Full Sail Top Sail Imperial Porter Bourbon Barrel Aged

Slightly hazy dark brown. Rich, thick aroma - lots of toffee, bourbon, wood, coffee, nuts, all in balance. Rich, chewy toffee palate. Decadent and sublimely balanced. Full Sail has a certain restraint in their beers that I feel really lends itself to things like barrel-aging.

Pours an opaque oily black with a spotty-lacing off-white head. Aroma of lightly sweet earthy dark caramel chocolate and complex bourbon oak with a toasty maltiness. Body starts with a mild dark caramel malty sweetness and an earthy, oaky fresh bourbon balance before a drier molten dark chocolate finish. A nice imperial porter, but not as full bodied as the older version.

Bottle: Black, nice head, tan lacing. Nose of vanilla, light roast, alcohol, almond, vanilla, rye, bourbon, oak; very complex. The flavor is strong, alcohol, tons of mallow and coffee, bitter with light soy/deet notes. Chocolate and barley wash over it all. Smooth and rich with bourbon. Plays well, no astringency. Very meaty, wow. Delicious stuff, subtle yet as deep as you dare to look.

Bottle... GIABMISGFAB... This beer rocks!... Pours pitch black with a small, fat bubbled, lightly tanned head. Much like barrel aged Speedway Stout, I’m picking up big notes of chocolate, vanilla and coconut. Full-bodied and milky with fizzy carbonation. Chocolaty, bourbony and bitter. Finishes fairly hot and chocolaty. Thanks go out to mcbackus or DragonStout... whoever brought this bad boy along to share!

22oz bottles acquired in a few trades. Poured a dark and deep brown color with an averaged sized off white head that left some lacing on the glass. Aromas of vanilla, chocolate, earthy, woody, bourbon, and some dark fruits. Tastes of wood, roast, vanilla, bourbon, and some chocolate. Alcohol content well hidden. The Bourbon and barrel aging were more present in the aromas vs. the tastes.