Cricket Hill Brewmaster’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter

Brewed by Cricket Hill Brewing Co.
Style: Porter
Fairfield, New Jersey USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

22 ounce bottle
This is a respectable porter but if I wanted this much bourbon I would just pour myself a nice shot of Four Roses Single Barrel. It is not the worst bourbon bomb but the balance is way out of whack.

Aroma / Appearance - An oily black pour with clear lazy legs idly seeps down the sides of the glass. As expected it has barely any carbonation. Vanilla and coffee accent a beer that feels thick and chewy for merely 6% ABV. More porter aspects and less bourbon would improve it greatly.

Flavor / Palate - The strong taste of Four Roses permeates every sip. Creamy vanilla textures overpower the coffee and malt that do their best to peek through. This is boozy with very little substance. I’d probably knock it down more except that I like a good sip of Four Roses.

Bottle, courtesy Brigadier, thanks! Pour is deep brown with a tan head, good retention/lace. Aroma of straight bourbon, light chocolate. Taste is bourbon, chocolate, lightly tart. Palate is high carbonation, slick, a bit chalky. This one was a bit off - could be a light infection.

(Bottle). Dark brown color with tan head and some lacing. The bourbon flavor really stands out through this Imperial Porter. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle pours dark brown with one finger tan head. Aroma malts with slight oak and bourbon. Taste mild roast, malts, slight chocolate and bourbon. Finish mild oakiness. Palate fairly creamy.

Decent porter with slight oak and bourbon, not a big in-your-face barrel aged beer but nice.

Black pour with a creamy, tan head. Aroma is molasses, chocolate, light bourbon, vanilla. Oily body. Flavor is roasted malts, chocolate, vanilla, molasses, bourbon. I really didn’t pick up a lot of the bourbon in the aroma or flavor, which was a little surprising. However, it is a tasty beer regardless and one I’d love to have more of. (Side note: My bottle was labeled Imperial Porter but after all my internist research I came to the conclusion that this is the same beer).

Pours opaque black with a tall tan head. Aroma of cocoa powder, roast malt, caramel and some cherry. The flavor was lightly sweet but lacked the richness that I was expecting. A bit thinned out.

2011 Sample pour of deep dark murky brown with a slight khaki head. Nose is boozy with bourbon and caramel. Slightly spiced. Flavor is boozy again, more caramel and some chocolate. Plenty of barrel notes even though it’s well over a year old. Really nice

Bottle. Pours black with a grayish brown head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a good amount of roasted malts with a bit of bitter chocolate and a nice bourbon backing. Flavor starts with earthy dark grains has a good amount of roast and a light bourbon backing. A bit thin.

22oz. Pours a dark brown with red highlights. Thick tan head. Aroma of bourbon. Taste of straight Wild Turkey. Hard to get past the bourbon taste. Hints of vanilla and a bit of smoke. Totally overloaded with bourbon. Not really an enjoyable alcohol burn. Not anything Porter like.

Tap at Stagshead for Cricket Hill night. pours dark brown with purplish head. huge nose of bourbon and dark fruits. Tastes a bit too sweet with tons of bourbon. I also get vanilla, plums, figs, toffee, woody, and soy sauce. The 6oz pours was nice amount couldn’t probably drink huge quantities of this.