Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter
Cambridge Brewing Company

Just had this beer cask-conditioned from Sunset Grill and Tap in Allston, Mass. Had the menu standard 12oz. serving in a toulip glass.

The appearance of this beer was amazing. The biggest quaility head I have ever had on a pour of beer and it lasted the entire length of the sample and left so much lacing you could barley see through the glass when I was finished with the sample. Easily a three-finger head the reduced to about 1.5 and stayed there for the remainder of the sample.

Smell was strong and dark. Strong burnt coffee, toffee, roasted chocolate, and caramel.

Taste backed up the smell in every way. Very coffee like--similair to the Bershire Coffee House Porter only much thicker on the palate and a much stronger taste. Alcohol is present moreso than your run of the mill porter but certainly not overpowering. It left just a sublte warming feeling with each swallow of the beer.

Mouthfeel is heavy. More so than the aforementioned BCHP and more than just about any other porter I've had. Tasted more like an Imperial Stout on the palate but without the intense alcoholic kick that those beers usually deliver.

Very easy to drink. The 6% ABV was enough to give you a little boost but not overpowering and did not detract from the taste of the beer. Heavy on the palate, yes--but so well balanced and brewed that having a few of these in one sitting would be no problem. Not something I would jump to order with a meal, but a great finish to one (as I did in this case) as oppose to ordering a dessert.

A great beer, and one I will soon revisit.

This beer poured a pitch-black body with a tan head.

The nose was soft roasted malt, some chocolate and wood.

The taste was medium bodied with a nice roasted malt and black licorice taste. A nice dry woody bourbon barrel flavor sits evenly in the mix. Soft but present bitterness as well as a touch of earth hop blend nicely. It ends with a soft lingering bitterness.

Really a great porter. I’m not crazy about their standard porter, but this is miles away. The barrel aged taste is so soft that it is never overbearing. The strong licorice taste from the malt is also a nice touch that works well with the woody bourbon taste. Thumbs up.

I saw a fellow BA at the CBC get a pint of this Baltic Porter delivered to him and just knew I had to order one for myself. I was drinking a 9 oz Vienna Gold at the time and I felt almost embarrassed. It's one of the prettiest beers I've ever seen! Deep, dark brown with a hint of ruby when held up to strong light. A tan frothy and foamy lasts and lasts, leaving waves of sticky lace on the side of the glass (Artful). The rich roasted malt creates a velvety and lush liquid body. Woody, chocolate, smoky, and coffee aroma and flavor. Grapefruit bitterness and lightly earthy flavors mingle with a light sweetness, and a slight alcohol and bourbon essence. A must try!

Enjoyed this at CBC with Todd, Jason, and other members of the Alstrom Brothers Band.

Poured a verrry dark brown, with some glimmers of ruby trying to escape the darkness. Topping it off was a creamy tan head, leaving top-shelf lacing.

Nose was a strong roasty-toasty chocolate aroma, quite robust, and not shy at all. Verrry pleasing!

The body tended to be about medium, though I thought a little more fullness would not have hurt at all. Traversed the tongue quite smoothly; goes down easy.

Flavor has a big-time roastiness to it; really major-league. Lots of choco and coffee notes, with a long, dry lingering finish. The roastiness attaches itself to the throat and sticks for some time. Towards the end some woody/oaky, bourbon delights slip into the mix. Quite the palate pleaser!

overall: 4.3
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | mouthfeel: 4 | drinkability: 4

535

I believe this is the version of the Porter that we had...aged in Jack Daniels' barrels??

The porter pours a very nice, very dark, almost black color, The smell is that of the JD. The first sip tells you in no uncertain terms that this beer has met some spirits on the way, it's almost too much.

As one drinks it, it starts to mellow out in flavor, the roasted malt charcteristics start to show themselves. You as the drinker start to mellow out as well! While the JD taste sort of became accustomed to, I felt that this beer came off as having a higher ABV. Maybe because of the lighter beer I had had before, but this beer really hit me hard.

Again, while I couldn't have another right away, I would definitely drink this one again.

This porter poured black with a trace of foam (not much foam, but what little there was did leave some lace on the glass). The smell was mild: dark malt, bourbon, and oak. The taste was rich: coffee, oak, bourbon, and caramel, with a bit of spiciness. The mouthfeel was smooth and warming with a nice finish. This porter was very drinkable, and I had a few. A very nice aged version of their porter.