Valley Brew Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

Tasted from the barrel at brewery. Thanks, Steve. Nice dark black with good bourbon aromas. Tastes with citrus up front, chocolate and oak dominate with a good bourbon presence and a warm finish. Excellent.

From the bright tank @ the brewery. Clear deep dark brown with a 1/2 finger tan head, pretty fair retention. Pretty good amounts of bourbon and wood up front--at first--after a few minutes of letting it breathe it becomes much more subtle. Roasted malts and oak dominate with some dark chocolate and boozy alcohol behind. Flavor is more chocolatey with bourbon and more wood--kinda like those liquor filled chocolates with wood. I’m also picking up on a bit of anise. The finish gets brown sugary for a moment, and then the wood and alcohol dry it all out. Bitterness peaks at a 4. Full body with light carbonation. I’m told ths batch spent only 4 weeks in a first use barrel--any longer could have made this beer a bourbon bomb. Thanks Steve!

Pours deep brown with the thinnest of dark tan heads. In the light the edges are deep red. Full nose with roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla and coffee. The bourbon influence is stronger in the flavor, along with plenty of dark and bittersweet chocolate. Roasted malt and coffee round it out. Quite full in the mouthfeel.

Draught at the brewpub. Black with a small tan head. The aroma has lots of barrel character, with woody vanilla, bourbon and caramel, as well as a nice dark chocolate touch. The flavor is dominated by dark chocolate and also has plenty of wood, caramel, and a kick of bourbon in the finish. Full bodied, very silky, but not really thick, which makes it nicely manageable. Everything is nicely balanced. A bourbon stout that seems to have some manners.