Barley Island Beastie Barrel Stout

Brewed by Barley Island Brewing
Style: Stout
Noblesville, Indiana USA

Served on cask at brewpub. Pours a very dark black with a minimal dark tan head. Aroma is bourbon and coffee. Very strong bourbon aroma. Taste is like a Kentucky Breakfast Stout with a lot more coffee and a lot more bourbon. No subtelty here. Tasted more like a hard alcohol drink than a beer. ABV must be extraordinary. Not very drinkable due to huge ABV. If you love coffee and bourbon, this one is for you, but it certainly isn’t for the feint of heart.

22 oz bottle, vis nolankowal. Pours a deep black colored body under a one inch brown head that gained density as it sat, ending in a tight bubbled foamy cream. Aroma is very roasty with just the lightest accents of vanilla and bourbon. Some chocolate fudgecake, and a little chalk. The flavor is pretty thin with a mix of chalky roast, vanilla extract, and a light lactic tinge. Very, very, light barrel influence. Mouthfeel is on the thinner side with an almost nitrogenated carbonation feel to it. A little bit of sweet stickiness on the finish. Overall, just a little bit too thin all around, and lacking in complexity.

Bottle (650ml) shared at ’Biegaman’s Summer Gathering’ -- my bottle courtesy of lewis13. Pours black with ruby hues and an average size somewhat-lasting light-brown head. Aroma of bourbon (but thankfully not too much) along with chocolate, some roastness, oats and oak. The bourbon’s even more subtle in the flavour which is nice (that’s how it should be!) along with sweet malt, chocolate, oak, some hops and a mild bitter finish. Medium bodied. This is ’bourbon barrel-aged’ done right, it’s not overpowering. I really enjoyed it.

22oz. Bottle $4.99 Big Red Bloomington Poured the darkest brown body you could imagine. So close to black it’s hard to tell the difference. A 1+ finger chocolate head formed on the pour that quickly faded to a whispy cap with thick edges. Leaves sticky thin drink lines with each sip that slowly fall back into the body. This beer looks good but menecing at the same time. The aroma starts off with a solid base of malt. Coffee beans and bittersweet chocolate are both present and very enjoyable. A perfect blend of vanilla bean, some musty wood, and mild bourbon come in flashes over the malts. This is a wonderful warm smelling beer. The flavor is all in the aroma. The chocolate maltiness starts things off and is quickly followed by coffee beans at mid-palate. The coffee beans follow through to the finish and are accompanied by lightly roasted grains. The vanilla and mild bourbon leave a very pleasant coating that lasts a few seconds after the swallow. Leaves a mildly bitter coffee aftertaste. Medium body with a nice creaminess from the barrel aging. Sluggish carbonation lets the beer work through at it’s own pace. This is definately a highly drinkable beer. Very enjoyable and not heavy like most of the barrel aged stouts you run into. Lower abv lets you enjoy a few glasses without being too much. This beer is a huge surprise. I saw the average score before I reviewed and after sampling this bottle I really can’t understand why it’s so low. This is a wonderful beer. If it’s retired I hope they plan to bring it back at some point. Really well made beer. Notes: I read through some other reviews after I wrote this one. Many said the bourbon was way too strong. I sat on this bottle for probably 4-5 months. 3/3/07

Pours black with a fair tan head that stays well. Aromas of oak, slight bourbon, some chocolate, and a little vanilla. Flavor is oak, bourbon, chocolate, roasted malts, and some vanilla. Really not bad flavor at all but what takes away is the over carbonated palate with thin body.. A little more malt and this one might be worthwhile..

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : XX     Light Brown(1)->Pitch Black(5) : 4     Still(1)->Sparkling(5) : 3
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 2   Off-White(1)->Dark Brown(5) : 3   Lasting: 1   Lacing : 1   Nitro : XX
Aroma:
Intensity : 3  
Yeast : XX   Bread : XX   Apple : XX   Tropical Fruits : XX   Ink : XX   Tar : 1   Olives : XX   DMS : XX
Malt : 3   Biscuity : 2   Burnt Toast : 2   Caramel : XX   Nuts : XX   Pumpernickel : XX   Cereals : XX   Coffee : 3   Dark Chocolate : XX   Vanilla : 3   Grapes : 2   Blackberries : XX   Cherries : XX
Hops : 1   Noble(1)->American(5) : 4   Leafy : XX   Floral : XX   Lemon/Lime : XX   Grapefruit : XX Orange : XX   Herbal : XX   Pine/Spruce/Resin : XX
Notes :   Earth : XX   Wood : 2   Mint : 2   Smoke : XX   Soy : 2   Bourbon : 4   Anise : XX
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 3   Sourness : 1   Lactic : XX   Bitterness : 2   Complex : 3   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 2   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 2   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : XX   Oily : 3   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : XX   Mineral : XX   Oxidation : 2   Metallic : XX

Comments: Dark brown sugariness, a dash of bourbon and some casual beery notes confirm my lack of enthusiasm for the bourbon barrel stout trend.

Dark brown body with a medium tan head. Original beer with a surprisingly wide range of flavours. Lots of dark malts with a black liquorice and chocolaty flavour, then some kind of oak juice join in providing a nice sourness taste and all that is followed by some limy hops leaving the taste-buds a pleasant tartness. I very much liked this beer, a lot more so than anybody here it seems. Noblesville’s noble beer.

My Bottom Line:
This competent sweet stout is strongly influenced by its vanilla-laced bourbon, yet it never exaggerates as its barrel-aging and malty molasses sharply dip into drying roastiness.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-The fast-depleting head is barely noticed if you are staring into the deep darkness.
-The carbonation is rather frothy for the style, nearly recalling Belgian-style effervescence.
-Licorice and dark chocolate appear within the bourbon-made vanilla.

Bottle; no date.