Oggis Bourbon Barrel Stout

Tap @ Oggi’s listed as Whiskey Stout and 8.5 percent. Nitro pour. Poured black with a creamy tan head. Aroma of diacetyl and whiskey with a light roast. The flavor starts with whiskey then a light roasted malt. Some vanilla. Light smooth body. Roasty finish. Kind of thin. Some warmth.

Draught at Vista on 3/24/07
Very dark chocolate brown body has a small but fairly well-retained head for a bourbon-aged stout that is medium-light tan in color and leaves some suds and light residue behind as it recedes.
Lots of spiciness (bourbon and wood phenols) mixing with a sweet German chocolate cake (man, Mike is really stealing my thunder here with his spot-on descriptions)-like note provides perfect balance. Dries out immensely, with ashen roasted malts and dry vanilla. Never gets very vinous, and some alcohol warmth is evident on the finish. Though the barrel isnt overplayed here (and quite nice actually), there just dosent seem to be a very deep complexity from the malts.
Medium bodied for an imperial stout (I’ll just rate it as such) with a dry shot of wood lending some tartness/acidity. Phenols/spicy bourbon notes combine with anise to cotinue the dry-out effect, but a moderate amount of chocolate-like maltiness sets in and buffers the dryness, adding back balance. I dont think the bourbon barrel used here was particularly enjoyable, despite the fact that they didnt overdo it. Seemed rather raw and cheaply spicy. Wood character is a bit too drawn out, without a fat maltiness to completely balance things. Warming alcohol notes and moderate caramel-vanilla and anise linger. Medium carbonation, mostly engaging.

Growler from Oggi’s Vista. Very weak. Not impressed @ all w/ this beer. A let down on the bourbon, the barrel, and the stout front.

On tap at Oggi’s Vista, snifter: Nearly opaque with brownish highlights topped by a small foamy head and some legs but little lace. The nose detects a wood and vanilla bourbon overtone along with coffee, clove, and pepper esters. Some dusty and an almost liquorice note as well.

The taste develops a nice fruity character over the base of chocolate cake with a espresso on the side. The bourbon imbued in to the beer is very much in the background allowing the basic stout to shine through, very well balanced. A lightly spicy and dirty finish. The mouth feel is smooth and warming, very mellow.

I liked this the more I drank it, a BA stout where the barrel is very much a sublime addition. Recommended! (FYI...I rated this higher than the Black Magic)