Full Sail Top Sail Imperial Porter Bourbon Barrel Aged

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

Black pour with an espresso head. Strong oak and chocolate aroma. Flavor was Chocolate, oak, vanilla, molasses, toffee, coffee, slight ash. Finishes rather smooth, nice mouth on this one.

Pours black with thin brown head. Some glass staining qualities. Nose is whiskey, prunes, fig, dark fruit, tootsie pop, oak. Flavor is smooth caramel and roasted malt, dry wood, mild bourbon, booze. Finishes dry.

I love anything Full Sail does, so I’m super biased when it comes to rating their beers. But honestly this particular beer reminded me very very much of GI Bourbon County Stout. Not quite as strong, thick, and had a bit less of a bourbon aroma, but all together it was a very good example of a bourbon aged porter/stout.

Luscious chocolate nose, with hints of vanilla, oak a light bit of bourbon and cocoa. Rich creamy chocolate bar palate, with nuggets of toffee and nougat. This is like drinking a liquid candy bar. Loads of dark chocolate, without being overpowering, a bit of heat from the alcohol that has a bit of soda syrup sweetness. Delicious, if only all porters could be this good.

Pours a velvety black from the bottle with a faint attempt at a brown head of foam. Loaded with bourbon, vanilla, bubble gum, and licorice on the nose with flavors of dark cocoa, mild coffee, and dark fruit in the taste. Highly viscous and potent, but a little thin in body.

On tap at the Highland Stillhouse. Pours ebony with a small khaki head. Rich roasty nose, woody, vanilla, with a distinct wiff of bourbon. A bit boozy still, but should mellow well. Chocolate notes long into the finish along with some hop goodness that will die off with age allowing more of the malt complexity through. I can’t wait to try this again in six months to a year, it will get much better.

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.

Dark beer with mahagony hints. Whispy beige head that lasted in the chalice. Nose of bourbon and chocolate. The flavor was dominated by the bourbon, but in pleasant proportion. Also lots of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and some roasted grains. Very tasty beer.