Part of our hotel room tasting, GABF 2007. Thanks to whoever brought it (might have been cquiroga, maybe Captain Cougar; there were so many generous benefactors, and all the beers were just chillin’ in the tub, it was impossible to keep track). Smell: wow. Bourbon + imitation vanilla your mom uses for baking + liquid creamy chocolate; the bourbon is so nice and fruity, not dominated by oily alcohol aromas. Pours pitch black like normal Expedition, with crumbling oily lacing. Super full bodied. Taste features a creamy lactic sweetness over full rich malts of toffee, chocolate; a bitter, dry, and musty finish is full of hops, but it’s layered and variable, it keeps changing: starts earthy and dusty, then becomes coffee-ish in the rich bitterness, then settles into a weird sour hops after effect, which was weird and soured me on the beer. To bad it was the last impression. This is a monster, but I think I might still just prefer regular Expedition. I’m growing tired of barrel aging.

Dark black body with a small creamy brown head. Sweet caramel, molassas and light oak aroma. Sweet molassas, chocolate, caramel flavor with light oak and vanilla. I very much enjoyed this brew.

Dark black body with a small creamy brown head. Sweet caramel, molassas and light oak aroma. Sweet molassas, chocolate, caramel flavor with light oak and vanilla. Smooth creamy mouthfeel with a full body and medium low carbonation.

Sample at the Bell’s tasting at Brews Cafe on 3/6/08: This beer pours a matte black color with a medium thin light brown head with decent retention. Small patches of lacing on the glass. Aroma of coffee liqueur, bourbon and toasted malt. Rich, chewy body with loads of roasted malt and bittersweet chocolate flavor, as well as bourbon and plum. The finish is roasty and sweet at first with mild alcohol and coffee in the aftertaste. Very enjoyable, and a close second to the Bourbon Barrel Java Stout at this event.

On tap at the Bell’s dinner at Brews. Dark beer with a thin brown head that shank to a whispy film pretty quickly. The bourbon barrel flavors are much more subtle in this mix then in the Third Coast Old Ale or the Java. The bourbon is still a strong flavor, with oak, vanilla, coffee, some bitter chocolate and some dark juicey fruits as it warms. This beer comes with a lot of hype and while it didn’t rock my world, for a beer with so many stong flavors everything balances and blends with finesse. This is a great example of how a barrel and two beers can be combined to make an excellent drink.