Smuttynose Jack Daniels Oak Aged Robust Porter

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

2008-08-16. Pitch black body with a small creamy tan head. (3+) Rich sweetly vanilla aroma only hints at the bourbon at first, rather nice. (8+) Tons of vanilla bourbon in the flavour up front, a brief glorious ’Wow this is good’ guitar-solo moment of vanilla over chocolate and rich malt, before a swift bourbony smack to the head. Tease! Smooth medium bodied palate is creamy and only lightly carbonated. (4+) The barrel blends fairly well with the base beer and is probably one of the most enjoyable barrel aged brews I have had,but the bourbon is still a diva with an eye to the marquee. Ultimately it oscillates between sophisticated and crude. On tap, Coles, Buffalo

Tap at Blind Tiger. Bourbon, vanilla in the aroma. Thick, milky, nut flavor, gin, botanicals. Run of the mill bourbon stout. I prefer the normal Smuttynose porter by far.

on tap @Blind Tiger-pours an off white head and black color. Aroma is Jack Daniels, licorice/anise, dark malt. Taste is Jack Daniels, licorice/anise, dark malt. Acidity balances the sweetness nicely. Full body. Sipping.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Dark brown-black beer. Creamy fast-fading dark brown head. Aroma is loaded with vanilla and bourbon. Soft cocoa and a dank earthiness. Sweet chocolate and toasted grains. Very oaky, sweet and a little bit licoricey on the nose. Flavour is full of vanilla, bourbon and booze. Fairly soft, but charry bitterness. Good thing I like bourbon or this wouldn’t work at all.

Tap at blind tiger. Pours a rich deep dark color- almost black with a thin ring of deep orange head Aroma is tons of oak and JD with some chocolate and lots of coffee in there as well. Flavor is a bit much- JD and oak overpowering the beer I thought. Some chocoalte is left, lots of roast licorice, tar and a wierd slick finish. I wouldnt say too boozy, but definitely over oaked and too much JD character overall. Meh.

Tap at Blind Tiger: Near opaque pour with a fading deep brown head. Huge oaky aroma. Assertive oak presence with a nice burnt graham cracker touch, dark chocolate liqueur, booze and a light vanilla sweetness. Slick mouthfeel. Great flavor of the oak and the base Porter. Oak, bourbon qualities, vanilla hint, chocolate liqueur and a late tarry roasted finish with residual oaky tannins. This stuff is nearly a perfect marriage of Porter and oak. Nice!

Sampled at Max’s Taphouse in Baltimore. Pours a deep, opaque, still, oily black with a lacing, creamy tan head. Aroma is oaky with vanilla, whiskey and sour mash. Flavor is very strong but also well rounded. The roasted malt, chocolate, nutty, coffee flavors really mesh well with the whiskey, vanilla and oak flavors from the barrels. Thick on the palate. Truly one of the better bourbon barrel beers I’ve had.

(draft) Tan head atop brown-black body, nice lacing. Aroma is medium sweet, Bourbon/vanilla, chocolate. Taste is medium sweet, chocolate, some roast, Bourbon/vanilla. Medium body.