Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

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

Dark brown color; thin head. The aroma, quite strong, has mature sweet vanilla and old wood, tobacco. The flavor is dominated by this bourbon vanilla cask, even if ends with more roasted malt and bitterness (and a hint of coffee); alcohol perception, burning. Good but too much monodimensional.

I was lucky enough to get to try this at the Great Taste of the Midwest. Dark brown in color, with a rich chocolate scent. The bourbon flavor joins the chocolate in the taste. Alcohol isn’t as noticable as you’d expect. Very nice beer.

intriguing vanilla aromas, port, vinous aromas, ripe fruit. Pours a reddish-brown, thin head. Fruit flavours, chocolate, some hops in the finish. Quite smooth. An interesting beer.

Muddy deep brown body with slight red highlights in the edges. Medium tan head. Potent, rich aroma of oak, vanilla, dense layers of chocolate, and licorice. Heavy emphasis on oak barrel (bourbon) flavor, with roasted coffee beans and dryish chocolate. Slightly rough alcohol finish. The body is quite watery for an Imperial Stout and much of the beer’s character is derived from the oak barrels rather than the malts. That said, this is a smooth drink (until perhaps the last few seconds of the finish). Thanks JCapriotti for this Impy!

sampled at Richlikebeer’s YEHA’05. big thanks to DUANE, who couldn’t make the event, but sent us a SIXER of this just because he’s a badass. cloudy brown color, ruby golden edges. dark tan head. buttery bourbon aroma, some molasses too. flavor is quite similar, smooth bourbon, some buttery chocolate malt. thanks again, Duane! RE-RATE - bottle in trade from 1FastSTi. blackish mostly cloudy body, golden chestnut at the edges. little to no head, a little dark tan foam ring is left around the inner perimeter of the glass. aroam is vanilla, oak, borurbon, and a little molasses. flavor is roasted malt, but sour! bourbon flavor is in the background & not overpowering. not too much heat like a lot of other bourbon stouts. vanilla and chocolate malt flavors are muted by now, as others have said this beer is not holding up as well as hoped. to my surprise the mouthfeel is sort of light. just enough heat in the finish and smooth bourbon aftertaste. shoulda drank this sooner, but still great, nonetheless. thansk 1FastSTi!

Thanks to duane for sending this to the Yeha. Poured black with a brown head. Smells like choclate dipped in melted butter. Flavor is chocolate and coffee, mildly sweet, with some alcohol, but then quickly overshadowed by a strong oak butter flavor. A little too much wood in this. Good, but not sure if it’s top fifty material.

Dark Brown. Nose of damp wood, waffle batter, deep chocolate, brownies, roasted malts. dark fruits and well, bourbon. Quite elegant, yet subtle and not all that flavorful considering its style. Rich, deep chocolate and coffee along with deep roasted malts and a lingering finish of dryness of damp wood, expresso and bourbon. Well hidden alcohol. Quite the treat. Thanks Ernest.

Bottles courtesy of StewardofGondor and 1FastSTi. Pours oily black with no head. Huge vanilla aroma up front with some buttery chocolate and caramel in the background. Flavor again is all vanilla, with some sweet chocolate and roasted coffee, bourbon and coffee fight for the finish. Nice overall, just a little put off by all the vanilla.