Berkshire Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

Brewed by Berkshire Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
South Deerfield, Massachusetts USA

Sample at O-town throwdown ’09 pours black with golden lacing. Aroma of bourbon was easy to spot and sweet. Taste of dark fruits, with some notes of bourbon, hints of vanilla light bitter chocolate finish. Pretty good stuff, can’t go wrong when bourbon is well used.

Bottle shared by unclejedi at the Free the Hops monthly chapter meeting in Huntsville. Poured black with a tan head. Big bourbon and vanilla aromas. The flavor was surprisingly lighter with sweet chocolate, caramel, bourbon, and vanilla. Medium to full smooth body that starts sweet but has a bitter ending. Very decent.

EBF NOTB. Almost black in color. Aroma of bourbon, roast, some wet wood. Taste: The mouthfeel was a bit thin- overall had roast, a good shot of bourbon, some wet/dirty wood, some mild molasses. The bourbon and barrel seemed to overpower the other aspects of this beer- I think I would have gone for a bigger body.

22 oz bottle. Pours a deep, dark brown with ruby edges and a small mocha colored head. No lace to speak of. Aroma is dark chocolate, malt and a whiff of bourbon. Heavy, but smooth palate. Initial taste was a hint of molasess, then a nice mellow dark chocolate, cherry, vanilla bean and malt flavor emerged. All with a hint of bourbon. All flavors work well together and nothings trying to hit you over the head. Very nice !

I love whiskey and I love beer so a drink that combines qualities of both exited me. Very complex drink that I needed to share with friends to finish. The dried fruit basic taste was accented by woody bourbon and vanilla. Some alcohol notes hit a bit hard but really are necessary if you want to impart that whiskey essence there

Poured a dark brown, reddish mahogany color with a thin, light tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malts, vanilla, sherry, cherry, nuts, and chocolate. Taste of roasted malts, cocoa, dark fruits, vanilla, wood, light bourbon, nuts, and a bit of alcohol. Seemed a little oxidized and thin.

Aroma is dark chocolate liqueur, vanilla and bourbon. Aroma carries through to the flavor with the addition of a light nuttiness. Mouth feel is a bit thin, but a nice beer all the same.

Pours black with a cofee mate cremebrulee colored head. Flavor consists of huge sweet deep bourbon notes, somewhat woody, oaky, carmel. The bourbon flavor is extremely powerful, much different than many other bourbon barrel imperial stouts in the fact that it is easily noticeable and long lingering.