Four Peaks Winter Wobbler 2008 - Bourbon Barrel-Aged Sirius Black RIS

Brewed by Four Peaks Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Tempe, Arizona USA

On tap for a beer pairings dinner at The Phoenician. Pours coffee black with a ruby tint and a trim beige head that gradually retreats to a ring around the edge of the glass. Smells incredible -- brimming with bourbon, vanilla, raisin, and toasted coconut. Tastes of each with added notes of bakers cocoa, root beer, anise, and wood. Feels like silk on the palate. Absurdly drinkable for the ABV. Superior to Warhead Reserve and certainly rivals Warhead for the best beer made in AZ.

Ebony pour with a small mocha colored head that produced small ringlets after every sip. Aroma is slightly toasted marshmallow, oak, vanilla, cocoa, and bourbon. Flavor includes toffee, caramel, vanilla, chocolate and bourbon, accompanied by molasses. Nice creamy mouthfeel...chocolate shake with a shot of hot alcohol. Enjoyed this much ore than the original. Solid offering and glad I had a chance to try this!!!

served far too cold as all of their beers are... same colored pour as the original with a tan head and moderate spotty lacing. the nose (after it warms) is very soft vanilla, chocolate, spice, roasty malty goodness and a pleasantly controlled/restrained dose of bourbon. it is mild enough to allow the other components to show through... the palate is dry yet malty sweetened... with a shot of nice bourbon on the finish. notes of vanilla, milk chocolate, woody spices, musty oakiness, molasses and some delicious tannic dryness throughout. the bourbon plays a secondary role and really mixes well with the other characteristics it has a creamy mouth feel on a medium to medium/full body which only improves as it warms...

sure, it’s not as good as the original. it has lost the hoppiness, coffee, bitterness, licorice and crazy intense mouth feel but it is moving in a nice direction. it has softened and meshed. as an anti-bourbon this or that advocate, i may have taken this out of the barrel sooner. although, i am really digging on it now! 8/4/8/4/17/4.1

On draft at 4P in Tempe w/ Bockyhorsey. The pour was deep dark black with a thin chocolate colored head. The aroma was hot alcohol, strong bourbon, chocolate, and some what I would call fussel type notes. The flavor followed, sticky sweet, chocolate, molasses, strong bourbon, hardly vanilla detectable, tons of alcohol heat in the finish. A mean way to treat the liver. Ah well, company was good.

Tap @ Tempee / with eaglefan538.. Good bourbon aroma along with some vanilla and barrel wood. Black body withtan head. Bourbon in the flavor along with some oatmeal and molasas. Texture was little thin carompared to most with an alcohcol shot of bourbon on the finish.

On tap at Four Peaks Tempe. Pours near black with reddish hues and a one finger tan head that leaves spotty lacing. The nose is vanilla, roasted malt and some bourbon. The taste is cocoa, burnt malt, and coffee with a nice bourbony finish. Medium creamy body. Nice stuff. Best brew from Four Peaks so far.

On tap at the miniature release at the Tempe location. Served in a small snifter. Pours pitch black with a small beige head. Aroma is of deep chocolate, cocoa powder, and some light bourbon and oak. Taste is of chocolate, cocoa, bourbon, oak, roast, ashes, and eventually rubbing alcohol. At first this beer blew my mind, but the overwhelming rubbing alcohol feature really started to bug me. I worked out almost all of the carbonation and it was much more drinkable afterwards, however I still think that this beer needs time to settle down and age a bit before it is fit for public release. Perhaps the next 3 kegs they release will be better. The original was superior in my opinion. All of the licorice and coffee notes were lost here behind the bourbon and alcohol.

On tap at Four Peaks Tempe. Pours a deep brownish black with a light brown head. Aroma is barley, chocolate, bourbon, oak, vanilla. Flavor is Chocolate, roast, bourbon, oak and tannins, vanilla, oatmeal, caramel. Nice creamy silky mouthfeel and finishes with a touch of bitterness. Fantastic Brew, wish I had gotten to try the original.