Allagash Bourbon Black

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Foreign Stout
Portland, Maine USA

On cask at Novare Res. I really hope i can get this beer again sometime in the future. This is simply marvelous. Take the black, add in the barrel aged flavors of the curieux and this is what you’ve got here. I do think the black absorbs the whiskey/bourbon flavors so much better though. The aroma is VERY strong, smells like a glass of Jim Beam, maybe a little hint here and there of the black, but the flavors are much more well balanced. This beer really shows what barrel aging or conditioning can do. I’m pretty confident this is my favorite Allagash to date.

Tap at Capone’s. Pours out black with a small brown head. Aroma of bourbon, chocolate, roasted malts and some dark fruits. Taste is complex and very well balanced, smooth velvety mouthfeel with bourbon, chocolate, roasted malts, dark fruits and some earthy notes on the finish. Very solid.

On tap at Capones. Poured a dark black color with a smaller sized off white/tan head. Aromas of roastiness, woody, smoke, vanilla, and a trace (if any) of bourbon. Tastes of vanilla, woody/oak, dark fruits, roasty, chocolate, the same smokiness, and vanilla. If I wasn’t told this was done in a Bourbon Barrel, I would have just guessed Oak Aged.

hand bottle thanks to bman1113vr. poured black witha beige head and lacing. aroma of vanilla, bourbon, and dark roast. flavor was the same with the addition of alcohol. body was slick with medium carbonation. well done!!

[Draft @ Capones] Poured an opaque black color with a small, tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malts, vanilla, light bourbon, dark fruits, and chocolate. Taste of cocoa, vanilla, smoke, roasted malts, some caramel malts, oaky bourbon, and some alcohol in the finish.

Bottle. Nose-smells like La Folie, butter, sour, jasmine tea. Taste-butter, smoked tea, usual barrel aged flavors, some tannins from the wood. Nicely done.

On tap at EBF, labeled as Bourbon Black (Allagash Black aged in Jim Beam Barrles). Pours a nice deep dark woody black with a thin head. Aroma is smooth with moderate amounts of wood, oak, sweet vanilla- and bourbon, good roasty and nutty chocolate notes- toned down earth and spicy Belgian character in the original batch. A bit more bourbon int eh flavor still not overwhelming, good toasty malts, light chocolate sweetness, some roast, light spice, smooth sweetness, and some oak to dry it out in the end. I think I liked this one quite a bit better than the regular Black.

Draft, at Night of the Barrels 2/20/09. Pours very deep brown, capped with a moderate-sized brown head. Aroma of chocolate, vanilla, anise, and wood. Flavor is primarily chocolate, with black licorice, anise, vanilla, and dark fruit, with some highlights of oak and vanilla. Long chocolate finish, with hints of black licorice. Not bad.