Port Brewing Older Viscosity

Bottled, thanks cquiroga! Very black. Aroma of oak, vanilla and licorice. Sweet and tarry, full bodied. Extremely strong barrel character, but then everything in this beer is very strong, so it kind of matches. Molasses mixes with chocolate, oak and vanilla. Salty licorice finish. The barrel aging has improved it, and made the rough edges less noticable.

Murky dark brown. Lots of alcohol, raisin, rich malt, vanilla, wood, bourbon. Serious beer. Rich, smooth and sweet, with lots of vanilla. Light bourbon with a big alcohol finish.

(draft) Brown-black body with beige head. Aroma is moderately sweet, raisin, Bourbon, some oak, light vanilla. Taste is moderately sweet, Bourbon, raisin, faint anise. Medium-full body.

Date: 12/01/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Strong Ale Fest
Vintage: 2006

black, headless, light sweet malt aroma, huge bourbon flavor, lots of sweet vanilla, too much bourbon,
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Date: 02/13/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Vintage: 2006

rich sweet alcoholic aroma, thin body, sweet bourbon and vanilla, still lots of bourbon but some roasted and chocolate is finding its way through,
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Date: 04/28/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Vintage: 2006

still too hot and thin
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Date: 06/24/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: RBSG tasting
Vintage: 2006

still hot but some ripe fruit is starting to work its way through the bourbon
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Date: 01/12/2008
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Vintage: 2006
Words: vertical

06 is more bourbon and dark chocolate aroma where the 07 brings in more oak and a vanilla sweetness, the 06 flavor is still very boozy compared to the the 07 which has more sweetness and dark malts to balance with the bourbon, a blend gives the perfect amount of bourbon and chocolate,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4
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Date: 12/01/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Pizza Port Bottle Shop
Vintage: 2007

black, fine tan head, drops of lace, sweet dark chocolate and bourbon candy aroma with a touch of dark fruits, a bit of the alcohol comes through, thick chewy body, incredible rich dark chocolate flavor, lots of bourbon for added depth, lots of vanilla brings in the sweetness, roasted malt follows the sweet vanilla to balance it back out, the ripe fruits show up for the second act, all of the flavors are in perfect harmony and even fresh out of the gate is much better than the 2006, this should be an excellent vintage for years to come

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 9/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***+/4

2006 bottle sampled on 1/12/07: Seems to have mellowed and aged quite well and is very smooth with a good bourbon balance and oak vanilla flavor. A very nice bourbon-barrel aged beer.

2007 bottle sampled on 1/12/07: Pours an oily nearly opaque with a thin, wispy-lacing tan head. Aroma of earthy dark chocolate and bourbon oak. Starts fairly full and dark caramely malty sweet with good bourbon and vanilla balance. A nice barrel-aged beer.

On tap at the 10th Annual San Diego Strong Ale Festival: Pours a viscous oily black with only a thin ring of dark tan head. Sweet complex dark caramel and chocolate malty aroma has a good dose of complex dark fruits and brown sugar. Starts sweet, thick and malty with some raisin and plum notes toward a warming, sticky finish with lingering coffee and dark chocolate. A pretty nice beer, but I prefer the non-barrel-aged version.