Rock Bottom Chicago Barrel-Aged Coffee Porter

Brewed by Rock Bottom Chicago
Style: Porter
Chicago, Illinois USA

Before I started on RateBeer, I never would’ve guessed there were so many beers brewed in my native Illinois. And now, here I am at IL rating #200 (out of 1409), and what a dandy beverage it is. It’s very dark brown, but clear, with a frothy, slightly lighter brown head. The aroma is malty sweet with roasted malt, chewy toffee, a dollop of chocolate, maple, old coffee, and lots of bourbon. Thick and vinuous, it’s loaded with a barleywine-like sweetness, roasted barley, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, a touch of smokey woodiness, and, of course, bourbon. It’s undoubtedly the barrel aging that does it, but I would have thought this was an imperial stout. Mr. Crowley had better get working on the next batch!

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Bottom Chicago, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

On tap at RB – Chicago. Poured near black with a short, fairly well-retained yellowy-brown head. The aroma picked up sweet bourbon and vanilla first with nice complexity coming shortly behind.. cold medium-roast coffee hit along with aged oak chips, darker chocolate, and more vanilla.. sweet and engaging! The flavor was on par.. well-roasted coffee bitterness hit the tip of the tongue with coffee and vanilla rolling in shortly afterward.. roasty chocolate and coffee middle with light vanilla and bourbon surrounding.. long, decadent coffee and vanilla finish.. the barrel influence was low, and it worked very well. Surprisingly creamy feel on the palate with moderate carbonation.. great contrast of sharper bourbon and coffee bitterness on the back-end.. long, strong caffeinated finish. Great brew!

At RB Chicago: Dark black with a brown head and a BIG coffee aroma. True to aroma, nice coffee flavors. Lacks any bitterness ... this is mellow with a funky finish. Good though.

Draught at the brew pub. Black, opaque. Head was tan and laced the snifter. Similar to the other barrel aged beers they had on tap, the aroma was dominated by whiskey with oak, coffee, and chocolate undertones. Flavor was similarly dominated by whiskey. Medium bodied with a warm splash of alcohol at the end.

Delicate vanilla, coffee aroma. Very black, 96% opaque. It struck me that the body is a bit lighter than you would expect, and the coffee-bourbon leads to some very curious combinations of flavors (sometimes, e.g., having a "celery seed" hint). Very dry, with espresso beans and more roasted dimensions coming out later. Nice effort. (on tap, Rock Bottom, Chicago, IL)

sample on tap, black with good head. nose is extremely strong with starbucks coffe liqour aged in a bourbon barrel. mouthfeel is too thin, taste is coffee mixed with bourbon, hardly a porter. very hot, green apple too. gross.

Pour is black with a thin dark brown head...smell is sweet with tons of bourbon and vanilla...faint hintsof coffee, but not much...sweet vanilla and bourbon flavors...where is the coffee? Pretty interesting beer, but it was just too sweet...

FOBAB’04: Dairy creamer sweetened coffee nose, some hints of smoke and chocolate malts. Simple and coffee-like, roasty and sweet. Medium bodied, lingering roasty aftertaste.