Barrel Aged Stout (B.A. Glen Spey & Strathmill)
The Kernel Brewery

Barrel Aged Stout (B.A. Glen Spey & Strathmill)Barrel Aged Stout (B.A. Glen Spey & Strathmill)
Beer Geek Stats
From:
The Kernel Brewery
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Foreign / Export Stout
ABV:
7.7%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
4.12 | pDev: 6.31%
Reviews:
4
Ratings:
5
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 27, 2016
Added:
Nov 12, 2013
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by Jeffo:
Photo of Jeffo
Reviewed by Jeffo from Netherlands

3.92/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Got this one from jbeatty who took my spot at Borefts this past year. Cheers for filling in on such short notice man!

From a bottle into a snifter

A blend of Imperial Brown Stout and Export Stout aged in 2nd fill Glen Spey and Strashmill Whisky barrels.

APPEARANCE: A clear black pour yields a small, medium looking, tan head with lousy retention. Head quickly fades to a faint wisp and ring. Clear black body with no carbonation evident. A ring remains but leaves no real lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Whisky, oak, lots of dark chocolate on the nose, with some roasted and burnt grains as well. Earthy and peaty and some smoky notes, but those are more int he background.

TASTE: Less peat and more standard whisky here. Oak and dark chocolate up front with a big finish of bitter dark chocolate, burnt and roasted grains, light smoky peat notes and some whisky barrel vanilla sweetness. Good bitter, roasted finish with a mild barrel undertone as well.

PALATE: Medium body and lower level of carbonation. Silky with enough weight, goes down slick and finishes rather sticky. Good feel.

OVERALL: While I normally don't see the point of lower ABV barrel aging, this one is actually pretty good. A milder yet complex barrel under a solid, bitter and roasted base beer. Curious how long this one was aged, but regardless, it worked out pretty well. Recommended.
Jan 14, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of EmperorBevis
Reviewed by EmperorBevis from England

4.26/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Bottled and possibly bottle conditioned
Pours a very very very dark brown body with huge foaming milk chocolate coloured head that retreats to a few tan bubbles
Espresso aroma
Salty caramel latte
Oct 27, 2016
Photo of MasterSki
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)

4.16/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Thanks to Jeffo for picking this one up. Served in a snifter at the cottage.

A - Thin off-white foam settles to a thin collar. No lace. Dark brown body.

S - A hefty dose of biscuit, milk chocolate, roast, and light oak, smoke, and peat from the whisky barrels. Pretty excellent balance, considering the lower ABV base and my past experiences with whisky barrel beers.

T - Taste is pretty similar to the aroma, with biscuit and milk chocolate dominating. There's some vanillin and fairly mild whisky flavors providing notes of smoke and oak. Very English in the heavy brown malt and low roast presence.

M - Medium body with surprisingly active carbonation. The oak shows up here lending a fairly tannic and dry texture. No obvious alcohol.

D - I really liked this one; it had a wide range of well-integrated flavors and a lot of depth for a lower ABV stout. Would happily drink this again, and would have no trouble with a 33cl bottle on my own. Will have to check out The Kernel when I'm in London next.
Nov 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by killcore from Russian Federation

Sep 23, 2014
Photo of wl0307
Reviewed by wl0307 from England

3.75/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Purchased at the Kernel Brewery in London recently, bottle-conditioned in a 330ml brown bottle; bottled on 12/06/2013, BB 12/06/2017, served lightly-chilled in Gulden Draak’s short-stemmed tulip-shaped sniffer. Notes: the back label describes this beer as “A blend of Imperial Brown Stout and Export Stout. Aged in second fill Glen Spey and Strathmill whisky casks”.

A: pitch black in colour, coming with just a thin rim of khaki froth, while the carbonation is apparently very low.
S: upfront on the nose, cocoa and vanilla spring to mind, on top of banana oil, black dates, melons, and a touch of stale-ish, peary acidity. Malts are very deep and robust, while alc. strength is also felt in the background, not “in the face”. Given a good swirl, black sugary sweetness come to the fore along with rather deep roastiness, while all other aroma elements stay pretty much intact.
T: very smooth on the entry, the flavour is initially toasted nutty, bitter-sweet caramel, closely ensued by a very decent level of acidity, licorice, black dates, bitter chocolates, and lightly chewy bitterness from the hops; settling in a finish where the oak-ageing influence is felt in the form of a rather subtle&dry palate as well as fine vanilla-ish sweetness all in all. Also, throughout the drink, the lightly stale-ish note as of oxidised fruits seems to linger, a by-product from barrel-ageing?
M&O: the mouthfeel comes a bit flat, short of carbonation, but this is perhaps expectable, while the body remains medium+ and never goes too thick or heavy. Not a bad blend aged in whisky barrels, but here and there I just feel something is not quite right.
Dec 14, 2013
Barrel Aged Stout (B.A. Glen Spey & Strathmill) from The Kernel Brewery
Beer rating: 4.12 out of 5 with 5 ratings