Full Sail Top Sail Imperial Porter Bourbon Barrel Aged

Brewed by Full Sail Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Hood River, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter

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Draft. On cask. Poured a rich dark brown with brown head. Nice lacing. The nose is dominated by bourbon with notes of toffee and chocolate. The taste is also dominated by bourbon with semi-fruity finish. The finish is a bit harsh and gives me the chills. I don’t prefer goose-bumps while drinking beer. Very complex but getting towards the undrinkable state.

UPDATED: SEP 29, 2008 bottle shared at the Pizza Port Bottle Shop....poured al most black with reddish brown hues towards the edges. topped off with a nice thick tan head.... enticing aroma of bourbon (but not too much so), chocolate, molasses, and was generally came together really well. the barrel-aging did not totally overwhelm the other qualities in the nose.... a very smooth flavor, bourbon and strong chocolate notes, a little boozy, and not too full of a body.....i might like this one just a little more than my score indicates but everyone should try this at some point.

Pantanap brought this gem to the PP bottle shop on his visit to San Diego. Wow, what a real treat. Huge thanks Kan! Some bourbon in the aroma/taste. Mellowed to perfection from the barrel aging. Leans to the sweet side (which I like). Delicious. Heavy body. Microfoam head. Malty aroma. Again, very delicious. Yum.

22oz bottle from my man JW77. Interesting. Quite vinous on the nose. Notes of rum soaked figs and plums. Huge bourbon presence. Some charred wet wood. Roasted vanilla bean and alcohol. Pours a silky near opaque brown with a nice lasting thick khaki head leaving excellent lacing. Dark bittersweet chocolate at first on the tongue. Lightly roasted malt, milk chocolate, more wet wood, alcohol. Good, but really lacking some oomph. Flavor starts out quite nice, but really lacks from midpalate back. Virtually no finish. Velvety on the tongue. Minimal carbonation. The mouthfeel really redeems this overrated beer.

22oz. bomber. You know this came out of bourbon barrels right on the pour. Not much foam, but a nice tight lace down the glass. Rich, whiskey, dark fruit aroma with just a little wood. Smooth, dry, lightly semi-sweet chocolate flavor was a surprise. I was expecting a syrupy brew (which can be nice as well) and the lack of sap really leads you to explore the flavor more completely. Though my experience with the bourbon barrel beers is still limited, this is the best of them I’ve had so far. Magnificent stuff!

Aroma is rich with the scent of dried fruit and bourbon. Color is solid black with light carbonation and just a thin ring of tight tiny bubbles around the edge. Taste is rich, sweet and oaky. Starting with a full rich body it goes down a little sharp with a sweet feel. Finish is full of flavor with a robust dried fruit (figs and a little plum) flavor, a bourbon/oak and a deep roasted malt flavor. After taste comes in sweet with an alcohol feel, then turns to a bitterness that leaves you with a dry feel. Its like a Barley Wine with a touch of bourbon. This is one amazing brew and I would love to get more.

my favorite full sail ever. oaky slightly vinous. tiny brash acidic bits of sour lemon maybe even a little chlorine, against a big broad base of wood, whiskey, coffee, toffee, touch of smoke. body is thinning fast. warming and alcoholic

Bomber. Pours an opaque coffee-like black with a minimal tan head. Not much carbonation and splotchy lacing. Nose is oak, bourbon and alcohol. Palate is bourbon, coffee and dark chocolate. Thinner mouth feel than I expected, but has a great Irish coffee aftertaste that fades into oak accents. This isn’t your father’s porter – it’s definitely a slooooow sipper and warming like a fine cognac.

On tap at the Highland Stillhouse. Pours ebony with a small khaki head. Rich roasty nose, woody, vanilla, with a distinct wiff of bourbon. A bit boozy still, but should mellow well. Chocolate notes long into the finish along with some hop goodness that will die off with age allowing more of the malt complexity through. I can’t wait to try this again in six months to a year, it will get much better.

UPDATED: MAR 10, 2008 Pours a viscous deep black with a with a creamy brown head. Aroma of Jack Daniels, Chocolate Milk, vanilla, coffee, and did I mention Jack Daniels.... hell yeah! Flavor of Bourbon, Chocolate, malt, a little coffee and oak. The bourbon and oak are very nicely infused and in no way offensive but still very present. This beer also has a rich creamy mouthfeel. Very well done, best new beer I’ve tried this year!