Full Sail Top Sail Imperial Porter Bourbon Barrel Aged

Formerly brewed at Full Sail Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Hood River, Oregon USA

Not sure if this is top notch or if my palate was particularly pre-disposed to perfection but this was a very impressive brew for the style. In the past, Full Sail has been less than impressive. With this brew, they have exceeded my expectations. The beer reminded me of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout with a slightly less hardy disposition. Taste is smoke, vanilla, mild bourbon, chocolate, and sweet brown sugar...yummy but a little thin. Aroma is also vanilla, campfire, and bitter chocolate. Amazing...even if you haven’t liked Full Sail in the past, you’ve got to give this a try!!!

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.

2008 Bottle 22oz - Viscous pour, very little head. Chocolate and caramel aroma. Dominated by chocolate malt, and tastes more like a scotch barrel age than a bourbon. Very bitter on the end. Definitely more dry than most barrel aged brews, but necessarily in a good way. Drinkable, but for an enjoyable imperial dark, spend the extra dollar and ge yourself an Abyss (if you still can find it).

22oz bottle from hannont, thanks Todd. Almost pitch black, but just had the slightest little bit f light coming through the bottom of the glass. Mmm, this smells great, lots of dark fruitiness, woody, vanilla, very rich. Oak, bourbon, vanilla and chocolate in the flavor, quite excllent, Full Sail does barrel aging very well.

22 oz bottle via Roth’s. Pours midnight black with a tiny tan head that leaves a ton of spidery lace.. Nose is oak, smoke, bourbon. Mmmmm this is yummy....starts with the chocolate, then some roasted coffee, roasted barley, bourbon, molasses, dark currants, and finishes with a subtle yet enduring oak that lingers for a nice long while into the aftertaste. Body is medium, carbonation is low. This is a world class late night sippers delight

22 oz bomber. Black beer , gorgeous black with a nice bubbly brown head. Aroma of darl roasted malts, bourbon oak wood,dark chocolate, esspresso ,some rich over ripe plums. Taste is similar to the aroma, but with a more vanilla/whiskey tone, rich deep cream,lovelly bourbon flavours in the end. Very full palate on this thing, a meal in a bottle. deeply satisfying. Very very nice drink, maybe a klittle strong on the bourbon, but thats fine and dandy to me.

a generous bonus beer from hannont, shared with Illini08. pours nearly black with some reddish hints around the edge and some khaki lacing. aroma of chocolate, vanilla, roasted malts, some coffee and alcohol. flavor is dominated by the bourbon with some oak, vanilla, chocolate and ripened dark fruit lurking around. I like bourbon beers, but this one just smacks you in the face with its boozy presence. if I had more, I’d age the rest for at least a year, maybe two.

Pours a viscous deep black with a with a creamy brown head. Aroma of Jack Daniels, Chocolate Milk, vanilla, coffee, and did I mention Jack Daniels.... hell yeah! Flavor of Bourbon, Chocolate, malt, a little coffee and oak. The bourbon and oak are very nicely infused and in no way offensive but still very present. This beer also has a rich creamy mouthfeel. Very well done, best new beer I’ve tried this year!