Stoudts Old Abominable (Whiskey Barrel Aged)

Brewed by Stoudts Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Adamstown, Pennsylvania USA

Bottle - corked and caged. Courtesy of hopdog. Thanks Steve! Murky mahogany-amber blur with rampant tan froth on the surface. Nose is really nice! Light bourbon, wood, caramel, subtle hops, light pine, soft citrus and light vanilla. Taste is rather delicious! Wood, vanilla, soft bourbon notes, light pine muddied with some citrus and caramel and light spice notes. Body is creamy and smooth. Chewy, almost like candy, in spots. Some stickiness to this as well. Finishes with more caramel, soft hops (pine and citrus), light tropical fruits, mild vanilla, wood, light bourbon notes and light spice. Very nice!

Clear red/amber pour, miniscule white head, no retention or lacing worth noting. Really little character in the aroma, mainly light notes of big hops subdued by even bigger bourbon. Maltiness is dry and scathing. A cool subtle note of roasted pineapple sneaks in for a moment. Wow, massively dry and slightly tart flavor. The pieces of this puzzle don’t quite fit together. Hops seem to be mismanaged in the flavor by a watery, dry and mangled whiskey palate. Just too much time in the barrel for this one. Macallan is brought to mind, not due to flavor, but rather their method of using refill sherry casks with an excessive sherry rinse before the whiskey goes into the barrel. I rather enjoy Stoudt’s but am really turned off by this.

Shared at columbus tasting V. Pours a cloudy brown color. Aroma of whiskey and some sweet maltiness. Very sweet and a little hops coming through with some oak and vanilla.

Poured a lightly hazed reddish brown color. Small beige head. Sweet and fruity malt with a hint of barrel. The start had some hops to it. The flavor was fruity but lacking sweetness. Light hops and bitterness on the finish.

The finale beer of the 5th Richmond Gathering. Deep amber appearance, small head, but nice. Aroma of fresh raisins (I know that makes little sense) and other mixed dark fruits. Complex in the nose, and complex in the mouth as well. Loads of dried dark fruits with some sweet caramel and molasses malts. I honestly didn’t pick up any wood here at all, but it was entirely possible that my palate was totally shot out at this point. But an excellent beer.

750 with gputty and the Richmond crew. Hazy reddish brown with a small off white head. Very big, complex nose - piney resin, citrus, dried fig, raisin - lots going on here! Flavor is just as complex - Light sweet citrus, big sweet orange and brown sugar, more spice and dark fruit. One of the 5th Richmond Gathering’s stars! Loved it!

Another ho hum bourbon barrel aged barley wine. Neither of the bourbon barrel aged stoudts beers were very impressive. Little character in both.

750ml, thanks to hopdog for this. pours a muddy amber with small tan/white head. nose isn’t very full, mild notes of maple syrup, oak, vanilla, and bourbon. taste is also pretty weak, with notes of caramel, molasses, and nuts. the finish has a very slight bourbon-esque burn but it’s understandable. palate is also too thin and watery, not something you want or expect in a big beer. i can tell stoudts isn’t impressed with overdone bourbon barrel aging. I like how the barrel doesn’t over take the beer but just think the bw isn’t that good.