey taste with a nice roasty side and a decent but not overly done.The alcohol just becomes noticeable towards the end with a slight bite.Very nice brew with a nice bourbon side and plenty of malt coming through to round it all out.Yet another great brew from the master.Thanks again Jpdipso for the fine brew.

Bottled, thanks cquiroga! Black, small head. Oak and vanilla up front. The malt character is rounded, chocolatey and roasty. Loads of licorice in the finish. The cask character doesn’t go over board, and accompanies the other flavours well.

GHBF: One of just two bottles I found, so I’m sharing this with friends. The pour has a deep brown hue with a small head and some lace, oily tears. The aroma has noticeable vanilla, oak, and whisky overtones in addition to the mocha, toasted and burnt malts, aromatic hops, apple, and dusty yeast esters. Yeah, quite nice! The taste starts with a wonerful balance between huge sweet characters from the malt, the whisky character from barrel aging, and finishing dose of bitters and smoke. A full palate and lush. The alcohol is so well hidden, it’s dangerous for a bourbon barrel to have little to no phenols. Wow, full flavored with the additional barrel influence NOT overpowering the original flavors of the stout. Highly recommended if you can find some.