Dominion Oak Barrel Stout (brewpub version)

Formerly brewed at Old Dominion Brewing Co.
Style: Stout
Dover, Delaware USA

Vanilla, roasted malt, and (of course) bourbon aromas emerge from the brewpub version. A fine hop lace coats the glass at it pours. Compared to the bottled version, it has less of everything yet achieves a better balance. The barrel outlasts every other flavor, followed by some malt bitterness and some dry hopping.

Growler. Poured black with a small tan head. Big aroma of roasted malt, coffee, and bourbon. Flavors of bourbon, wood, chocolate, and roasted malt. Creamy and smooth mouthfeel.

Smell bitter chocolate, expresso, burnt char, figs, dates, ash, wood. Taste, somewhat thin-bodied, lots of bitter cocoa and oaky-butter-char flavor. Sticky aftertaste. Doesn’t drink like an Imperial...turns out it isn’t. Dryish finish. Nice use of barrel-aging on a lower alcohol beer. Very tasty.

Pours a thick opaque black with a thin light tan head. Subtle bourbon oak aroma well-balanced with roasty malt. Starts robust and malty sweet with an oaky bourbon balance and hints of vanilla and dark chocolate. Well bodied for a regular stout, yet smooth, drinkable and very enjoyable. Much more balanced and tastier than the non-brewpub oak chip version. Many thanks to jeffc666 for sending me a growler!

I love the idea that the oaking process was applied to a stout of ordinary strength. The pour and aroma are as delightful as the growler is beautiful. The head was almost nitro-like in its froth (but much smaller). The aroma and flavor is of a chocolate covered cherry. The palate thinness came out to spoil the party. Great concept. Good result. Thanks CaptainCougar!

Thanks to jeffc666 for sending this to CaptainCougar who shared this growler with everyone at KP’s SE Gathering. This pours black with a ruby ring around the edge and still managed to raise a decent off-white head. Aroma was big and full of roast malts that were repeated in the flavor. The bourbon is secondary to the oak, vanilla and other complexities that dominate the flavor of this one. Very tasty Stout.

Hmm...this was in a growler so I don’t see how it’s not the brewpub version! Very nice buttery/oak aroma…whisps of vanilla. Chocolate, coffee, dark caramel. Very deep black but not opaque. Nice creamy tan head. Tasty, but doesn’t live up to the aroma. Kind of thin bodied. The bottom line is: Now this would make a hell of a session beer!

Black pour with small tan head. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla with some alcohol notes. Velvet creamy smooth mouthfeel. Good beer.