Full Sail Top Sail Imperial Porter Bourbon Barrel Aged

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

A Mes rate: Bottle supped in the Harlequin in Sheffield thanks to Craig.
Black body with a good beige head. Rather a lot of ethanol in the aroma along with some cheesy funk and delicate bourbon. Glorious flavour full of vanilla and coconut from the barrel but thankfully the bourbon is not over done at all. Glorious lick of cuddly alcohol in the finish. Lip smacking creamy yet dry palate. Jolly good beer.

Bottle (22oz). Shared by blankboy with me, garthicus, gregclow, jerc and tupalev. Oily-looking black pour, average tan head. Nutty/oily deep roast aroma, oak, vanilla and coffee, a hint of cream. The taste follows - bourbon and chocolate with undertones of coffee and alcohol - quite sweet. Nice solid body for a porter, lightly carbonated, nice restrained oakiness in the finish, doesn’t detract from the roast - this one is well-rounded and both the booze and the barrel-aging are nicely balanced against the character and quality of the base porter - well done.

Bomber shared by Enniskillen; Nose of bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, and a molassey note; black with a small, glass-lacing, cinnamon head; flavor is big bourbon, vanilla, light hop bitterness, and chocolate; smells super good but doesn’t quite taste up to the nose.

Dark bronw pour with fomay off white head and lace. Caramel malt and light spice on the nose. Medicine, coffee and abv. Just a hint thin but pretty solid palate. Nice imperial porter.

Nice pour with a nearly black color with a tan, average, creamy, pillowy head; it settles to a very small, frothy bit and leaves little lace. Nose is nice with lots of milk chocolate and bourbon and lighter notes of caramel, burnt oak, vanilla, and whisps of alcohol. Flavor is similar with dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, bourbon, light oak, and only hints at some roast. Palate is medium, soft, and silky. Finishes with lots of chocolate and vanilla bean with some bourbon, oak, and some lingering dry hop and roast notes. It’s hard for me to believe that this is even the same beer as the Top Sail from a year ago. The bourbon barrels have smoothed out all the dryness but the complexity has diminished. The bourbon and vanilla notes would have been a nice addition to an imperial stout but it almost took out the the flavors of the porter. Nice but too simple to be great.

Pours opaque black with mahogany edging. A tan head rose up to almost an inch and fell quickly, leaving a few streaks and dots of lacework. A blast of bourbon leads off the nose, with charred espresso, dark chocolate, and more fusels following through. Slightly acrid and shades of a Kahlua reduction. A hint of sawn oak winks as the nose finishes. Thickish and chewy mouthfeel. Drying and a bit grainy, with a charred bite. Bitter, dark chocolate, deeply roasted coffee beans, and boozy bourbon descend on the pallet. The oak really starts coming through midway, and drying tannis build in tandem with boozy heat as it finishes. An exceedingly lenghty finish with bitter, acrid chocolate, charred oak, and more bourbon. The corners are a bit sharp on this young one, and definately is a bigger brethren to the ’04 sampled previously. Bury this one for a few years, and you won’t be dissapointed.. ....---2004 vs 2008 side by side-- Right off the bat, the 2008 pours more viscous, but with a slightly more substantial head. The 2004 not only has the red wine vineousity in the nose, but there are some apparent sherry. The 2008 is much fuller, fudgey, and richer, with a smidge of vanilla. The body on the 2004 is a bit thinner and smoother, and the 2008 more robust and chewy. The bourbon is much more abundant and hot in the 2008, as is the chocolate, espresso, and oak. Bottom line, the 2004 is leaps more complex and integrated. If you’re looking for the most bourbon, oak, and fudge, then the fresh one’s the way to go.

Bottle thanks to BMan1113VR. Pours a dark glass coating dark brown color with a medium brown colored head. Nose is wood smoke, vanilla, figs, and connecticut broad leaf tobacco wrapper from a cigar (sort of earth and chocolately). Taste is chocolate creme, cocoa nibs, milk chocolate, wet wood, and a delicious balsamic vinegar and confit of fig spread I recently had. Mouthfeel is soft yet syrupy, with a lengthy finish that is slightly alcoholic.

22oz bottle thanks to a trade from RustyChiles. I hope some people got to try this at the Pre-DLD gathering. Pours black with a beige head. Flavors are rich, chocolate, roasted malts, and bourbon that are rich but blended well. Chocolate, bourbon, burnt flavors with a touch of vanilla. The notes are blended well and this is all around a fine beer. Thanks Rusty!