Beer Description

Whiskey Barrel Stout is a bold 11.8 ABV imperial stout that is aged in whiskey barrels. If you like Founders KBS or CBS then this would be in the same family.

Over-the-top but surprisingly approachable, this twist on the classic style starts with several types of malted barley, rye, oats and wheat. Robust flavors of vanilla, espresso, whiskey, chocolate and roasted grain are balanced by hints of date and plum, with just enough hops to round it all out. Roughly one-third of the final blend is freshly brewed beer; the rest is aged for up to a year (or more!) in both first and second use whiskey casks. (Boulevard Brewing Co)

ABV: 11.8%
32: IBUs
Best Served: 50 degrees-ish, in snifter, tulip glass or goblet

Beer Review

This beer is in a family that is increasingly growing crowded. It seems everyone is trying to produce a barrel aged beer. This one will need to do more than merely quench the thirst if it wishes to stand out from the crowd.

I tried this beer right after purchase and I also saved one for a month or two to sit in the fridge. It’s hard to tell, much difference between the two if any at all. However, it’s probably best served fresh. The bottles both new and old were not incredibly well carbonated but enough to drink a beer. Mouth-feel is oily but so much that it’s a distraction. This is a common thing among imperial stouts.

The flavor is about as expected for an imperial stout aged in barrels, except it’s a lot more stout-like than it is barrel aged. The whiskey barrel accent is not terribly strong. The beer isn’t “bad” by any means…. but it’s lack of carbonation makes it slightly boring, even with it’s decent flavor. It’s one of those things where I want to like it, but it’s just missing one very important component. It’s like Eli from Samuel’s day. You really wanna like him, but he has one glaring flaw that makes you question his entire character (His terrible sons. They were just awful ….. like, the worst).

The whiskey barrel DOES show up in the aroma. In fact, if you take a big whiff as you’re drinking the beer, you can almost imagine how good it would taste if it were aged better.

Aroma: Soft sweet and very barrel aged.

Taste: The taste light and sweet with only a slight amount of bittering hops. Not much barrel age on the tongue. But it does has a nice flavor.

Texture: The beer oily and somewhat flat. Head is one finger and fades right after pouring.

Finish: The finish is slightly bitter and the only part of the drink that provides any amount of barrel flavor.

Comparisons: This beer tastes like other barrel aged stouts, like KBS but not quite as well put together.