Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter

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

Many thanks to Skyview for hauling this one back. Dark brown color with no head. Kind of a moderate bourbon aroma: not like a glass of bourbon, but not so weak you can’t tell it’s even there. The bourbon picks up a lot in the flavor. Hop and malt bitterness on the finish. Not bad at all, but it doesn’t seem to know if it wants to be a bourbon aged beer or a glass of bourbon.

I enjoyed this because while the bourbon is there, it doesn’t overwhelm the beer. The aroma has oak and bourbon as well as some malt. Flavor has sweet malt, light fruit, vanilla, and moderate, but not overwhelming bourbon. It would probably be better with no bourbon at all.

Bottle. Dark brown, thin head. Nice bourbon, vanilla oak, leather, cocoa, alcohol aroma. I swear vanilla is added to this beer. Creamy mouthfeel. Sweet, mildly alcoholic flavor with some chocolate and toffee. The finish is quicker than expected. The barrels add some seriously interesting complexity to a realtively simple porter.

Bottle. Deep brown, approaching opaque black, body with a tan head, mostly diminishing. Strong bourbon aroma and taste that mutes much of what else is in this beer — hints of roasted malts, sweet caramel, vanilla and oak. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes moderately sweet and lightly bitter. The taste of bourbon and alcohol dominate, but the notes of caramel and roast leave a slight earthy taste in the finish. The velvety/oily texture turns watery in the finish. Medium body with very light carbonation. Nice beer to sip on, but like so many bourbon-barrel beers, it’s more about the bourbon than the beer.

22 oz bottle via LS.Pours This one pours a near black with an average tan head. Not much going on in the nose..some subtle port and toasted grains. Taste is hoppier and fruiter than expected, with some vanilla....but it tastes like a phoney fruitiness, maybe a fruit extract with peaches, apples, melons. The bourban barrel oAK is strong but not completely overpowering, albeit close. Thin/medium body. Light/moderate carbonation. If you like the oak/bourban thing then you should like this more than i do. Even though i am not into this style, it is obvious that this is ok for what it is.

BCTC pre-fest. Pours a rich deep ruby mahogany with a thin lasting head. Aroma is light diacetyl, bourbon, oaky, light vanilla with sweet caramel and chocolate malts. Light fruits int he flavor with the obvious chocolate and bourbon, and nice hints of toasted and caramel malts- a bit more butterscotch and earthy woody finish. Light astirngency but a full mouthfeel. Nice.

Pours with a dark brown body topped by a medium thick, tan head wtih some lacing. It’s slightly sweet with lots of vanilla and bourbon notes, as well as a touch of malt. Medium to bull bodied, smooth and a touch warming.

Date: 12/01/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

black, wispy tan head, light bourbon aroma,tart roasted malt flavor, lacks character
-------- /> Date: 02/03/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Score: 2.1 to 3.4

sweet chocolate and bourbon aroma, lots of sweet bourbon and chocolate flavor, creamy oak and valilla comes out as it warms, flavor continues to intensify as it warms, much better than the previous sample

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4