Barley Island Beastie Barrel Stout

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

Bottle...beautiful looking beer upon pouring, dark black with a good sized tan head. Nose has a load of roasted malts, coffee, dark brown sugar, vanilla, oak and some toasted coconut. The bourbon is there but it is very subtle as previously noted in other reviews. I love the mouth feel on this, very silky, well carbonated and not overly thick/heavy. Flavor is dark roasted coffee, some vanilla extract, woodsy and again a bit of toasted coconut. Overall I really enjoyed this for not being over-the-top in the bourbon department, it seems as though this whole bourbon aging thing has got a bit ridiculous and this is a nice change of pace. Subtle but very nice brew.
Earlier Rating: 5/24/2007 Total Score: 3.4
Bottle pours a deep mahogany/cherry wood color with a minimal tan head. Smells of some, believe it or not, chocolate-covered strawberries, malt, and some faint bourbon. I know, chocolate-covered strawberries you say? Surely I most be kidding, but I do not kid. As a disclaimer I must say this is the first bourbon barrel-aged beer that I’ve had and I sure did get smacked across the face with some bourbon on the finish. Overall, this was a decent brew, a little thin with good flavor and a nice bourbon kick.

This was a very drinkable stout but kinda thin and not much in bourbon flavor.I could not even taste were it was aged in barrels and that was kinda of a let down.CHEERS!

Bottle from strykzone. Thanks Dave. Almost a black pour with a very small brown head. Aroma is dark chocolate, molasses and maybe the faintest hints of bourbon. Flavor is pretty roasty with notes of chocolate and a tiny hint of sourness. My only question is how long did they age this in bourbon barrels, 1 hour or 2 hours. The bourbon flavor is so light and so faint you would never notice it if you didnt know what you were drinking. Still its a pretty good stout.

Pours dark brown in color, damn near black. There’s a very nice, frothy brown head. Smell is very roasted coffee and some chocolate. No hint of the bourbon barrel at all. Taste is very much all coffee. Again, no trace of bourbon at all. This has a nice, huge and creamy mouthfeel that’s very nice. Just can’t get past that this isn’t quite what was advertised on the bottle. If you’re looking for a good, smooth, coffee stout then this is for you. If you’re looking for a bourbon barrel aged stout, then you will be utterly disappointed.
Earlier Rating: 1/18/2007 Total Score: 3.2
Poured from a bomber into my delirium tremens tulip glass. Pours a very dark brown, almost black color with a slight 1/4" head that recedes to a froth on top. Beer pours a little thin for my liking, but I can get by that. Smell is bourbon and all bourbon. There are other smells fighting to make themselves present in the nose but the bourbon is just too dominant to let them show. Tastes good. Theres a very good bourbon taste. There is some of the oatmeal stout coming through in the taste. After letting it warm up a bit there is no change in the taste. Still dominated by the bourbon. The mouthfeel is smooth with just a slight bit of carbonation. This is a very drinkable beer. I enjoy bourbon aged beers so I’m really enjoying this one. I just wish there was a secondary taste that showed up. If there was a noticeable chocolate or coffee taste then this would be a very solid stout. This is a good stout. Appreciate the opportunity to drink it.

Bottle. Lovely mocha and chocolate nose, powdery with easy-going roast and some base fruit. Pitch pour with a thick, rocky light brown head (delicious!). Very light body but with perfectly strong carbonation and woody, (water-sucking) dry roast coming out on top. A rich dark chocolate cake. Bourbon is only coming in from the side, and I’m not sure I’d consider it a significant plus. Delicious daily stout.
Earlier Rating: 11/11/2006 Total Score: 3.8
Bottle. Really dark pour (opaque pitch) with a short-lived dark brown head. Strong malty aroma with hefty punches of chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon. Similar flavors in the body, but with a lot more roast and a nice, quickly-fading dryness. Nice ending sourness of the strain only found in Oatmeal Stouts. Body’s a little too carbonated, medium-full. An underrated gem!

Appearance: Pours a dark black body capped by one full of inch of tannish-hued head. Smell: Aroma smelling of creamy roastiness and notes of bakers chocolate and medium-roast coffee. Taste: Roasty maltiness with tastes of unsweetened chocolate, coffee grinds, and fire charred sugars. Roasty, earthy bitterness. Only a faint woody and vanilla kick on the tail end of the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: It’s kinda sorta okay in way. Yes. One of the lightest bourbon barrel jobs I’ve encountered in my many years of liver killing I must say.

12 oz bottle. Dark brown with a thick tan head that settles with some lacing. Nose is coffee, musty brown sugar, bourbon and some chocolate. Medium body with a tang. Taste is sour bourbon and chocolate. Dry and woody with grapefruit peel.

Pour is a deep black with a small tan head. Aroms is mostly dark chocolate with some moalsses. Flavor at first starts off with some chocolate but after the swallow the bourbon hits you. This is by no means a complete bourbon bomb like some others i have had. This is most subtle which is a nice suprise.
Earlier Rating: 4/22/2007 Total Score: 3.5
Pour is black with a than head. Aroma is more wood and smoke than bourbon but still smells decent. Flavor is pretty decent. I get lots of chocolate and vanilla with a touch of the bourbon. A pretty tasty offering.