Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter

Brewed by Oregon Trail Brewery
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Corvallis, Oregon USA

(2006 batch #3 - 11% AVB) - Deep dark brown color - almost opaque - with a thin light-brown head. Aroma is lightly bourbon, hints of black cherries and chocolate. Flavor is alcoholic, a bit sharp - not near as good as I remember from a year ago when it came out. Age has not been kind to this beer, but more time might (hopefully) change it for the gbetter, as I still have a few bottles. Flavors of chocolate, molasses, raisins and bourbon are now veiled behind an alcoholic/twangy tartness. Too bad.

Bomber. Pours hazy dark brown with ruby lights and a lacy off-white head. Aroma and taste of sweet oaky vanilla, brown sugar, chocolate, bourbon, figs.

Bottle from Belmont Station. Aroma is bourbon, oak, vanilla, and sweet dark malts. The beer pours almost black with a thick tan foamy head and sticky lacing. Initial flavors of roast, chocolate, bourbon, oak, and then some lasting vanilla. The carbonation makes a smooth drinking beer that is almost creamy, but just a tad on the thin side. A touch of alcohol comes through in the finish but for 11% it is very palatable. Better than Full Sail Top Sail IMO.

Bottle: Medium depth brown with a modest tan head. Aroma is up front with bourbon and backed by roasty malt and chocolate. Flavor is sweet with bourbon, chocolate, roast, and little hints of vanilla. Very smooth and well balanced. Just a bit thin on the palate.

Pours with a dark brown body topped by a medium thick, tan head wtih some lacing. It’s slightly sweet with lots of vanilla and bourbon notes, as well as a touch of malt. Medium to bull bodied, smooth and a touch warming.

Huge bourbon aroma and even more bourbon flavor. I thik this one was overdone somewhere along the line. Somebody goofed this one up. Beer flavors are hidden and dominated by bourbon flavor. Don’t know what else to say about such a one dimensional beer. Sort of thin too; needs more body. Disappointing. Oh yeah, this sucker wasn’t cheap either. Somewhere around $12 bucks if memory serves. Rip off.

22oz bottle. Pours a very dark brown with a thin brown head. Overwhelming bourbon aroma with just a little bit of vanilla (smells great). Good flavor, although the bourbon overwhelms everything else (which I don’t really mind). Nice bit of smokey flavor as well. The Porter itself is a tad thin and watery, but it is still a fine beer nonetheless. Glad I got to give this one a try.

22oz, bottle courtesy of Brewdad, Thanks! smell is extreme vanilla, lots and lots of it.. taste like a toned down KBS without the extreme flavor of the beer, more with the flavor of the barrel and the complement of the smokey roasty delicious porter... this is a winner, and very good.