Cigar City Big Sound Scotch Ale - Bourbon Barrel-aged

Brewed by Cigar City Brewing
Style: Scotch Ale
Tampa, Florida USA

Serve in Thistle

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Missed the release but thanks to the CCB boys for taking care of me! Bottle 75/246 A: Pours a very dark amber hue, more brown than red. Nice tall creamy tan head that rises to a full finger. Excellent retention with tons of thick sticky lace. CCB beers really are beautiful in the glass. S: Wonderful aromas. Lots of toffee, brown sugar, loads of caramel malt. Lots of barrel as well. Old oak, vanilla, and hints of booze. T: Pretty damn drinkable for a BA brew. Lots of malt sweetness. Toffee forward, brown sugar, and sweet molasses. Hints of apple and dark fruit in the middle. The finish is about the barrel. Not over the top at all, just subtle oak, vanilla, and a touch of booze which compliments the base beer nicely. M: Medium in body, smooth mouthfeel. D: Pretty good actually. Not the best barrel aged CCB brew, but the barrel did improve an already solid base brew!

750 ml. bottle 206/246 ...wow, i usually don’t like scotch ales but i really enjoyed this one. bourbon in the nose. Dark brown color, light head. Aroma of licorce, oak, vanilla and bourbon. Full-bodied and very complex. Very well done cigar city!

Dark brown pour, tan head. Aroma has bourbon, vanilla, oak and dark fruit. Flavor has oak with some bourbon notes, vanilla, caramel, and smoke. Very, very good!

2009 750 ml bottle, #87 of 246. Aged nearly 2 years. The pour yields a hazy, dark reddish brown brown and topped by a small layer of khaki colored foam that recedes quickly to a thin leading edge of bubbles. Small patches of lacing cling to the glass and mostly rejoin the body below. The aroma starts off with huge oaky, bourbon notes along with vanilla to go with the big underlying malt bill of sweet caramel, nougat, and cocoa. Figs and raisins lend a nice earthy, fruity depth to everything. The flavor follows suit with the sweet caramel, nougat, and cocoa as the main component while dark cherries, figs, and raisins add further fruity depth and a nice earthy quality. Vanilla and oak soaked bourbon meld well with the fruits and the melange of malts. The bourbon adds a nice warming quality while the age has toned down the booze from when this was fresh. Nearly full bodied, but thinned a touch from the barrel with a creamy mouthfeel and subtle carbonation that leads to a warming, bourbon soaked fruit finish. This is a really nice beer that the bourbon barrel has added nice depth to an already good base beer.

Aroma of roasty sugar, bourbon, vanilla and oak. Pours brown with a nice blanket. Taste us sweet with caramel, slight mocha, and molasses. Thin in color but thick in sugar. Great stuff.

750ml, green waxed bottle, 2011 release. poured into a CCB snifter, this lovely beer rests with a deep hazelnut color with hints of rust around the edges topped by a thin khaki head that leaves sticky rings of lace. aroma is fantastic with rich notes of vanilla, toasted oak, coconut cream pie, and warming bourbon backed by candied raisins, dried figs, black cherries, and raw brown sugar with hints of maple and herbal hops as it warms. flavor is absolutely wonderful as well with rich dark fruit notes of black cherry, fig, raisins, and tart plum skins all glazed with sweet toffee and backed by mild vanilla, bourbon drenched oak, and toasted brown sugar with hints of tobacco and earthy hops on the back end. palate is rich and full bodied with smooth carbonation and a lingering, toasty bourbon finish. overall, another great barrel aged beer from CCB.

Pours a hazy dull brown color with a fluffy foam... On the nose its big round and boozy, with rich brown sugar, molasses, a touch of earthy barrel notes and even some smokey peat. The palate is much of the same with rich mouthfeel and soft balance with flavors. The bourbon is definitely upfront but there is enough complexity in the bourbon and base beer for the final product to be pleasing and worth seeking out !

UPDATED: DEC 15, 2012 Re-rate. Nose is big bourbon with caramel, some vanilla, a touch of booze, and some light cherry. Very nice. Taste is similar with a smooth, velvety body. Tons of bourbon and caramel and chocolate flavors. Very good stuff.

Bottle. Very dark brown oily pour with a small slick of tan foam. Aroma is sweet bourbon with vanilla and underlying peat, toffee, and light roasted grains. Taste is bourbon with vanilla up front followed by light peat, darker malt with caramel, and alcohol spice. Smooth and clean mouthfeel. Bourbon character is very nice but still allows the base beer to come through. Really an excellent sub-10% ABV barrel aged beer. Very good.

Wooooo #700! Draft at the brewery on Christmas day. Deep ruby pour with a white head that laces. Aroma of sweet bourbon, brown sugar, vanilla, raisins, caramel and toffee malt sweetness with a touch of smoke. Warm, caramel and brown sugar maltiness with vanilla, wood, bourbon, raisins and more dark fruits with a slight touch of chocolate. Although this was pretty fresh I didn’t find it hot at all. Maybe it’s different in bottles? Anyway I liked this a lot and I usually hate Scotch Ales.