Schlafly Reserve Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

Brewed by Saint Louis Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Maplewood, Missouri USA

Serve in Snifter

2011 bottle shared with Holy. Oaky aroma with chocolate and a hint of sweetness. The bourbon starts to come through after a few sips. Lingers on the tongue nicely. Very nice.

2011 bottle shared with quiznoaz. I’ve never actually chewed on a piece of bourbon barrel, but maybe I can now say that I have. If that doesn’t makes sense to you, then you need more beer. And maybe you need to chew on a piece of bourbon barrel. Don’t judge me.

2010 bottle big thanks to Aaron for the bottle, pour is dark black with thin to no white head, aroma has notes of caramel, booze, hints of vanilla, nice whiskey, touch of biscuit, nice dark chocolate and coffee. Taste is a mix of coffee, chocolate, mix of vanilla, bourbon, hints of dark fruit, finishes a bit sweet but nicely, nicely done.

Bottle @ home, courtesy of Jetson. Thanks J-U-S-T-I-N! Deep black appearance with a light brown head. Fairly boozy, rich toffee, nice vanilla, oaky, whiskey aroma. Very nice rich chocolate malty, rich caramel, big vanilla, rich cocoa flavor. Somewhat boozy but a very nice brew!

1 pt. 9.4 fl. oz. bottle from a tulip. Light black pour with a small, light tan head. Aroma is intense with major contributions from whiskey and some dark fruit. A bit boozy. Taste is very interesting. Loads of dark chocolate are present up front and in the aftertaste. The middle is incredibly boozy and very reminiscent of bourbon. A nice imperial stout. I would like to see a bit more complex malt bill, as I think a larger roasty or coffee input would have really made this beer shine, but the bourbon aging was done quite nicely.

Dark brown, a little pale for the style. Big bourbon aroma with a syrupy character. Sweet and spicy with alcohol and lots of rich malts and barrel char. Nuanced notes and pretty good complexity.

Great and inexpensive example of a BBA IS. Plus it is widely distributed, which unfortunately makes it go a little unnoticed. I am drinking the 2011 vintage, strong bourbon notes, some chocolate notes. I generally prefer a little age on these, but the ’11 is drinking nicely. This should be fantastic in a few years as well.

Draft. Pours dark brown with thin tan head; spare lacing. Aroma is dark fruit (plums and cherries), sweet bread, roasted malt, and bourbon. Flavor is initially sweet then followed by heavy malt and bourbon notes. Medium body and carbonation with high warmth. Aftertaste is bourbon and light dark chocolate bitterness. Great beer.