DuClaw Bourbon Barrel X-1 (Imperial Chocolate Rye Porter)

Brewed by DuClaw Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Abingdon, Maryland USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Bottle shared with friends. Nice dark creamy pour. Has hints of bourbon, charred woody notes, chocolate and fudge. A little bit on the bitter side but that’s too be expected. Good showing.

Bomber pours a dark brown/black with a small tan head. Aroma of sweet not overpowering bourbon, vanilla, with chocolate backing and some rye spice. Taste has a really nice balance, bourbon remains dominate but not overpowering to chocolate and rye spice, oak barrel makes its presence known and the texture helps to make this extremely drinkable. Very nice!

In short: A chocolaty, woody, bourbonny big fat black ale with fun rye and spiciness. Very good beer.
How: Bottle 22o shared at post-HF 2012 Harvest party.
The look: Black body topped by a small tan head.
In long: Nose has a strong bourbon barrel presence that contrasts with bright notes of rye. Taste is dominated by vanilla, then bourbon, toasted wood, chocolate cake, medium rye presence, a spike of rye/woody spiciness, overall milky sensation. Very full viscous mouthfeel that is carbonated enough to avoid feeling too sticky. Certainly a very sweet beer but it didn’t feel cloying at all. I liked this one more than I though I would. My last rating from the Hill Farmtead 2012 Harvest event, and you know that feeling you have when you come back from a long week-end of non-stop drinking and you feel revitalized and full of energy? Me neither.

22oz bottle: Pours a mostly opaque black with dark mahogany edges and a spotty-lacing froth of dark tan head. Has a sweet vanilla bourbon nose with some dark caramel and chocolate malts. Starts with good fullness and toasted caramel sweetness with lots of fresh bourbon oak and molten dark chocolate with a touch of spicy rye before a slightly drier roasted finish. Has good complexity and lots of bourbon.

Bottle. Subtle, well-balanced aroma of chocolate malt and roast on this one ... This drinks with more of a chalky, baking chocolate essence ... I get very little if any whiskey additions, nor does the beer bely its 8% character. Sneakingly easy to drink. (#4805, 10/21/2012)

Viscous black pour that throws up a thick tan head. Complex aroma of chocolate, coffee, Bourbon. The flavor is sweet with lots of chocolate and just enough of the booze to be advantageous. Very nice for a chilly fall day.

Dark brown pour, cocoa powder colored head. Aroma is fudge, bourbon and toast. Flavor is sweet, boozy, chocolate, brownies.

22 oz bomber from Al’s of Hampden purchased by Rob on our way to the 1st Campground Brewdown, thanks bro. Poured a pitch black body with an average sized thick foamy dark beige head. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, dark chocolate, rum cake, oak, dark toast, toasted coconutt. Medium bodied with rather lively carbonation for a BA beer, the carbonation sneaks up on you quickly if you take a large sip, slight heat present on the very end which seems weird for a beer that is only 8% but hey it is barrel aged. Flavor of bourbon, whiskey, charred oak, dark burnt toast, burnt dark chocolate, vanilla extract. Lots going on with this one and almost wished I shared it but hey it’s my bday week......that’s right I celebrate for a week becasue that’s just how I roll.

Appearance: silky black pour with a creamy tan head that quickly fizzes out to a collar. Aroma: dark chocolate, cayenne pepper, bourbon, vanilla, tobacco, and leather. Taste: bourbon up front (takes more of a back seat as it warms), over notes of crème brulee, vanilla, wood, and black pepper heat from the rye; chocolate comes on stronger as it warms. Finish: slowly fading notes of bourbon and scotch over a woody, chalky, bitter chocolate flavor, and a bit of post-whiskey dryness on the back of the throat. Notes: Really enjoyed this, especially as it warmed up and the chocolate became more prevalent and the bourbon more restrained. Some barrel-aged beers hit you over the head with the booze, and this was not one of those. Also really liked the rye heat.

Aroma- vanilla, bourbon, caramel, rye spiciness Appearance- dark brown with a wisp of a white head Taste- silky sweet bourbon upfront with some vanilla and caramel in the middle, more bourbon on the backend with some definite alcohol burn Palate- somewhat thin, not the greatest mouthfeel Overall- Great flavors but the mouthfeel is somewhat lacking. Also, where was the chocolate?