Brownings Bourbon Imperial Stout

Brewed by Brownings Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Louisville, Kentucky USA

On tap at the Twisted Spoke. Pours a deep brown nearly black with a thick tan head. Very toasty, like toasted sweet maple bread. Just a slight bit of smokiness. The more I smell the more I think the toast is getting burnt! Flavor starts with a dark chocolate malt sweetness, and again picks up some maple. Gives way to a dark fruitiness and slight sharpness in the finish. Finishes a bit bland and boring not a whole lot of flavor resonate. Some residual sugars keep this way too sweet and cloying. Mediumish body and a soft carbonation. Easy drinking, though thin bodied and one dimensional.

22 ounce bottle shared by maniac. Roast, chocolate, bourbon, and dark fruit in the aroma. Black with small tan head. Roast, bourbon, and a roasty astringency in the flavor along with a slight sourness. Finish is medium to dry with light sour astringency and lots of wood.

22 ounce bottle shared by maniac. Pours a dark brown color with a thin head. Big bourbon aroma with light roast and leafy hops. Taste is bitter roasted malts and bourbon and nutty notes. Medium bodied.

Very deep brown. Very pleasant aroma of chocolate, bread, and a bit of yeast. Flavor unfortunately falls off dramatically. Thin body, some watery chocolate, and a faintly sour fruit finish. Too bad, really nice aroma just didn’t go through.

@Jimmacks pre BeerWars Gathering-22oz bottle–pours a light brown ring for a head and black color. Aroma is sweet dark malt-licorice, dark fruit. Taste is sweet dark malt-licorice, dark fruit-tart, wood/paper and soy.

06 Bottle. Not sure if age did this any good. Aroma has a bit of a twang as well as the taste. Some tartness and woody sourness and a hint of alcohol bourbon and vanilla. Taste has this tobacco oilyness almost rotten and leather that is not pleasing at all.

2006 bottle brought by Dickinsonbeer to the Beer Wars preparty, thanks Paul for a new state rating AND the worst beer of the night. The aroma on this was still way boozy despite its age. The flavor was like a combination of vinegar and spoiled chocolate. This was my only drainpour of the night and I actually need to apologize to the drain for exposing it to this abomination.

Bomber- bottled in 2006. Pours a nice deep brownish almost black, with a moderate lasting head, fades a bit after a while- no lace. Aroma is a moderately oxidized right form the start- cardboard and slight soy, wet paper is heavy- no sherry yet- some old stale slight bourbon but not heavy-0 some old stale chocolate malts, burnt acrid roasted malts and old coffee grounds. Flavor is a bit slick with soy and wet paper- has a slight tart edge to it around the tongue- chocolate, and roasted barley, some tar, leather and earth- very dry and crackery malts, and more bland oxidation that compresses the complexity that might have been here a couple years ago. Slick and stale in the mouthfeel with a rim of acidity. Meh.