OFallon Whiskey Barrel Smoked Porter

[Bottle, thanks STLWill!] Pours dark brown with a beige head. Aroma is huge on coconut from the bourbon--pretty much overpowers everything with only a hint of smoke also showing through. Taste is also dominated by bourbon with light smoke, some malt and vanilla. Fairly thin, but it does have a long bourbon finish. I had slightly higher hopes for this, but the bourbon was too overpowering and the mouthfeel too thin.

OSLO and Guerde’s Memorial Weekend Tasting, 5/23/08. Bottled April 10, 2008; #301 of 960. Big thanks to STLWill! Black color with a thin head. Holy bourbon aroma! Plenty of vanilla and lightly charred oak. The smoke of the base beer peeks out a bit in the taste, but it is still pretty crushed by the bourbon and vanilla. A little thinner body than I was expecting. Still excellent.

Dark brown pour with a thin tan head. Aroma was light bourbon and smoke. Flavor was similar, strong malts, a bit of chocolate, and some vanilla round it out. Finishes slightly thin, but I had no idea it was 6% and I guess that makes sense. This was very nice, one of the most balanced bourbon beers I’ve had.

Shared by STLWill and sampled at OSLO/Guerde’s Memorial Day Weekend tasting. From a 22-oz bomber, April 10, ’08 vintage (bottle 301/960) pours an opaque dark brown brew with a fast dissolving tan head that dissipates nearly clean with a thin tan ring. Aroma of caramel charred whiskey, toasted dark multi-grain malts, some licorice, vanilla and a touch of dark chocolate. Taste is smooth, creamy, full bodied with very little carbonation and flavors of dark aged bourbon whiskey, vanilla, dark chocolate and toasted dark malt. Finish has a nice whiskey aftertaste that slowly changes to a toasted dark malt finish.

The Dan Journal #174. Tasted 5/17/08. 22oz bomber. Pappy VanWinkle version. Dark brown hue. Off-white head. Aromas of honey and bitter anise. Cocoa and caramel. Floral bitter hoppy nose. Big vanilla. Lotta oak! I mean, a LOTTA oaky character. Tart and tangy with a mild smokey flavor. Slight alcohol but a lot of burn. Solid base beer. The barrel aging really adds that vanilla woody smokey note. Mildly earthy and a touch cocoa. Definitely barrel heavy.

Poured from 22 oz. bottle number 301/960. Meaty thick and murky brown appearance with wimpy wisps of film around the rim. A fat smoky bourbon aroma; red licorice and toasted coconut, fatty red meats, some perfume. Wet soil. Thin, roasty bourbon flavor with a whiff of chocolate and vanilla beans. Cool, juicy coconut. It’s all bourbon and pretty absent of smoke or malt profile. Weak watery mouthfeel. Underdone example all around, barrel dominant and flimsy. Thanks Will!

Bottle #859/960 shared by pepsican. Thanks Andy. Bottled on 4/10/08. Poured a deep dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma was a nice mix of smoked ham and subdued bourbon with hints of chocolate and brown sugar. Mmmm. Straddled the line between sweet and dry. The flavors were well balanced with vanilla, smoked ham, and bourbon notes. Very well proportioned for a bourbon barrel aged beer. Delicious. This one is underrated IMO (71st percentile the day I rated it).

I love smoked beers and porters and this was a good match,this poured a dark brown with a nice thick head with a nice hint of chocolate and the smoke flavor was done nice but the whiskey was a little too much otherwise this was a awesome beer.CHEERS!