Arcadia Bourbon Barrel Shipwreck Porter

Brewed by Arcadia Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Battle Creek, Michigan USA

2007 Vintage. Dark brown color, no light passing, but there does seem to be a bit of red on the side. Tall solid head. Oak and bourbon aromas dominate. Hints of caramel and light fruit as well. Seems like the bourbon has nearly taken full control of this one. There are some roasted malt, light fruit and pale malts that peek through once and a while. Bourbon flavors with malt, light alcohol, vanilla and oak. Light feel. I like this more as a bourbon based beer than a porter.

Bottle. Pours dark brown. Coffee, oak, bourbon, malt. Hops were barely dectable, and the finish was overly sweet. eh.

Bomber. Poured medium-deep brown with a creamy, well-retained cap of tan head. The aroma picked up a lot of bourbon, which unfortunately masked some of the underlying goodness.. deeper down were dark chocolates, coffee grounds, oak, and vanilla.. it wasn’t a bad bourbon, but I was hoping for more porter. The flavor was also over-laden by the barrel.. sharp, prickly bourbon, stale oak, and vanilla oppress the dark chocolate and nutty base.. finished with sweet bourbon, vanilla, and milkier chocolates. Medium-bodied on the palate and it felt a lot stronger than it should have from the bourbon presence.. OK flow across the mouth.. long, sweet finish. I like a good bourbony beer, but this wasn’t the one for me.

Bomber, aged at least one year. Pours a dark but slightly translucent chestnut brown color. A foamy tan head fades pretty quickly, leaving a thin film with a pronounced edge behind. Random, jagged lines of lacing cling to the glass. The aroma is pretty straight forward, showing primarily sweet, dark caramel, molasses, cola, strong bourbon, and even some smoky notes. Surprisingly, I even picked up a bit of marshmallow on the nose. The flavor is nice enough, with bourbon infused chocolate and caramel malts showing well. Some cream lends lactic sweetness, while subtle woody notes lend a vanilla character. Indiscernible dark fruits and cloves mingle in the background. The palate is substantial and quite creamy, feeling almost like a thin milkshake in the mouth. Goes down smooth and finishes with a lingering, woody, Jack Daniels candy finish. Overall, very nice, but perhaps a bit too bourbon-forward with not enough base beer character.

dark black body with creamy light brown head on this two year old bottle. Sweet malt and bourbon on the nose. Creamy bourbon body that has cooled considerably over the years.

This is different. My initial reaction was negative, but as I kept sipping the beer grew on me. It looks beautiful - dark with nice, frothy head. Flavor has hints of whiskey, molasses, clove, raisin, wood, and licorice. Heavy, but pleasant hops. Palate is nice--a touch oily with nice carbonation. Whiskey aftertaste.

WOW! Poured deep brown with light brown head. Strong aroma of burbon and malt. Tastes like a shot of Jack was dropped in my glass. Tons of burbon in this guy! Exceptional porter, but you must have some tollerance to burbon if you want to drink this one.

Poured brown with a fluffy off white head. Aroma of sweet bourbon and vanilla. Mostly sweet bourbon flavors throughout. Some vanilla when it warmed up. Strangely drinkable considering this thing was full of bourbon.