Fitgers Edmund Imperial Stout (Bourbon Barrel)

Brewed by Fitgers Brewhouse
Style: Imperial Stout
Duluth, Minnesota USA

Serve in Snifter

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Thanks to Eben and Ken for this one. Black body, no carbonation and no head. Very low aroma. Chalky, somewhat woody, dust, but no bourbon. Some dry woody smoke in the flavor, along with molasses, chocolate, and light bourbon. Smooth flat body.

10th Rating from 3rd Annual Woodshop tasting in Temple City, CA. 3/1/08. One hell of a day put on by Cquiroga, thanks for a killer day Chris. Also spent the day there with bikesanbeer, my girlfriend Cyn, wetherel, JohnC, DenverLogan, dirty_martini, jasparg, DrBil, IPAFiend, awaisanen and many others, this was one crazy day. 22oz handbottle from growler brought by awaisanen, thanks Andy. Pours black with no head. Nose is huge and full of bourbon. Taste is very sweet and pretty nice though the bourbon is huge. Low carbonation but thats what Andy said about the growler and what the guy he got it from said too.

(22oz handbottle, thanks kmweaver) Minimal brown head atop black body with brown edges. Aroma is mild, moderately sweet, Bourbon, some booziness, light roast. Taste is medium sweet, chocolate, caramel, molasses, some Bourbon. Undercarbonated medium-full body, some stickiness. Appearance and palate ratings unaffected by the fact that the beer was handbottled, given that the handbottler, Stine, has indicated that it was undercarbonated when he bottled it.

thanks to whomever brought this to the woodshop tasting dry with a whole lot of bourbon flavor

My 100th imperial stout rating! 22oz bottle, courtesy of Stine. Thanks, Eben! Pours a dark, pitch-black color; oily brown edges; lacking some carbonation; a few dark, oily bubbles left at the edges. The bourbon character in the aroma is by far the most dominant: toasty, warm barrel character, cardboard, and oak; molasses and inky dark chocolate underneath. Full, chewy mouthfeel with bourbon and dark chocolate at the forefront of things; loads of chewy dark fruits and toasty oak barrel; lots of stuff going on here, but the rough / cardboard-y bourbon presence is a bit disconcerting; nothing too rough, but nothing too exceptional either. The barrel character was much less intricate than the Shorts 2007 Part One. Lengthy finish, showing molasses, chocolate, and bitter coffee.

Courtesy of Stine and kmweaver. Black body with a tiny tan head. The nose is bourbon and molasses dominated with chocolate and dark fruits. The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter with bourbon, molasses, milk chocolate, roast and licorice. Full body is soft and sticky with light carbonation.

From a growler. Obtained in a trade with Stine 2/29/08. Pours an oily dark black, edged in mahogany, topped with a thin layer of wispy tan head. Some of the carbonation seems to have been lost, but there are no signs of detrimental oxidation. Beautiful nose, sticky with that salty pretzel dough-bourbon barrel character. Layers of rich dark chocolate and blackstrap molasses. Oaky vanilla and chewy fudge. There’s a distinct bourbon booziness to the nose, but it actually works well with the other components and isn’t overly harsh. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated mouthfeel with a silky texture. Firm, yet not sticky. Lots of chocolate fudge and molasses appear immediately on the palate, along with hints of honey and caramel. Then comes the bourbon, unabashed. WAY too much bourbon, so much in fact that most non-beer drinking college students could likely identify the brand of bourbon barrel from tasting this beer. If I didn’t already know it was a Jim Beam barrel, I might have guessed Wild Turkey; even though my cheap American Bourbon palate is relatively un-refined, I’m still fairly confident I could have narrowed it down to one of those two. After the chocolate and molasses dissipate, there’s just a harsh, husky booziness left lingering on the palate. It leaves that same stinging, throat clenching sensation at the finish that one gets after downing a punishment shot. The nose of the beer is quite beautiful, but the bourbon overpowers the rest of the flavors to the point of eliminating all that was beer. Disappointing, but still grateful for the opportunity to try this. Thanks a ton, Eben!

22oz hand bottled sample courtesy of Stine (thanks!). Poured a dark black color with brown edges and a very small sized off white head. Aromas of woodiness, vanilla, bourbon, some and some cocoa. Tastes of wood, vanilla, bourbon, chocoalte, and some dark fruits. Light to medium alcohol in the finish. It’s a good thing I like bourbon as the bourbon is a little stronger in both the aromas and tastes in this one.

Hnad Bottled. Big thanks to Stine for sending me this one. Poured a thick black body with thin head. Aroma is strong bourbon, vanilla. The bourbon really dominated the taste, some vanilla and chocolate floating around to but overall the strong alcohol taste would sneek up and cover anything that would resemble a taste of beer.

Poured an opaque black, with a small, tan head that left no lacing on the glass. Strong aroma of vanilla and bourbon, light cocoa, roast, and more vanilla. Taste of chocolate, roasted malts, light smoke, a bit of vanilla, bourbon, and a bit of alcohol in the finish. Hugh mouthfeel on this beast. Thanks Steve!