Sprecher Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

In the bottle at the 2009 Pre-GNBF tasting. Pours black with a huge brown head. Giant toasted toffee and coconut aromas blend with a massive caramel scent. The aroma is near perfect. I was a bit disappointed that the flavor could not match the bigness of the aroma. One expects this to be as thick as Bourbon County Stout from the smell. It is not. Finishes with coconut and tartness, but the mouthfeel is certainly not over the top. It has a milky feel, but not syrupy. Great beer, but not legendary and not worth the price.

Pours onyx with brown head. Nose is dark malt, chocoff, oaky, figgy fruit, nuts, ovaltine, mild vanilla and cookies and cream Hershey bars. Tastes dark malty, very cherry/blackberry, with oaky cognac, and a complex palate. Stays fruity, with heavy black/blue/cherry berry flavors, a rich oaky bourbon flavor, and dark malt, molasses, nuts, and merlot as it warms. The finish is very much like a nice merlot/port hybrid, with the blackberry and cherry coming out to play with the dark malt and cacao. This one is a doppleganger, and a very good one at that. I had my doubts that it would be worth the pricetag, but it was, either as a beer or as a wine. This one is rated way too low, and I give my PA guys props for recognizing that this one is very good. Those who think this is thin-bodied should go bang Rosie O’Donnell, and shame on those giving this less than 3.5 ratings. Get off your Sprecher lambasting binge high-horses, and rate your own beers, without having others who rated before you give you reach-arounds, both ratingly and otherwise. This beer proves to me that PA raters are the best and most educated in the entire world.

One litre swing top bottle- been hanging onto this big boy for a couple of years. Thought it was time to crack it. Pours out the usual muddy dark, minimal head. Nose- mostly dark fruits coming through, some vanilla. Taste- again stewed fruits. Very minimal roast or barrel characteristics, except for a slight sour tang. One dimensional, thin bodied, and just not a good beer at all. Disapointing considering the price point. Fail.

Draught at Capone’s: Aroma of roasted malts and slight bourbon. Poured pitch black in color with a medium to large-sized, creamy, brown head that lasted throughout. Opaque. Not sparkling. Flavor is medium sweet. Tastes of bourbon, chocolate, caramel, roasted malts, vanilla, toffee, and slight chocolate. Medium body. Smooth, creamy texture. Soft carbonation. Bourbon, vanilla, and toffee finish is like candy.

On draft at Capones. Aroma of cream, vanilla, bourbon and roasted chocolate malts. Taste is creamy with hints of vanilla, bourbon and chocolate malts.

Tap at Capones. Pours a deep black with a smaller creamy tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, caramel, vanilla, oak, light bourbon, chocolate and coffee. Flavor of same. Bourbon there but restrained.

Bottle, number 9070: Pours a dark black with a medium tan head. Big nose of artificial maple, brown sugar, vanilla bean, chocolate and bourbon...so far so good. Until the train wreck of a body comes in...seriously, what is with these impy’s that are thin as hell? Starts bourbon-y with some vanilla extract noted...finishes very dry and woodsy. Okay.

In short: An awful mess with too many problems to list
How: Bottle, swing-top 1L. Post-EBF tasting. Bottle by dmac. Congratulations Dave, in what might be the best beer week-end of my life you managed to squeeze in a turkey. Clap clap clap!
The look: Black body topped by a very small tan head
In long: Repulsive pop-corn and overripe fruits nose. Taste has a fucked up fruity sourness overwhelming the roasted malts. Grapes syrup. The barrels bring a strong old rotting wood presence. Whatever… No need to describe it, this was terrible, drain pour. That thing had more problems than my cousin Louis. And the poor dude now shares a doghouse with a rothweiler with whom he’s in love with after loosing his job at Wal-Mart because of his phobia of the color blue.