Iron Hill Bourbon Porter

Brewed by Iron Hill Newark
Style: Porter
Newark, Delaware USA

Pretty beer, deep brown color, tan thick nitrogen generated head, very long lasting coating/lacing along the glass as the beer was consumed. The aroma was initially bourbon and vanilla over top of lightly roasted type malts that were hard to pick up under nitrogen. The flavor was initially not too overwhelming, but bourbon featured along with chocolate, molasses, and even some nuts. Mouhtfeel was not as dry as the regular porter and was slightly acidic and astringent. With increased temperature, the wood elements started to show up, but the bourbon took over along with some maple flavors, leaving much to be desired in this one, somewhat cloying and sickly, not easy to finish at that point. There are better base beers to bourbon age, and I didn’t think this worked out too well.

The nitro tap kills the stout/portre taste and all you are left with is corn bourbon from the barrel. A drop of mid-sip vanilla

On tap at North Wales via Nitro. Pours a hazy darker brown with a ruby red when held to light. Medium creamy ligtht tan head that obviously sustained and laced. Aroma of Kaluha, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, overall the aroma was lighter than the flavor. Flavor had lots of vanilla, wood, bourbon, some chocolate, roasty malts and coffee. Almost reminded me of a black and white shake with a shot of espresso and bourbon.

Pour is dark brown with a thin brown head...smell is roasty and sweet with some stronger notes of bourbon...taste is roasty, but slightly thin...sweetish...

I had this at the last HWOh and again at BCTC. I think eric brought both times. Pours a nice moslty clear deep brown with bright copper highlights and a nice head. Aroma is light bourbon mixing wiht the chocolate malts, some slight fruity esters and a touch of Diacetyl. Flavor is mostly chocolate malts with light tea-like floral hops, light wood and vanilla tannin notes-with the bourbon being very subdued and does not take over. Smooth palate. Very nice overall. Much better than the regular Pig Iron Porter. I see Frumpty brought to HWOH. Thanks to Eric and Ryan then.

750mL bottle shared by Egajdzis at BCTC ’06, fresh out of the barrels, apparently.
Fizzy but somewhat lasting tan head is initially one-finger high and does manage to provide some lacing at the top of the glass. Recedes fairly quickly to partial cover. Body is a dark brown/coal with deep mahogany notes and a glowing ruby-peach tone on the edges in the light. Not the most hazy of beers, but certainly still a low clarity.
The nose has an odd mix of vinous notes from the barrel that slowly smooth out in to chocolate and vanilla bourbon notes (though I think the chocolate is coming from the malt actually). Certainly not overdone in the nose, the wood definitely being prevalent, but it is by no means a boozy, sharp, raucous aroma. An argument did arise (spurred by me) as to whether it was too barrel-influenced, my opinion being that though the bourbon was not overdone, the wood tannins still dominated the aroma a bit too much. Anyways, I guess I have a very high sensitivity to any barrel character that plays a major role in a beer. I did get some chewy chocolate-toffee notes, and a definite sweet malt feel, but it just seemed a bit drowned out by the barrel.
Dry barley notes, lightly roasty and vinous sit poignantly on the tip of the tongue, as the liquid slowly seeps in to the mouth, ushered on by light carbonation, creating a very wet feeling. Gooey chocolate peppered by wood tannins and drying vanilla notes all come to somewhat of a balance, but there is a high amount of ester/phenol activity throughout, keeping things dry and at the same time, very fruity. The combo of the fruitiness with the vinousness and then dry finish pushes this one a little out of sync with what I would like to see in a barrel-aged porter. While the body isnt watery, per se, I could stand a bit more to sink your teeth in to. But you can’t deny the chocolate malt and great level of base malt extraction. And you could tell the filtration was low, so it’s hard to be too critical. Certainly a well-done beer, I guess I’d just like them to ease off on the barrel a bit more. Alcohol combines with esters lightly on the finish, but is otherwise not a factor. A moderately bready, dry yeast character is quite noticeable as well and adds a fresh depth to the flavor.

Bottle thanks to Frumpty at the HW open house. Dark brown color with a small tan head. Nice aroma of vanilla, bourbon, oak and lightly roasted malt. Flavor of the bourbon is nice and mild, blending beautifully with the roasted malts and vanilla. Medium to full bodied. Very enjoyable.

A really good porter. The flavor is full of caramel and some roasted malts. It is very smooth and creamy. The bouron and vanilla are both very evident, and it just works really well in this beer. The appearance is like a cola, and the carbonation is similar more to a good root beer. Nice!