Bourbon Barrel Porter (BBP)
Alewerks Brewing Company

Bourbon Barrel Porter (BBP)Bourbon Barrel Porter (BBP)
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From:
Alewerks Brewing Company
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
Ranked #35
ABV:
9%
Score:
95
Ranked #1,703
Avg:
4.27 | pDev: 8.43%
Reviews:
189
Ratings:
635
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 26, 2023
Added:
Aug 03, 2009
Wants:
  156
Gots:
  131
Annually-released Imperial Porter, brewed with Caribbean unrefined sugar and aged in Virginia Gentleman Bourbon barrels.

Predominant oak and vanilla notes blend well amongst rich milk chocolate aromatics. Rich flavors of coffee, chocolate, caramelized sugars and hints of bourbon coat the palate and are extremely smooth drinking.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Roguer
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut

4.31/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Excellent head production and retention.

Lovely, balanced nose featuring plenty of roast and bourbon in concert. Toffee, caramel, moderate char, toast, oak, vanilla, brown sugar.

Flavor translates well to the palate, more or less matching the nose, along with red grape, honeycomb, and molasses. Minor sting; smooth drinking.
Jul 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by cryptichead from Illinois

Apr 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.74 by BrookW from Virginia

Jun 20, 2022
Photo of TheMadJack
Reviewed by TheMadJack from Virginia

4.14/5  rDev -3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Poured chilled from a 1 pint, 9 oz bottle into a pint glass

Opaque, dark brown beer with red and tan highlights when held to the light. Gave my glass a rinse just before pouring so going to blame the water for the absence of head retention, though it resisted foaming despite a vigorous pour. What head appeared was toffee colored. Some carbonation creates a central column of bubbles which hold shape at the surface.

Nose is very subdued. Brown sugar, vanilla, and unspecific bourbon notes.

Nice warm flavor - again, brown sugar and vanilla, maybe a hint of cola. Tangy bite on the back end of the swallow that fades without any lingering aftertaste, tastes like oak tannins but not astringent. Brown sugar morphs into gentle molasses as the beer warms.

Smooth, full, velvety mouthfeel. Definitely the strong suit here if you like dark beer.
Apr 22, 2022
 
Rated: 5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

May 16, 2021
 
Rated: 4.68 by _Adam_ from Maryland

Feb 14, 2021
Photo of brewerburgundy
Reviewed by brewerburgundy from West Virginia

4.26/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
16.9oz bottle, tulip, 2020 release.

Milky, hazy brown with Cabernet highlights. The head is a pretty creamy mocha affair, all the more impressive for the lacing that defies the ABV.

Cedar, maple syrup, chocolate syrup. It’s cloyingly sweet, tempered by some bourbon booze that comes through as vanilla, hot cocoa, and salted caramel.

Sweet, smooth milk chocolate and pretzels with a punch of smooth bourbon. The bourbon is clean, oaky, full of vanilla. The finish is woody and a bit tannic like very dark chocolate.

Thin, but also a little syrupy. It’s a bit contrary and is on the thin side with low carbonation.

Dude, this is a good beer! Balanced barrel flavors even though it’s freshly bottled.
Nov 29, 2020
 
Rated: 4.39 by JamieDuncan from Maryland

Jul 22, 2020
 
Rated: 4.89 by BKast409 from Virginia

Feb 19, 2020
Photo of EnderFett11
Reviewed by EnderFett11 from Virginia

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured moderately hard from a bottle into a Guinness glass, resulting in a bit of head that faded to a ring of lacing. Smells of sweet bourbon. Taste is strongly bourbon when cold, but mellows out to hints of chocolate along with the sweet bourbon as it warms. Sweet throughout, but not quite too sweet. Medium bodied with light carbonation. Intense bourbon flavor when cold had me worried, but it didn't get too sweet when it warmed, so this turned about to be an excellent bourbon aged porter/stout.
Jan 21, 2020
Photo of BillRoth
Reviewed by BillRoth from Maryland

4.41/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Want to compliment Colts9016 for recent excellent review @ 11/26/19.
Could not describe better.
I enjoyed on tap at brewery and subsequently over a 4pack I purchased as well.
Beautifully crafted BA Porter.
This and this year’s Jubilee were both outstanding.
Dec 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by bigpoppa67 from Wisconsin

Dec 10, 2019
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

4.47/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This beer has been sitting idle in the beer cellar for quite a while now. Tonight seemed like the perfect night to consume this beer. The beer is a barrel-aged porter with sugar. I hope the beer does not come off too sweet or overly charred. The beer is 46 degrees and served in a tulip glass. The pour of the beer produced a one finger medium tan head. The head did not last long, dissipating quickly and not leaving any lacing on the glass. The color of the beer is SRM 38 a dark brown nearly black in color. The beer is opaque. The head just left a tan ring around the glass.

The aromas in the beer are medium roasted coffee, caramel, toffee, anise, oak, solvent, biscuit, toasted malt, roasted malts, milk chocolate, yeast, earthy, subtle char, and a hint of floral.

The flavors in the beer are, roasted coffee, char, caramel, toffee, figs, raisins, oak, oranges, cinnamon, toasted malts, a hint of smokiness, roasted malts, burnt sugars, a hint of solvent, yeasty, earthy, floral and a hint of herbal.

The mouthfeel of the beer is coating and lush.

The body of the beer is medium, the carbonation is medium, and the finish is full.

The flavor profile in the beer is incredible. The sugar does give the beer a bit of sweetness, but not in an off-putting way. The char notes in the beer are kept in check. The beer is well balanced and flavorful. I enjoyed drinking this porter. The warmer the beer got, it started to have come to life.
Nov 26, 2019
Photo of Oh_Dark_Star
Rated by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A good bourbon to this porter, well crafted an not overdone. I found it a tad too sweet with less bitter backbone than desired for the sugar.
Apr 26, 2019
Photo of EMH73
Reviewed by EMH73 from New York

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a very dark brown, almost black with a well retained one inch tan head that left sticky lacing. Smells of bourbon, molasses, chocolate, oak and some char. Tastes of dark chocolate, cocoa, bourbon, oak, vanilla, slightly burnt molasses, figs, coffee and roasted malts. Full bodied for a porter, lightly carbonated, creamy mouth feel with a slightly sweet finish.
Mar 10, 2019
Photo of Beejay
Reviewed by Beejay from Virginia

4.17/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A: deep brown as it pours, but near black in the glass. With a fairly strong pour you can coax some dark brown head out of it.

S: smells of creme brulee, vanilla, oak, and and bourbon. Rich and sweet

T: sweet vanilla, oak, and brown sugar. Some decent dark malt in there, but there is a lot of bourbon flavor. After taste is coffee and malt.

M: medium thick, but with higher carbonation than others of the style. Done thickness in the finish.

O: overall a damn fine beer.
Feb 15, 2019
Photo of VABA
Reviewed by VABA from Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours an opaque color with a generous head and lacing
Aroma has nice Bourbon, dark chocolate and caramel hints
The taste follows the nose with a Bourbon dark chocolate and caramel flavors
A medium bodied well carbonated beer
A well balanced Barrel Aged Porter
Feb 01, 2019
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Dark, opaque body; thick, frothy tan head; sticky foam clinging to the sides of the glass. Rich aroma of bitter chocolate, dates and figs, some booze; a bit of licorice. The taste amplifies what comes through in the smell; cocoa and bourbon. Heavy, chewy mouthfeel; lushes and velvety; robust sweetness coats the palate.

Well, I must say this is one fine barrel-aged porter. It really steps up its sensory game when the beer hits your taste buds and palate. Incredibly deep and complex and very satisfying.
Jan 31, 2019
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4.23/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a quarter finger light khaki head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, milk and dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla and a little oak. Flavor is dark toasted malt, bourbon, dark chocolate, oaky vanilla, light molasses and a hint of coffee. Finishes a little bourbon boozy. Medium bodied with light creaminess and sharp carbonation. A richly chocolate porter that is also quite bourbon forward. The chocolate and vanilla character is excellent and and the malt is robust enough to support the bourbon. The bourbon barrel character is a little overwhelming in the finish, cutting through the malt in the finish, however the overall flavor is so rich that it invited repeat tasting. My second beer from Alewerks: both were impressive.
Jan 25, 2019
 
Rated: 3.52 by Segelstrom from Pennsylvania

Jan 21, 2019
Bourbon Barrel Porter (BBP) from Alewerks Brewing Company
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 635 ratings