Bourbon Aged Beers

[jp_stargazer]

A lot of great beers being mentioned here and some I have not had the opportunity to try.  My information will be Midwest-biased due to my location.

 

I feel like the Goose Island BCB products are generally the gold standard for many...I think the stout has the best mouthfeel of any BBA stout I've had.  The recent recalls have left a sour taste (too soon?) in many consumers' mouths though.  I will be doing a 2013/2014/2015 vertical some time soon of the BCBS.

The Avery stuff like Uncle Jacob and Tweak (the coffee variant) are very good and high octane at 17-18% abv.  

Boulevard's Smokestack series is solid with the quad, stouts with different additions, and as has been mentioned, the Rye-on-Rye.  I was able to try some Rye-on-Rye-on-Rye which had a second round of barrel aging and it was heavenly.  

I enjoy Founder's BBA beers like Backwoods Bastard, which is my standard for a BBA scotch ale, and of course the well-known KBS.  I don't hunt KBS with the fervor of others because I think there are BBA stouts as good that are more readily available.  There were some odd Founder's beers like Project Pam (bourbon barrel after it had been used for maple syrup) and Bliss Blast (after hot sauce) which I've also tried.

I have enjoyed Bell's Saturn, which was a BBA barleywine from the Planets series.  I have not had Black Note, but I can imagine what a BBA version of Expedition stout or the 30th Anniversary stout would taste like and my mouth waters.

I have never had the BBA Plead the 5th from Dark Horse but I did try the BBA Scotty Karate and was underwhelmed.  It was good but not as good as other BBA scotch ales I've had.

Clown Shoes has some great BBA beers, especially Crasher in the Rye.

Stone has a series of BBA variants of the Arrogant Bastard/Double Bastard line that have been good like Southern Charred, Bastard in the Rye, Crime/Punishment, and Bastards Midnight Brunch.  I didn't care for the pepper ones but the others were good.

Deschutes Abyss is pretty darn good but expensive.

Some good, readily available stuff around me are the Abita Bourbon Street series, Schlafly's BBA imperial stout, and Dragon's Milk series.

 

Two of the more underrated barrel aging programs, in my opinion, are Central Waters and Tyranena.  

Central Waters Brewer's Reserve has a stout, barleywine, and scotch ale, along with variants of the stout with either cherry or the combination of cinnamon, coffee, and chocolate (Cassian Sunset).  I've had all but the cherry stout and they are pretty excellent and affordable.

Tyranena has the regular Rocky's Revenge release which is some BBA beer mixed in.  Their Brewer's Gone Wild series has Wrath of Rocky, which is 100% the barrel aged Rocky.  There have been other BBA variants that I've not tried but Carnal Knowledge in the Wood was fantastic.  I also have a couple bottles of the Island Booty, which is a rum barrel aged imperial brown ale, that I have yet to sample.

 

I have several bottles that I have yet to open which include FiftyFifty Eclipse (EC12 barrel), 2014 Ivan the Terrible Barrel Aged, Blackstone's Black Belle (Belle Meade), Southern Prohibition BA Ragana, Clown Shoes Gargoyle Love Song, The Bruery Poterie, and a handful of others.

 

Overall with the popularity of bourbon, it seems that the barrel aged beers are the new thing (especially for those of us that don't care for the whole sour/tart beer movement).  My two local microbreweries have released BBA beers and they are pretty respectable.  Hopefully as bourbon production continues to ramp up, we'll have more available BBA beers in 4+ years (assuming the Scotch, Irish, and Canadian whiskey industry doesn't snatch them all up).

 

Jason

[Jacket]

I've had lots of "good" barrel aged beers, but the one that stands out for me is The Abyss (Deschutes).  It doesn't have a single dominant flavor, but instead keeps the flavors going and changing as you enjoy it.  It's unique, and so I guess not for everyone, but I think it's got a flavor profile that sets it apart from the heavyweight oaky/bourbony stouts.

[rcornel]

19 hours ago, jp_stargazer said:

A lot of great beers being mentioned here and some I have not had the opportunity to try.  My information will be Midwest-biased due to my location.

 

I feel like the Goose Island BCB products are generally the gold standard for many...I think the stout has the best mouthfeel of any BBA stout I've had.  The recent recalls have left a sour taste (too soon?) in many consumers' mouths though.  I will be doing a 2013/2014/2015 vertical some time soon of the BCBS.

The Avery stuff like Uncle Jacob and Tweak (the coffee variant) are very good and high octane at 17-18% abv.  

Boulevard's Smokestack series is solid with the quad, stouts with different additions, and as has been mentioned, the Rye-on-Rye.  I was able to try some Rye-on-Rye-on-Rye which had a second round of barrel aging and it was heavenly.  

I enjoy Founder's BBA beers like Backwoods Bastard, which is my standard for a BBA scotch ale, and of course the well-known KBS.  I don't hunt KBS with the fervor of others because I think there are BBA stouts as good that are more readily available.  There were some odd Founder's beers like Project Pam (bourbon barrel after it had been used for maple syrup) and Bliss Blast (after hot sauce) which I've also tried.

I have enjoyed Bell's Saturn, which was a BBA barleywine from the Planets series.  I have not had Black Note, but I can imagine what a BBA version of Expedition stout or the 30th Anniversary stout would taste like and my mouth waters.

I have never had the BBA Plead the 5th from Dark Horse but I did try the BBA Scotty Karate and was underwhelmed.  It was good but not as good as other BBA scotch ales I've had.

Clown Shoes has some great BBA beers, especially Crasher in the Rye.

Stone has a series of BBA variants of the Arrogant Bastard/Double Bastard line that have been good like Southern Charred, Bastard in the Rye, Crime/Punishment, and Bastards Midnight Brunch.  I didn't care for the pepper ones but the others were good.

Deschutes Abyss is pretty darn good but expensive.

Some good, readily available stuff around me are the Abita Bourbon Street series, Schlafly's BBA imperial stout, and Dragon's Milk series.

 

Two of the more underrated barrel aging programs, in my opinion, are Central Waters and Tyranena.  

Central Waters Brewer's Reserve has a stout, barleywine, and scotch ale, along with variants of the stout with either cherry or the combination of cinnamon, coffee, and chocolate (Cassian Sunset).  I've had all but the cherry stout and they are pretty excellent and affordable.

Tyranena has the regular Rocky's Revenge release which is some BBA beer mixed in.  Their Brewer's Gone Wild series has Wrath of Rocky, which is 100% the barrel aged Rocky.  There have been other BBA variants that I've not tried but Carnal Knowledge in the Wood was fantastic.  I also have a couple bottles of the Island Booty, which is a rum barrel aged imperial brown ale, that I have yet to sample.

 

I have several bottles that I have yet to open which include FiftyFifty Eclipse (EC12 barrel), 2014 Ivan the Terrible Barrel Aged, Blackstone's Black Belle (Belle Meade), Southern Prohibition BA Ragana, Clown Shoes Gargoyle Love Song, The Bruery Poterie, and a handful of others.

 

Overall with the popularity of bourbon, it seems that the barrel aged beers are the new thing (especially for those of us that don't care for the whole sour/tart beer movement).  My two local microbreweries have released BBA beers and they are pretty respectable.  Hopefully as bourbon production continues to ramp up, we'll have more available BBA beers in 4+ years (assuming the Scotch, Irish, and Canadian whiskey industry doesn't snatch them all up).

 

Jason

Great Overview, and definitely Midwest-based, but there are a lot of great beers always coming out of this region.

I'll add my two cents and say Jackie O's brewery out of Athens, OH has a fantastic BBA program going for them with Oil of Aphrodite, Wood Ya Honey, Dark Apparition, Brick Kiln, Noble Sorrel, Woodburer, and other special releases.

Not a huge brewery, but they send ripples through OH, IN, and KY.

 

Cheers,

RC

[IncredulousNosco]

I'm not  a huge beer drinker. Maybe a couple of times a month. And I absolutely despise the hops/IPA thing altogether. But I do very much enjoy some stouts and porters. And barrel aged stouts are generally fantastic. 

 

 

On 4/2/2015 at 4:34 AM, onemorepour said:

I dont believe its available but my only experience with a bourbon barrel aged beer was a Brooklyn Brewery dark beer, maybe an imperial stout? That had spent time in ex Woodfords barrels. Apparently it was a christmas for the staff only release, man it was pretty delicious, unique and big in flavour!

 

Brooklyn Black Ops? It is by far the best beer I've ever had. You can only ever find it around Christmas, and only at certain stores, not even everyone who carries Brooklyn beer has it. As I understand it, it is their Chocolate Stout (which I hate) that becomes Black Ops. It is aged, and then refermented in bottle with champagne yeast. Absolutely delicious. 

 

 

On 4/2/2015 at 4:32 AM, mosugoji64 said:

Full Sail bourbon barrel aged stout was good. Anderson Valley (I think that's the name) Wild Turkey barrel aged stout was also pretty tasty.

 

I'll have to look for Full Sail. But WT aged Anderson Valley is indeed very good. Not Brooklyn Black Ops good, but very good anyway. 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2016 by IncredulousNosco
add beer photos

[Tennessee Dave]

I really enjoy Founder's Backwoods Bastard

[scratchline]

Founder's KBS and Prairie Artisan Ales' Bomb.  I've never had any better including Goose Island. 

Edited July 27, 2016 by scratchline

[amg]

19 hours ago, scratchline said:

Founder's KBS and Prairie Artisan Ales' Bomb.  I've never had any better including Goose Island. 

 

The regular Bomb isn't barrel-aged, but it is tasty stuff. Pirate Bomb (Bomb aged in rum barrels) is next level awesome.

[rcornel]

On ‎7‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 5:01 PM, Tennessee Dave said:

I really enjoy Founder's Backwoods Bastard

Completely forgot about this one.

I may get flak for this comment, but I prefer it over KBS.

[Tennessee Dave]

On 4/2/2015 at 0:49 PM, Pepe said:

Can't say enough good about Black Note Stout from Bell's. One of the best and a rare find indeed.

P.S. The vinyl pictured on the cover is Led Zeppelin II

I don't think I have ever had a Bell's beer that I didn't love.

[MTNBourbon]

Many good BBA brew's mentioned so far. The Abyss is one of my favorites.

 

Cheers!

[Special Reserve]

8 hours ago, rcornel said:

Completely forgot about this one.

I may get flak for this comment, but I prefer it over KBS.

Oh the humanity!  No, actually I understand personal preferences.  They're both good.

[jp_stargazer]

Somewhat recently, Central Waters released the 2016 BBA Scotch Ale.  After purchasing a four pack, I reached back into the cellar and had one of my 2015 bottles and ooh boy does it age well.  I had to run out and get some more.  Of course the regular place I go for beer got like 8 cases, so it might be available for a while, given that CW seems to fly under the radar around me.

 

Stone also just released Bitter Chocolate OakMeal BB Stout.  I picked up a bottle but have not tried it yet.  Sometimes I feel I need to buy two of any BBA bomber release, one to try right away to decide if stockpiling is in order, and another to cellar.

 

I tried the Deschutes Black Butte XXVIII, which is a porter aged in bourbon and scotch barrels.  Good but I prefer Deschutes Abyss for the same price.  There are still a couple bottles of Abyss lingering on the shelf at my local, maybe I need another...

 

Jason

[BigPapa]

1 hour ago, jp_stargazer said:

Somewhat recently, Central Waters released the 2016 BBA Scotch Ale.  After purchasing a four pack, I reached back into the cellar and had one of my 2015 bottles and ooh boy does it age well.  I had to run out and get some more.  Of course the regular place I go for beer got like 8 cases, so it might be available for a while, given that CW seems to fly under the radar around me.

 

Stone also just released Bitter Chocolate OakMeal BB Stout.  I picked up a bottle but have not tried it yet.  Sometimes I feel I need to buy two of any BBA bomber release, one to try right away to decide if stockpiling is in order, and another to cellar.

 

I tried the Deschutes Black Butte XXVIII, which is a porter aged in bourbon and scotch barrels.  Good but I prefer Deschutes Abyss for the same price.  There are still a couple bottles of Abyss lingering on the shelf at my local, maybe I need another...

 

Jason

All Central Waters bourbon aged beers are awesome. I buy a case each of Scotch Ale and the Bourboun Barrel Stout when the come out. I drink three of the 4 packs and cellar the remaining . I have 4 years at the moment of each!!!

[BigPapa]

Dragons Milk is a top 5 for me

[JoeTerp]

9 hours ago, BigPapa said:

Dragons Milk is a top 5 for me

tried this for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it was very good

[weller_tex]

On 04/ 1/2015 at 7:40 PM, greatgoo said:

I'm by no means a beer expert, but it seems like Goose Island Bourbon County and Founders KBS are the most popular Bourbon Aged Beers.

Are there other beers that would rival these two heavy weights you would recommend I try?

Thanks for any help!

I like Anderson Valley Wild Turkey Bourbon Stout, but it isn't all that easy to find.

[IncredulousNosco]

Oh man. There's a store in Ithaca, NY, www.fingerlakesbeverage.com, which has several bottles of Brooklyn Black Ops on the shelf! I knew about the store, but it seems they've massively expanded since my last time in there.  I don't get down to Ithaca very often, but this beer is almost worth the drive by itself.  This drink is every bit as delicious as I remember. 

[Rick M.]

On 7/25/2016 at 7:44 PM, Jacket said:

I've had lots of "good" barrel aged beers, but the one that stands out for me is The Abyss (Deschutes).  It doesn't have a single dominant flavor, but instead keeps the flavors going and changing as you enjoy it.  It's unique, and so I guess not for everyone, but I think it's got a flavor profile that sets it apart from the heavyweight oaky/bourbony stouts.

I had a bottle of the Deschutes Black Butte XXVII on the weekend and is was wonderful.  Only half of the beer in the blend is barrel aged but it's great nonetheless.

[MTNBourbon]

On 8/22/2016 at 0:40 PM, BigPapa said:

All Central Waters bourbon aged beers are awesome. I buy a case each of Scotch Ale and the Bourboun Barrel Stout when the come out. I drink three of the 4 packs and cellar the remaining . I have 4 years at the moment of each!!!

Exactly! The only one I've never had is the BBA Scotch Ale.

 

Cheers!

[BigPapa]

On September 7, 2016 at 8:31 AM, MTNBourbon said:

Exactly! The only one I've never had is the BBA Scotch Ale.

 

Cheers!

It is awesome. Malty sweet with a huge bourbon note

[jp_stargazer]

Speaking of Central Waters, has anyone else tried the Bourbon Barrel Quad?  It came out in my neck of the woods a couple weeks ago.  I really enjoyed it, so I grabbed another 4 pack.  I think my Central Waters reserve series preferences now stack up like this:

 

1.  Stout

2.  Scotch Ale

3.  Barleywine (tie)

3.  Quad (tie)

5.  Cassian Sunset

6.  De Kleine Dood

7. Peruvian Morning (on draft)

 

?? Rye Barrel Chocolate Porter - I have a bottle but have not opened it yet

?? Cherry Stout - have never found retail

 

Jason

 

 

[BigPapa]

On 10/6/2016 at 0:40 PM, jp_stargazer said:

Speaking of Central Waters, has anyone else tried the Bourbon Barrel Quad?  It came out in my neck of the woods a couple weeks ago.  I really enjoyed it, so I grabbed another 4 pack.  I think my Central Waters reserve series preferences now stack up like this:

 

1.  Stout

2.  Scotch Ale

3.  Barleywine (tie)

3.  Quad (tie)

5.  Cassian Sunset

6.  De Kleine Dood

7. Peruvian Morning (on draft)

 

?? Rye Barrel Chocolate Porter - I have a bottle but have not opened it yet

?? Cherry Stout - have never found retail

 

Jason

 

 

Had a quad yesterday. Love it

 

my order would duplicate yours !!

 

cheers

[jp_stargazer]

I pulled a 2014 Boulevard Imperial Stout (Aged in Whiskey Barrels) from the cellar several weekends ago.  It had a best-by date of 10/2017 so I figured it was time.  It was glorious.  I really wish I would have bought a couple more bombers of this 2 years ago.  I had missed the 2015 release until I found two 12 oz bottles in a Smokestack Series mix pack recently.  I heard the 2016 release was infected.  

 

I think it is also time to throw another 2015 Goose Island BCBS in the fridge as it is getting colder finally in IL.

 

Jason

[Special Reserve]

44 minutes ago, jp_stargazer said:

I pulled a 2014 Boulevard Imperial Stout (Aged in Whiskey Barrels) from the cellar several weekends ago.  It had a best-by date of 10/2017 so I figured it was time.  It was glorious.  I really wish I would have bought a couple more bombers of this 2 years ago.  I had missed the 2015 release until I found two 12 oz bottles in a Smokestack Series mix pack recently.  I heard the 2016 release was infected.  

 

I think it is also time to throw another 2015 Goose Island BCBS in the fridge as it is getting colder finally in IL.

 

Jason

Big beers such as Imperial Stouts are generally much better following at least a year of ageing.  Yesterday I had a Founders Backwoods Bastard for 2015.  I was fortunate enough to find a 4 pack from this year that I immediately put in my cellar.  I noticed that I have at least one from 2014.  Enjoy.

[jd1585]

55 minutes ago, Special Reserve said:

Big beers such as Imperial Stouts are generally much better following at least a year of ageing.  Yesterday I had a Founders Backwoods Bastard for 2015.  I was fortunate enough to find a 4 pack from this year that I immediately put in my cellar.  I noticed that I have at least one from 2014.  Enjoy.

Founders Backwoods is by far my favorite. I stumbled across an entire case and had to pick it up this year.