Bourbon Barrel Porter
Innis & Gunn

 

 

Four pack of 330ml bottles picked up at Total Wine in Lynnwood, Washington.
No dating. Poured in to a pint glass.

Look- Slightly hazy dark mahogany/cola color, nice light khaki head that recedes fairly quickly to a thin cap, a fair amount of lacing. Light carbonation streaming as it sits.

Smell- Rich toast and caramel type malt, brown sugar, dates and raisins, chocolate and vanilla, light roasted coffee and nuttiness, light bourbon and spice notes.

Taste- Follows the nose well, fairly sweet with a bit of tangy cherry cola and citrus type finish.

Feel- Medium/light bodied, smooth with a lightly bitter finish, nicely balanced. Moderate carbonation on the tongue.

O- Interesting take on a porter, maybe I'm just used to American porters though. Worth checking out if you see it.

 

Pours black. Dark but thin head that disappears quickly. I smell the bourbon, which also comes through nicely in the flavor. Dry finish, slight bitter after taste but not unpleasant, subtle reminiscent the bourbon. A nice very beer.

BOTTLE: 11.2 fl oz brown glass bottle with a purple pry-off crown cap nabbed at Martin Wine Cellar in Metairie, LA for $2.40 USD plus tax. Best before: March 2020.

I've liked the two Innis & Gunn beers I tried (albeit 10 years ago), so I'm excited to try this.

7.4% ABV. "Barrel aged" "bourbon barrel porter." Label mentions Kentucky and Tennessee bourbon barrels but there is no age statement or bourbon specified.

APPEARANCE: Typical porter...opaque body with an off-white head. Head retention is nice - ~8 minutes.

AROMA: Baker's chocolate, cocoa powder, dark malt sweetness, and very very faint bourbon barrel notes - vanillin, barrel sugars...no rich white virgin oak or coconut (or orange, which the label claims is in there).

Suggests an enjoyable albeit basic porter with barely noticeable bourbon barrel notes...this seems more marketing than execution with respect to the bourbon barrel.

Aromatic intensity is quite low for the style/premise; this is a remarkably timid bourbon barrel aged beer.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Creamy, smooth, wet, and coating, with a silky softness that accentuates the vanillin flavour nicely (a flavour that is far more present than the aroma suggested). Dark malt sweetness gives this its mellow backbone.

A biteen chewy. Well carbonated. Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy.

The bourbon barrel is quite mellow to say the least, failing to bring any rich white oak, toasted coconut, or (as the label perplexingly indicates should be present) orange.

Yes, it's balanced, but the mediocrity of the bourbon barrel presence coupled with the very basic base beer makes it a bit underwhelming.

OVERALL: I do like it, but the contemporary beer landscape has far more worthwhile bourbon barrel porters. This is a very rudimentary execution of its premise, failing to stand out with either its bourbon barrel flavours or its base beer. A more robust base porter with more complexity is needed and I'd like to see them age this longer in more flavourful bourbon barrels (an age statement and bourbon brand callout would inspire consumer confidence, by the way).

I do really dig the creamy silky mouthfeel and the way that accentuates the vanillin from the bourbon, but the whole package just isn't up to par with the best porters...Ballast Point's Victory At Sea is more complex and Deschutes' Black Butte Porter is more robust (both are available in damn near every U.S. market this is for less per bottle).

Low B- (3.28) / WORTHY

 

Bottled and purchased in a cardboard four pack purchased from budget supermarket
Pours a dark brown body with big white foaming big head
Aroma is cocoa and whiskey
This is angry level whisky bourbon

 

 

 

Pours a dark brown hue with amber tones and a thin off-white cap that lasts all the way down leaving little lacing
Smell is mostly toasted grain with hints of burnt sugar, dried plum and smokey wood, occasionally a touch of alcoholic bourbon pokes it head out
Flavor is about the same as smell, starts off a slick, minerally, slightly acrid dark toasted bready malt and dried fruit flavor drying out with a hint of smokey wood and not over the top whiskey notes in the finish
Mildly carbonated yet bubbly enough to support the dry light-med mouthfeel in this one, very slick yet not overpowering body
Overall for a "true" English porter this is one of the best I've ever had, i would recommend this to anyone searching for the best example of an English porter hands down

 

Very dark beer with cream colored lace and light head. Moderate taste of bourbon but more of a woody taste. Good beer but not great for the variety it is.

330 ml bottle. Revisited in September 2019.
Nicely balanced aroma with dark dried fruits and Scottish malts in the forefront.
Flavor: Lots of dried plums and raisins with whisky barrel (wood) and light whisky.
Feel: medium-full body with medium carbonation that is a bit too fizzy (bottle #1only) .

 

 

Nice and dark almost black with nearly Carmel thick head with good lacing and retention, a metallic smell no notes of really anything, super roasted barley taste with a slow taste of coffee, medium body high carbonation

This beer flirts with the edge of greatness but doesn't quite get there... still very, very nice overall. Quite a dark brown bordering on black. Thin, fairly quickly disappearing tan head. Not a great deal of aroma - what's there is a little nutty & sweet at the same time. Pleasant brown beer taste that's a little thin on the finish. The bourbon barrel action is very subtle but does throw that little complexity into the equation - I wouldn't have minded a little more of it. Strong showing overall. Decent as a stand-alone offering and I can see it paired up with anything from snacks to pizza to a host of other things - so "versatility" is an appropriate tag for this one.

Delicious. Not as powerful as some bourbon ales. Needed a bit more kick.