Cooper Project Barrel Aged Scotch Ale
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

Pours a brown, dark copper like color, similar to that of my SUV. Head rocking in the color of beige and height of 2/5".
The aroma is bourbon and dirty copper. Not in the bright bitter kind of way, more in the earthy bitter kind of way, like a red ale.

Taste offers a divergent path on what I've come across for the most part when dealing with scotch ales. First, it didn't have an oppressive level of alcohol heat in the mouth feel. Next, the barrel aging allowed this to approach something similar to say, Central Waters barrel aged scotch ale, albeit not quite getting there. Its like it took 33% of the journey over those 4 months in the barrel. Its not bitter, relatively smooth, notes of what still feels more like a red and brown ale base moreso than scotch ale. Plenty of caramel notes, the unsweetened variety. Light oak impression. Decently covering the alcohol.

At about $4 a bottle, you could do a lot worse. I thought it was worth it even if not my favorite thing.

Feb 1, 2017 bottle. Deep hazy brown with some beige head, light retention and lacing. Good elements of bourbon, wood, and rich malt on nose. Taste is smooth balance of heavy malts and bourbon, huge body. Aged very well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goose Island Beer Co. "Cooper Project Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, "BOTTLED ON DATE: 02APR18 09:42 8.75% ALC/VOL"
$4.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: I've had this on tap at the Philadelphia location but I feel that you can never really get to know a beer in 4 ounces so here we go. It's poured a mostly clear, just slightly hazy, reddish chestnut brown body beneath a full head of tight-bubbled and yellowed off-white foam. The aroma clearly expresses oak and Bourbon over a gently caramelish malt base. Just smelling it is pretty nice. The flavor follows, as usual, and the Bourbon and oak are really nicely smooth. They've still got enough strength to be quite clear but they're not brash or bold or too far forward - very nicely balanced; and the maltiness follows as well, bready, caramelish, and even a bit toffee-ish. Sometimes a Scotch ale can be a little too malty and almost syrupy but that's not the case here, nor is it too caramelish; I'm mostly finding golden and medium caramel notes. The bitterness is there but beneath the malt, balancing it, and helping it to finish mostly dry. It's really quite pleasant. Due to the oak I'm finding an occasional note of coconut but I don't expect everyone to find that, it seems some people get it and others don't. The alcohol is nicely balanced, but then again at just 8.75% it should be. I'm really curious now as to what this might taste like prior to barrel aging. In the mouth it's medium bodied with just a bit of a dextrinous edge, and a light, smooth carbonation.
Review# 6,504

 

 

 

 

12 ounce bottle poured into a tulip glass.

L---Medium brown color with orange tinges. Medium, off-white head that faded quickly and left ok lacing.

S---Bourbon barrel is up front. Caramel & other malts are quite noticeable as well. Sweet, dark fruits & vanilla. Really complex & nice.

T---A little boozy. Vanilla & caramel. Some toffee & dark fruit (raisin).

F---Full. Coating. Definitely a sipper, not a gulper. Carbonation is minimal. No boozy burn, smooth.

O---High quality product. I got two, and this was the second. Drank the 1st one in July. I wish I had a ton more. Oh, well.

 

 

Dark copper to brown and murky in complexion. There’s a fingernail of brown around the rim and covering the vast majority of the top. I smell plenty of sweet, sticky, bready malt. I’m tasting plenty of sweet bready malt with just a hint of vanilla and oak. The mouth is lightly sticky and warm with alcohol.

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Bottled February 1 2017.

Caramel, lots of malt, brown sugar, molasses, and oak on the nose with a sweet malty taste. The finish is smooth and the alcohol well hidden. Overall, solid beer.

 

 

 

 

 

Gifted to me. Bottled: 04/02/18

A&S: Dark khaki colored beer. Not lively. Head dissipates quickly and leave no lacing. I am getting a lot of maple syrup and vanilla, there are also tones of breadiness and tobacco in the aroma. One thing I am not getting at all from the aroma is bourbon.

T&M: Taste consists of caramel, woodiness, roasted malt. It is pretty sweet. The finish isn't dry. Medium body and carbonation.

Overall: Since it was a gift, I have no clue of cost, but I guessing it would be more than I would be willing to spend to re-buy this beer. For me, there are better and very likely cheaper options for this style.

12oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Dark red-orange color with good clarity. Off-white head settles out after a short time. Tiny spots of lacing.

S: Caramel, bread crust, and toast. Plum and currant. Earthy undertones. Bourbon and toasted oak.

T: Follows the nose. Bread crust, toast, and caramel, raspberry scones and stewed plums. Earthy dimension with hints of bark. Bourbon adds its own sweetness and some alcohol character, with the barrel bringing seasoned, toasty oak. Barrel flavors linger on the finish.

M: Rich, full body. Round, creamy, chewy, and coating. Gentle carbonation. very slight wood tannin and a deep, pleasant warming sensation.

O: Fine all around, and a nice warming sipper to enjoy. Barrel brings a load of bourbon character without hitting too hard or getting hot. Good, but perhaps lacking that extra bit of character that would help it stand out and take it to the next level.

 

Pours a dark plum-brown with a thick layer of fog rendering it almost pitch-black. A finger of khaki foam foams up and retains well. Aroma is light bourbon up front. Caramel, toffee, and chewy biscuit and caramel malts give it a thick, but not dark nose. It smells smooth and inviting. Flavor profile is caramel, toffee, molasses, and herbal hops. Residual sweetness from the sugary notes and the herbal hops play extremely well together. Bourbon is present as well, and remains refrained and balanced in the profile. It doesn't impart any heat, and doesn't contain any charring. Mouth feel is semi-chewy, with a velvety texture deriving its texture via a fine fizz mixed with fine grains. It has a medium thickness, which makes each sip easier. Overall, a fine scotch ale with a light addition of bourbon. Bourbon is sweet and smooth, and melded seamlessly into the beer. Across the board, good, but not a standout on the shelves.

Served in a 12oz snifter from a 12oz bottle.

Pours a light red to an almost amber color, with a good sized tan head. The retention is good, finally dissipating leaving some think lacing on the sides of the glass.

The smell seems a little sweet at first, there's hints of fruit, toffee, caramel, and vanilla.

Bit sweet up front, hints of vanilla and toffee, maybe some caramel. There is a hint of booze at the finish, along with some warming from the alcohol.

The feel is pretty solid, has a nice full big beer feel.

Overall a good beer, but nothing overly outstanding about it sticks out. It is nice and flavorful, and well worth a try, but it did fall short of what I would call an exceptional beer.

 

Came in a stemmed glass an Auburn/tawny color with a thinner light beige head atop,a nice rich color.Aromas of the vanilla tinged bourbon and caramel in the nose,a slight toastiness was detected as well.Very easy to drink for the style and size but that doesn't mean it doesn't pack flavor,vanilla,roasted nuts,caramel,and earth all come together well but it never gets heavy and/or cloying.A nice bourbon barrel aged Heavy but I would give it to novice'ss to try as well.

(12 oz bottle, 2018 release, bottled on 02APR18... poured into a snifter)

L: virtually-clear, deep crimson colored liquid; foam appeared to be dissolving on pour, but it actually did form a tight, spongy pad of off-white foam... the pad later recedes into a thin, broken collar; some broad drapes of lace stick

S: initial aromas are more the base beer than the barrel aging - dark fruits (prune), brown bread - but hints of vanilla and spicy booze soon emerge... even as the glass becomes barely cool to the touch, the aromas don't intensify - vanilla/cinnamon/caramel-scented candle is about it

T: though not aggressive, the char and booze of the barrel leap out right away, with the candy sugar-ish malts rushing up behind to push everything through the finish... delicate essence of dark fruit and an almost cinnamon-like (or red-hot candy) phenolic note pervade the aftertaste... flavors do balance out over a few sips, though the malty underbelly remains for awhile a little on the dry side with not much unique character to give it depth/dimension... some cookie and caramel do slowly poke though, but there is no edge, no warts to this at all

F: very clean and subtly smooth viscosity, with a latent swell of restrained warmth in the finish... while there is a slight oily drag to it, it's almost without contour/curves - could use a little more chewiness and/or raw heat

O: solid but rather textbook take on a Scotch ale - the barrel aging adds some color (while likely eliminating other subtle shades) without dominating... haven't come across one American-made, barrel-aged Scotch ale that exceeds the quality and character of a non-barrel-aged interpretation - maybe some brewery ought to try an Ola Dubh approach and barrel age a Scotch ale in some old Scotch barrels - I'd pay a lil more to try that

Well, a computer crash fried the review. So, hmm... let's keep it extra short -- this one didn't annoy me, I found it to have a nice, round, rich maltiness but, while sweet, wasn't obnoxiously so. Same with its bourbony nature, it was warming, fragrant and flavorful without feeling like I was huffing paint fumes.

Outstanding scotch ale, very surprisingly smooth and easy-to-drink. Nice dark brown color with some tan head and spotty lingering lacing. Smells of bourbon, malt and some dark cherries. Tastes of great bourbon and wood, caramel, malt, dark stone fruit and a hint of vanilla. Goes down extremely smooth, very little alcohol burn and no lingering bitterness or sour aftertaste. Smooth creamy mouthfeel with just the right amount of restrained carbonation. Alcohol taste is very well hidden. Will have to try their other projects!

12 oz bottle purchased from Total Wine in Daytona Beach, FL.

Pours a chestnut-caramel brown with a thin head of eggfoam yellow.

Aromas of cherries and sweat socks, old wood, caramel, and tobacco.

Flavor is nutty, with hints of caramel and slight alcohol burn. No detectable bourbon presence.

Feel is very crisp, carbonated, surprisingly clean.

Overall, far from what I'd expect from a Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale, but overall it's one of the better beers I've had in recent memory.

 

 

 

L - Amber red, no clarity, cloudy, and 1 full finger of head and some lacing

S - Toffee, sweet, roasted malts

T - Toffee, brown sugar, malty. Very tasty

F - Well carbonated, medium body

O - Good brew, worth picking up