Full Sail Top Sail Imperial Porter Bourbon Barrel Aged

Bottle from Market of Choice in Ashland, OR. This brew was outstanding! It mimiced a quality Cabernet and had the alcohol content to boot. This beer was full-flavored and satisfying. It’s a definite re-buy, if I get the chance... (a month later) I had a dream about this one last night...

22oz bottle. Pours a very dark brown/black color with a very thin, light brown head. Smells of vanilla and some wood and alcohol. The tastes changes for the better as the brew warms, so know that. Tastes of vanilla and wood in the front and then bourbon and alcohol on the finish. Good complexity, the best Impi Porter I’ve had, but I think I’ve had two total. Thin to medium body nice smooth carbonation.

This should be in a cat of it’s own. Cotton candy and whiskey nose. The bourbon stands out the most, it over powers everything else. Pretty good, but not balanced.

22oz bottle. Mutiple aromas but the bourbon stood out the most. Also in mix were choclate, caramel and wooden barrel. Black body with thin tan head. Had a good milk chocolate flavor along with some smoldering smokey wood and a light bitterness. Smooth on the palate an enjoyable brew.

Updated Rating 3/14/09: 22 oz. bottle - 2008 vintage; side by side w/ ’09 non-BA version; identical in appearance; bourbon dominates nose - vanilla, oak, cookies, little to no roastiness; soft velvety texture; thin body; lots of bourbon sweetness and mild chocolate; a lovely beer and just as the base beer, a little one dimensional; the barrel has taken a thin beer and made it thinner; bourbon has not faded w/ a year of aging; a tasty and delicate beer; looking forward to 2010 :)

Original Rating 3/25/08 (Overall Rating 4.3): draft @ uber tavern - finally making to seattle and it was certainly worth the wait; syrupy and pitch black with dark brown head around the edges; bourbon shoots out in the aromas, but also a rich mix of oak, roasted malts and coffee; flavors are equally thick and smooth; feels stronger than 9.85% too, so drink slow and savor; just a delicious beer

Appearance: Pours a black body that’s near still, but angrily shaking it can arouse a teeny-tiny beige head. Smell: Aroma of dark malts, roasted barley with notes of dark chocolate, sweet vanilla bean, charred oak vessels, and caramel. Taste: A blend of dark malts and dark chocolate drive you to Bourbon Town. All of the bourbon aspects are strong, but quite tasty. Slight roastiness throughout. Mild, earthy bitterness. Drying, oaky finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A tasty beer, who could easily be the focus of any night of beer drinking, and the center of all attention.

Bottle of 2008 reserve. Pours opaque black with thin, nicely laced, tan head. Incredible bourbon aroma with overtones of roast and malt. Nice sweet roast malt start followed by chocolate with bourbon finish. A fine beer.

Pours an opaque oily black with a spotty-lacing off-white head. Aroma of lightly sweet earthy dark caramel chocolate and complex bourbon oak with a toasty maltiness. Body starts with a mild dark caramel malty sweetness and an earthy, oaky fresh bourbon balance before a drier molten dark chocolate finish. A nice imperial porter, but not as full bodied as the older version.