Beastie Barrel Stout
Barley Island Brewing Company

Beastie Barrel StoutBeastie Barrel Stout
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From:
Barley Island Brewing Company
 
Indiana, United States
Style:
Oatmeal Stout
ABV:
6%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.8 | pDev: 12.37%
Reviews:
52
Ratings:
62
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 19, 2016
Added:
Oct 24, 2008
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  1
"Oatmeal Stout aged in Buffalo Trace barrels."
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bertram:
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Rated by bertram from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

Feb 18, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.99 by Thirstygoat from Illinois

Mar 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by spycow from Illinois

Nov 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by shirtless_mike from Indiana

Dec 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by MSandahl23 from Indiana

Oct 16, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by CaptainNomihodai from Illinois

Mar 03, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by JMBSH from Colorado

Aug 03, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by stbo101 from Illinois

Feb 18, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by imperialking from Illinois

Jan 09, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by brandoman63 from Illinois

Nov 28, 2011
Photo of corby112
Reviewed by corby112 from Pennsylvania

3.66/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours pitch black and completely opaque with a two finger frothy beige head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Roasted malt aroma with a tamer barrel presence than expected. Slight toasted oak and vanilla notes with only subtle bourbon presence. Roasted malts with hints of chocolate, caramel and toffee.

Medium bodied and similar to the aroma. The barrel presence is there but pretty faint with only slight earthy oak and sweet bourbon flavor. The base beer flavor is very strong with roasted malt, coffee, toast, toffee and hazelnut. Slight lactic creaminess smother things out a bit before ending with a slight dry finish.
Oct 28, 2011
Photo of domtronzero
Reviewed by domtronzero from California

3.47/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A - Very dark brown, nearly opaque with ruby highlights at the edges. Long lasting, short, tannish head with nearly no lacing.

S - Dark malts, chocolate, light roast. Vanilla and light oak tones are quite enjoyable.

F/M - Dry roasted malts, chocolate, coffee and a little vanilla and oak flavors. Mouthfeel is medium-light. Its on the border of being watery. Moderate carbonation with a lingering vanilla roasty flavor.

O - Ok, but a little thin in the body. The flavors are alright but it just doesn't stack up with the big boys in this category.
Jun 10, 2011
Photo of 1Adam12
Reviewed by 1Adam12 from Indiana

2.48/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
Pours pretty dark, coffee colored head. Smells like your average stout: coffee, malt, plus some bourbon, just smells weak though. Tastes weaker than it smells. More like a bourbon barreled root beer. The only thing that saved this for me was the fact that I could taste the bourbon. Just very light flavors all together. Mouthfeel was dreadful. Like I said, more like bourbon root beer. No body to it, thin thin thin. After tasting many of Barley Islands beers, there was no way I was going to pay the price for a 4 pack. Fortunately, the store owner broke open a 4 pack for me so I could buy one bottle, for that I am grateful. It's a shame too because I live 2 minutes from the brewery. But between the less than average beers, and the "wanna be thugs" from Noblesville that attend the pub, I will never again partake in any beer from Barley Island.
Jun 06, 2011
Photo of bpgpitt10
Reviewed by bpgpitt10 from District of Columbia

2.51/5  rDev -33.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
2010 bottle in a snifter.

A: Dark brown with a nice tan head. Head recedes very quickly though... like from kitchen to chair and finding a channel quick. Very little lacing.
S: Bourbon with some grain flavors. The sweet of the bourbon and the grain reminded me of cookie dough. Nice aroma.
T: The first taste couldn't be more bland. Some light coffee and bourbon flavors as it warms to more room temp, but overall very disappointing.
M: Very, very thin for a stout. Slight creaminess to it due to the low carbonation.

O: Had this once with someone who loved it so thought I'd give it a try again after a little aging. Still don't like this much. Nothing about it is bad, but it's just not very good either. The cellaring may have been a bad idea as the tastes were so muted in it.
May 14, 2011
Photo of Schmittymack
Reviewed by Schmittymack from Colorado

3.7/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Shared with Josh and Ratman; poured a dark brown with a small head that didn't linger too long. Aroma of booze, coffee, oatmeal, and malt. Taste was a little of a letdown: coffee, malt, some spice, and almost no bourbon. Mouthfeel is quite thin for a stout. No hop bitterness to finish. Either the bourbon has completely faded or the alcohol is hidden a LOT as I got no bourbon flavor and no alcohol "burn". Fairly tasty but I won't go out of my way to get this again unless I were to try it fresh.
May 14, 2011
Photo of scottfrie
Reviewed by scottfrie from California

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
12oz bottle into 25oz snifter. Received as an extra last year, cheers to the shipper.

A: Pours a very dark brown with a billowing, huge, light brown head that took minutes to reduce into a nice thick film that left a few strings of sticky lacing down the glass.
S: Notes of bourbon mixed with roasted oatmealish grains and a touch of spice.
T: Soft notes of dark chocolate and bourbon with a pleasant base of stereotypical oatmeal stout. A year in the bottle may have been too much as the bourbon is so well integrated I can hardly taste it. The aftertaste has notes of vanilla of peppery spices.
M: The body is on the lighter side of full but the mouthfeel is still fairly chewing and satisfying. There is too much carbonation in this one, but it is soft and not tingly, and as the beer sits for a while it calms down.
O: I liked this beer but it could use a little work. The bourbon has darn near faded completely out of this one. If you’re sitting on a bottle don’t sit too long.
Apr 29, 2011
Photo of nickd717
Reviewed by nickd717 from California

2.8/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
12oz bottle via trade.

Very dark brown in color with a one-finger whiteh head that lasts and leaves some lacing.

The aroma is pretty nice, with HUGE bourbon, backed up by ashy roast and coffee.

The flavor is all right, but WAY too big on bourbon. That dominates the flavor, and a dry and ashy espressoish stout hides behind it.

Medium-bodied with a rather drying mouthfeel, and a bit boozy for 6%, from all the bourbon I guess.

Overall, a bit unbalanced. If they were able to fine-tune the -bal aging though, I could see this being pretty good.
Feb 10, 2011
Photo of grub
Reviewed by grub from Canada (ON)

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
got this one from abbddull as part of the DLD in person BIF 2010. thanks!

12oz bottle. sampled nov 13/2010.

pours nearly opaque deep dark brown, nearly black, with a small very fine light brown head.the head quickly drops to a ring around the glass and leaves a bunch of spotty lace.

aroma is good. slightly boozy alcohol. vanilla and bourbon. dark and milk chocolate. biscuit and whole wheat bread. earthy and woody.

taste is nice. dark and milk chocolate. vanilla and raw oak. biscuit and whole wheat bread. bit of cracker. earthy and woody. fairly low bitterness level. bit of caramel. light alcohol. just a hint of baltic sourness.

mouthfeel is good. medium body. medium-low carbonation level.

drinkability is good. pretty nice balance. big chocolatey character. light barrel character. good stuff.
Feb 04, 2011
Photo of aasher
Reviewed by aasher from Indiana

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This brew pours a dark, dark brown on the verge of being black with a one finger dark khaki head. It instantly smells of vanilla, chocolate, Buffalo Trace, and coffee. The bourbon is stronger than you'd think for being 6%. The flavors are of sweet milk chocolate, vanilla, oak, and light bourbon. This beer has a lot of carbonation for the style and tingles the palate. It then finishes smooth. Overall this beer is very drinkable. It's nice that a bourbon barrel aged beer isn't too "big" for a change. The 6% is very drinkable and it's a pretty good beer. Well done Barley Island.
Feb 04, 2011
Photo of Viggo
Reviewed by Viggo from Canada (ON)

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle, thanks to grub for sharing.

Pours an opaque dark brown, some very faint dark orange/red highlights in the edges, thick light brown head forms and settles to a medium ring around the glass, some lace spirals stick.

Smell is neat, a bit of vanilla and coconut barrel character, some caramel, a bit of chocolate, some nice fruitiness, a bit of raisin, pretty solid bourbon hit, quite malty, real neat.

Taste is nice, very roasty, some chocolate wafer, a bit of bourbon comes through, caramel, a bit of nuttiness and some raisin, fruity, a lot of vanilla and coconut, a bit of biscuit, dry chocolate wafer finish.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation. Pretty neat, nice stout with some light but nice bourbon character. Thanks Russ!
Nov 13, 2010
Beastie Barrel Stout from Barley Island Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 62 ratings