Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

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

Bottle as a simple gift from deftim13 on 12/6/07. Tried at PP bottle shop with hapjydeuce and Brad. Dark brown color. Medium tan head that lingers a bit. Smells great, especially when I pop the cork with some oak and a little hops. I thought it smelled like a barleywine. Little or no roastiness. The taste leaves much to be desired, with some sourness. I don’t think this is aging well at all.

Bottle generously shared by wetherel at the PP Bottle Shop, thanks John! Very lovely aroma, loaded with oak wood and sugary bourbon whiskey tones. Some chocolates and toffee noticeable as well. Still, dark brown appearance, no head. Flavor finishes pretty quickly, with hardly any lasting barrel-aged character. Caramel and light chocolates seem to dominate here. Medium bodied feel. A slight prolonged astringent / tangy note on the palate.

Huge diacetyl nose of rum, caramel and butter. Decent head retention and a dark mahogany color. Taste is less buttery, more fruity with some heat and caramel toffee. Finishes slightly sour and bitter- lingers, but not overly pleasant. Very much in need of a re-rate/

Bottle from KingpinIPA - thanks! Dark, nearly black pour with a creamy off-white head. Aroma has some milkiness with light chocolate, roast, and some coffee. Flavor has some light roasted coffee and creamy chocolate, but quickly goes dead. Where’s the wood, the bourbon? Is this just way past its prime. Their Satin Solstice was also disappointing. A tad thin and a lot boring - I love BA Impy stouts and this one really let me down. Decent as a general stout but really nothing special.

Thanks again to MuenchenerKindl Bottle poured into a sniffer produced a fingers worth of coco colored head that turns to a nice thick lace that covers a jet black body Complex aromas of roasted malts chocolate, oak, bourbon and vanilla fill your head Fist sip is a killer. If I had a few of these I love to back this in a cake you got that sweet chocolate vanilla bourbon and a buttery flavor going on here Full body almost no carbonation (smooth) Great aged stout. Very drinkable, I will search this one out again. I think you must have at least one in the cellar for when the mood strikes

BOURBON, BOURBON, BOURBON! This is how a bourbon barrel anything should taste. The beer pours like an oil spill on a moonless night. This beer might just absorb light itself it is so dark and with very little head retention at all. The smell is clearly bourbon barrel and roasted barley simply amazing! The flavor is immediately bourbon followed by roasted grains. It is definitely a winter warmer which is great for January in Wisconsin.

This is without a doubt the best beer I have come across. A big beer, it kicks you in the teeth with so much flavor and complexity that you can spend tremendous effort trying to define and still come up short. Complexity increases as it warms, drinkability is first rate from the get-go. Heavy with little head, syrupy without too much sweetness. powerfully alcoholic without making you pucker, chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, cream, and pure deliciousness from start to finish. A true cigar beer. Enjoy it alone or with your most powerful smokable, cheese, fruit, or what have you. This beer is the shining star no matter the supporting cast. An all-star A1 beer. To be experienced at all costs. This is my favorite beer without question.

Very choclolaty aromas and tastes. A bit of Oak and Vanilla too, with a strong caramel backbone. I felt the mouthfeel was a bit grainy/sandy like there was dust in it (i was carefull pouring). Other than that its very rich milk chocolate, buttery and cookie dough, sweetness in the finish and not too much alcohol.