Brownings Bourbon Imperial Stout

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

Courtesy of Kevster. Thanks, Kevin. The aroma is very roasty a with a substantial bourbon presence and ample chocolate notes, but very little burnt/roast highlights. The body is black with ruby hues and a diminishing tan head. Fore is very thin and holds gobs of milk chcoolate notes, milder bourbon than in the aroma and that pineapple/coconut like flavor that comes from the mixing of bourbon and oak. Not the world’s best, but enjoyable enough.

Another rare bomber brought by Kevster, thanks.

It pours deep deep brown with thin head. Sizable aroma of coffee, sweet molasses, hints of toffee and nice wood aromatics too. There are some neutral flavors to start and then molasses sweetness and coffee start to stand out. Then as the taste moves to the midway point hints of bourbon and wood enter the picture. There’s also a slight tartness in there as well. Ends a bit thin.

This pours with all the body and excitement of a glass of murky reclaimed water. Deep brown with oily dark tan edges. A very thn head, off-white and light tan in overlapping shades, recedes to a ring almost immediately. The aroma brings nutty caramel and toffee notes at first. Light but steady waves of bourbon and crisp oak slivers drift through. Also noted are dusty baking chocolate, alcohol, boysenberry, and only a light to medium-light roasted malt character. No hop profile, or maybe I’m confusing the hop notes with some weird earthy scent. How about this: this beer has no hops that I want to drink, as indicated by this musty afterthought in the nose. In the flavor, moderate to sometimes heavy astringency is distracting, biting. Medium bitterness and heavy sweetness are noted. All together this seems to work well enough, but also seems to teeter on the fine line between drinkable and disastrous. Thin mouthfeel, with only light warming from the alcohol. Finishes with chalky chocolate and drying alcohol notes and of modest length. Fizzy bubbles noted in the mouthfeel seem to be left behind to pop on the tongue. Unimpressive.

Huge thanks to Kevster for picking up this rare beauty and being kind enough to share with us.

Pours a dark brown/black body with a thin tan head. Aromas of cocoa powder, coffee grounds, dark fruits, malts. Some woodiness comes through in the first smell as well. Mouthfeel is thin, a bit watery for an imp stout. Flavor is oak, stale coffee, cocoa, dark fruits. Finish is medium lenght, slight bitterness, and dry.

Bottle. Pours a very dark, near-black with just a tiny head. This doesn’t appear too viscous. Nose has strong vanilla up front. Actually, it bears a very strong resemblance to bourbon, including fairly strong alcohol (which get less noticed as the beer warms). It seems like the bourbon might be a little overdone here, but there are some good scents of black cherries and chocolate as well. This brew is creamy with a medium dense mouthfeel. Hints of coconut, black cherry, vanilla, chocolate hit my palate and I note this isn’t one of the roastier imperial stouts I’ve come across. Slightly smoky notes do start to come out after a while and the finish becomes pleasantly dry and hoppy. This is a good beer, but not outstanding when considering its peers.

Bottled. Poured dark brown with a medium brown head. Bourbon notes really came through in the aroma. Taste was smoky with a nice bourbon undertone to it, but the brew lacked the viscous mouthfeel I’ve come to expect in Imperial Stouts. It just lacked "oomph" and the finish was too dry and hoppy for the style.

22 oz bottle from The Keg in Clarksville, Indiana. Pours dark and opaque with a moderate khaki head. Nice retention and gorgeous sheet lacing. Aroma is vanilla, milk chocolate, woody oak, and hints of bourbon and roasty coffee. Full bodied with subtle carbonation. Taste is milk chocolate and vanilla, with smoky charcoal and smooth woody oak. Roasty notes are subdued and blend with bourbon in the finish. I think this is the first commercial bottling by Browning’s. One of the better executions of the bourbon barrel stouts that I’ve sampled.

Draft at the brewery: poured pitch black with a medium sized brown head. Chocolate aroma with a touch of olive juice and ripe banana. Pretty nice sized amount of hoppiness and roasted chocolate malt flavor. Mild dry finish. Nice beer.