Shorts Bourbon Barrel Sustenance Black Beer

Thanks to thickfreakness for sharing this biyatch!
WOOOOOOOO!!! DRINK DRUNK BEER BOOZEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Pours dark brown with light tan head. Smell is roasty and lightly smoky. Taste is slightly chocolatey and roasty with some strange light tartness. Fuck. I guess it was a bit above average. I LIKE FIRE PONIES!

22oz beer. Great beer. Almost a meal. Pours black with a medium head. Slight aroma of bourbon mixed in with sugar and other fruits.

Chocolate-cola pour with mocha foam. Green apple, minty herbs, dark chocolate, graham cracker crusts in the aroma; hugely tangy and almost tart with the swift buttery sweetness of bourbon; too much presence really. A touch of cuban mocha sits sweetly with a fitting, darkening character that distantly balances the almost unbearable tang of the bourbon; additionally, some dark spicing of anise and sweet tobacco forms a semblance of malt build, but the the confronting tart sweetness of the bourbon is simply too ostentatious.

The flavor is much the same; lots of dusty sweetness and almost-sour apple-like tang; full of white fruit and sparkling effervescence that seems quite out of place in this style built on munich and caramel malts and their characters, none of which are even difficultly visible, although there is a steadfast and somewhat cloying sheen of vanilla throughout. The fruit character of its sweetness has some vinousness to it, but it’s sharp-edged and brittle; not raisins, plums, and dates but pears, apples, and pineapple, consistently. Notes of a delicate bourbon, really. And it’s so immersed in that fruity, tart texture that it almost seemed like an acetaldahyde-crushed beer at first, and I still can’t definitely tell that it isn’t.

Light-medium palate pushes the tartness through. Lightly effervescent. The finish really expands the borders of the flavor quite nicely, and tends to accentuate the bitter chocolate and pistachio bits of the malts; still tart, but it’s interesting enough at the end to seem inviting and redeemable as a whole experience. Still I’d really love less bourbon mucking up my perception of this thing. Thanks Derek!

22oz bomber. Pours deep, deep mahogany with a bubbly two-finger tan head that lingers for a little while and leaves a trace of lacing. Smell is complex and interesting with bourbon definitely showing up and burning the nose a little. There is also tons of dark fruit with raisins and even grapes on top a very sweet malt base with brown sugar as well. Taste is just as interesting as the nose with an initial sweetness of sugar and caramel. Dark fruits show throughout on top of a roasted malt base before giving way to a tingling alcohol finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with good carbonation and leaves a sticky sweet aftertaste tinged with booze. This is one of the best schwarzbiers I’ve ever had and I think the bourbon barrel use is very well done. This is my first Shorts brew and I’m looking forward to more. Highly recommended!

Courtesy of northernbrews Bottle: The aroma contains bourbon, vanilla, minty notes, chocolate, and faint roastiness. It pours a dark brown with some faint orange highlights with a small beige head. The flavor starts with chocolate and mild bourbon. The finish has light notes of roastiness and woodiness. It’s medium bodied with soft carbonation.