Drakes Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

Brewed by Drakes Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
San Leandro, California USA

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Sampled at the second annual Bistro’s West Coast Barrel Aged Beer Fest: Pours a mostly opaque oily black with dark mahogany edges and a thin ring of tan head. Vinous semi-tart dark chocolate and bourbon oaky nose has good complexity Body starts fairly rich and oily with some light fruity complexity and a touch of dark chocolate toward the sweet and semi-tart finish. Nicely-balanced throughout and the tartness isn’t overpowering with good oaky character.

Dark rich chocolate with bitter coffee undertone. Long finish. Great with my brisket ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

On tap at Drake’s Barrel House (and labeled Barrel Aged Drakonic, Bourbon Barrel) pouring up very dark with garnet edges and than head. The aroma offers up dark roasted malts, dark roasted coffee, a bit of spicy oak, vanilla and then a wafer thin layer of bourbon. The taste is oh so smoooooth with sweet vanilla, a bit of coconut and then a modest level of smooth sweet bourbon mixing with light amounts of chocolate malts and dark roasted malts. It gets a tad boozy into the finish. Overall I’d prefer less barrel time to balance this out but the barrel notes are smooth warming and inviting.

Tap on Sour Sunday as Drake’s Barrel Aged Drakonic. Pours murky borwn/black. Aroma is bourbon/vanilla/chocolate. Full bodied. Flavor is sour oak bourbon/vanilla chocolate. Finishes sweet/sour oak. Impressive.

On draft at the Barrel House. It pours murky brown with a very small disappearing head. The aroma is nutty, chocolaty with hints of caramel, bourbon and alcohol. The flavor is the same with some sharp astringency and a nutty, ashy bourbon finish. The alcohol is strong and it has a medium body for the style. I would have liked a bit more richness and less astringency, but it’s still a pretty tasty beer.
Earlier Rating: 2/21/2011 Total Score: 3.7
Celebrator 23rd Anniversary party 2011. Still not carbonated. It pours black with just a few brown bubbles. The aroma is very rich with fudge, bourbon, wood, hints of molasses and licorice. The flavor is very woody, nutty, fudge and whiskey. The finish is a bit ashy with more wood and nuts. The body was flat and lifeless and not thick enough to make up for the lack of carbonation. Pretty tasty though.

Draft @ Blue Palms, Hollywood as Imperial Bourbon Sour....Black and inky, not heady at all. Aroma has too much paint thinner for my likes. Some wood too but whoa, lots of acetic acid in here and hardly any roast except for some late toasted wood character. What could be pleasant sour black cherries are obscured by paint thinner and vinegar. It’s just on the side of drinkable but not something I’d call yummy. Doesn’t work at all as a beer, but it’s about what I expected. I’m being nice here. Judging by the prior ratings trajectory, it really does seem like this started off as a barrel-aged imperial stout, got infected, and is being re-branded as a sour imperial stout to recoup losses. Can’t blame ’em I guess.

On tap at Blue Palms...we were warned that it was sour. Why release it? Who knows. Black with no head. Oily-looking. Dark blackberry, blueberry and some sort of tar on the nose. Sour, lightly woody on the palate again with blackberry. The tart woody taste is strange, not really balanced. Well, it’s an error that they charged money for. Not really a smart idea, the stout can’t fight through the infection enough to make this drinkable.

Drawn straight from the barrel at the brewery. Pours dark brown with a thin beige head and a chocolate and bourbon aroma. There is a very rich chocolate and vanilla flavor that becomes slightly tart and oaky, with a warm bourbon trail. Not carbonated, but very tasty indeed.

Draft. Blackish beer witha nice tan head. light tartness in the aroma, but otherwise its big rich malt and bourbon. Rich malt flavor with chocolate, light bourbon, and a fruity tartness. Medium bodied. Rich malt lingers with bourbon and that tart fruit. Great complexity. Very nice.

Tapped @ City Beer, pours deep brown with a dark tan head. Nose is chocolate, subtle bourbon and a touch of sour funk. A bit thin in the body, light oak dryness throughout and just a hint of bourbon. It seemed that a bit of Brett found its way into this barrel as an earthy sournes is subtly present.

bottle from rodger straight from the barrel thus it is still and w/out carbonation. This reminds me of ba speedway. Very nice. Bourbon does not overwhelm you. Nutty, caramel finish with oak bitterness.