Stewarts Bourbon Strong Ale

Brewed by Stewarts Brewing Company
Style: English Strong Ale
Bear, Delaware USA

22oz bottle shared courtesy of egajdzis. Poured a deep mahogany color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of whiskey/bourbon, wood, vanilla, caramel, and some dark fruits. Tastes of bourbon, wood, vanilla, toffee, and dark fruits. The bourbon and wood were definitely stronger in the aromas but still very present in the tastes. Medium alcohol finish.

Bottle... O-Town Christmas Gathering ‘07... Cloudy, dark, Longhorn-orange ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Notes of sour mash, resin, oak and toffee amount to the aroma. Full-bodied and biting with restrained carbonation. Mostly sweet and malty, the flavor provides rich essences of vanilla, caramel and bourbon. Moderately acidic. Mid-length, lightly tangy, very drying finish. Vastly underrated. Thanks to jayg for bringing this beer along to share!

Bottle shared by JMFG on 12/27/07: Transparent orange bronze with a wispy-lacing small froth of white head. Aroma of rich earthy oaky bourbon and some sweet caramel. Body starts thinner, effervescent and semi-sweet with a touch of mild light fruity tartness and bourbon oak character toward a warming finish. Needs a fuller body and more balance, but has a nice aroma.

Bottle from brewpub. This one poured hazy brown with minimal head. The aroma was huge on the bourbon, with some malt and fruit apparent also. The taste was on the dry side with a lot of bourbon flavor coupled with some malt and figgy fruit. This one has one of the more prominent bourbon flavors of any barrel aged beer I’ve had.

Poured a lightly hazy, amber color, with a small, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, oak, nutmeg, and raisins. Taste of citrus fruit, oak, vanilla, caramel malts, toffee, and a dry, bourbon finish. Pleasant carbonation.

22oz. Bottle: Aroma of whiskey, bourbon, alcohol, vanilla, wood, cherries, and yeast. Poured light brown with some amber in color and a medium-sized, loose, fizzy, off-white head that disappeared very quickly. Hazy. Very sparkling. A few large, and many tiny, particles. Light to medium sweet flavor. Tastes heavily of bourbon, whiskey, vanilla, alcohol, a hint of tobacco, and wood. Very heavy on boozy flavors. Medium body. Oily texture. Average carbonation. Sweet, boozy, bourbon finish.

Bottle shared at SL private tasting especiale. Pour was ruby tinted amber, small thin little head showing some carbonation, not bad for a BB aged little sucker. Nose was full of strong bourbon alcohol burn, ample amounts of oak, and some caramel and toffee. Flavor followed suit, wood fairly prominent, yet the bourbon overcoming the basic essence of the core style, only faint notes of caramel and toffee, some vanilla, almost lactic-like citrus coming through, maybe a light toastiness in there also. Vinous-alcohol type notes (think red wine) were rather noticeable throughout the drink, complementing the somewhat strong bourbon flavors, more than one dimensional in the strong alcohol sense, yet still quite hot. Mouthfeel was moderate for a BB beer, not sticky, carbonated, a touch acidic.

Courtesy jayMFg. The body is a hazy, dark caramel brown. A small, foamy, off-white head leaves behind some sudsy lacing that mostly rejoins the body. The aroma shows darkly toasted caramel malts, light bourbon, vanilla, and a touch of ripe cherries. This one smells really nice, with a touch of cream smoothing out the light booziness from the bourbon. The flavor mostly follows suit, though things are a bit more muddled. The cherries aren’t as pronounced on the palate, moving more towards a non-descript, general fruity component. Medium bodied and fairly smooth. Short finish. This is a pretty solid brew. Surprised to see that it’s 9% ABV. I would have guessed lower.