Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter

Brewed by Oregon Trail Brewery
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Corvallis, Oregon USA

Bottle... O-Town Throwdown Part Deux... Pitch black ale with a small, light brown head. The nose is a swirl of rich chocolate, earthy wood and Kentucky bourbon. Well-balanced flavor; chocolaty with a blend of sourmash and vanilla. Medium-bodied with fizzy carbonation. Bourbony, chocolaty finish. Pulls up just shy of being an absolute knockout!

650ml/22oz bottle-pours a retaining light brown head that laces and dark brown color with red tint. Aroma is bourbon, secondary vanilla. Taste is bourbon, secondary dark malt-oatmeal, vanilla/cherry, alcohol notes. Creamy mouth feel, smooth. Occasional.

At the brewery the assistant brewer drew this straight out of the bourbon barrels for me to sample. Although it’s only been in the barrel for a couple of months, this stuff was more than ready. If you’re sick of bourbon barrel covering a bad beer, or that more common nasty buttery flavor, this one will surprise you. Very attractive burgundy brown clear appearance. It’s sweet, with wood and maple syrup flavors intertwined with the more subtle bourbon notes. Very good level (meaning low) of bourbon flavor, that just compliments the porter very well. A bit thin on the palate would be my own complaint.

Bottle: Pours a black color, light head and lacing. The nose is fairly strong with bourbon notes and a bit of chocolate and alcohol. Light hops and sweet caramel in the finish, no astringency and a balanced creamy/tangy end. A bit much bourbon in the tail as it draws out. Finishes clean, roasty, a bit of coffee. Decent porter! Thanks to my friend Brett for this one.

Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured a reddish black color with an average frothy brown head that mostly lasted and produced good lacing. Moderate to heavy roasted malt, wood and soft bourbon aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. Medium to heavy complex bourbon bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate to long duration. Good complex brew.

Bottle labeled as Bourbon Barrel Porter, No. 2. Rich dark fruit aroma. Sort of vinous/whisky and vanilla notes as well. Pretty black color with a decent tan head. Full bodied with creamy, mild carbonation. Definitely vanilla, some heat, a Jack Daniels kind of impression, smooth roasted/toasted caramel. It’s really something. The finish is actually kind of dry, with a little heat, and still some vanilla. Have no idea what happened to the dark fruits!

Red Wax (batch #2 I believe) bottle from Steve and served in my Stone IRS snifter: Pours a deep brown with ruddy highlights, small fading ring of foam and minimal lace. The nose detects berry esters, tobacco, leather, old oak, hint of rye mash whisky, and some butternut bread. The flavor profile starts with a boozy forefront before the palate adjusts and allows the softer sweeter malts to come out to play. I found a smoky rye bread and chocolate malt action in the midesection before leading off to a woody and nutty finish. Undertones of acidic fruits and coffee found in and about at times. The mouth feel is thin but I have noticed that more often than not in barrel aged beers lately, aggressive bite and moderate alcohol warming. Overall I liked the fruity character which worked with a barrel flavors but it could have stood a touch more chewy malts, worth trying again.

Poured a clear dark chestnut color. Moderate strong bourbon notes in the aroma. Big vanilla and a fair amount of sweetness. The flavor was a mix of bourbon and sweet roasted malt. Nice warming sensation. Lively carbonation.

10th Annual SD Strong Ale Fest: Didn’t like it as much here. Found it to be on the thin side.