Bourbon Barrel Black Maple
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery


- From:
- Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery
- Ohio, United States
- Style:
- Imperial Porter
Ranked #12 - ABV:
- 13.1%
- Score:
- 98
Ranked #303 - Avg:
- 4.45 | pDev: 7.87%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 160
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 02, 2026
- Added:
- Aug 04, 2014
- Wants:
- 613
- Gots:
- 153
Imperial Porter brewed with maple syrup and aged in bourbon barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Ushouldbeworkinh from England
4.25/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dense black usual stuff.
Smell is rich chocolate, sweet maple, and bourbon.
Taste is the same. Overall very much like the previous ones in a good way
Sep 02, 2025Smell is rich chocolate, sweet maple, and bourbon.
Taste is the same. Overall very much like the previous ones in a good way
Reviewed by GrumpyGas from Illinois
4.47/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.47/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12oz can with partial date code that may read: 01-23-25 and poured into a stemless teku shows a headless deep, dark brown body that leaves the glass clean behind.
Aroma is maple forward with notes of cocoa, vanilla, bourbon, and a hint of smoke and the flavor matches. Very clean and delicious.
Mouthfeel nears creamy and full, likely the syrup influence.
Overall a well developed Porter with barrel treatment.
Sep 01, 2025Aroma is maple forward with notes of cocoa, vanilla, bourbon, and a hint of smoke and the flavor matches. Very clean and delicious.
Mouthfeel nears creamy and full, likely the syrup influence.
Overall a well developed Porter with barrel treatment.
Reviewed by tradershmulie from Connecticut
4.69/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.69/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Ridiculously deep dark color. Not much head.
Delicious smell, sweet.
Silky smooth. Excellent beer. Definitely taste the maple, but never really gets too sweet.
Love it.
Feb 04, 2025Delicious smell, sweet.
Silky smooth. Excellent beer. Definitely taste the maple, but never really gets too sweet.
Love it.
Reviewed by Cigarhound66 from Georgia
3.91/5 rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.91/5 rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I actually really liked this one.
Dark color, almost black but not quite. A little bit of a weak nose. Almost no carbonation.
Vanilla, Toffee, and yes, maple. It's a pleasant beer, and for a stout it's actually very tame. This is an excellent example of a stout that a relative stout newbie could drink. Slightly oily.
Nov 21, 2024Dark color, almost black but not quite. A little bit of a weak nose. Almost no carbonation.
Vanilla, Toffee, and yes, maple. It's a pleasant beer, and for a stout it's actually very tame. This is an excellent example of a stout that a relative stout newbie could drink. Slightly oily.
Reviewed by philbe311 from Pennsylvania
4.56/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.56/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
No head ever really forms, rather just a thin dark khaki collar that is slightly late to develop and quickly fizzes away... Still... Color is an inky flat black... Intoxicating nose of fudge, booze and maple syrup... The aroma was nice but the flavor profile is stellar... Everthing is dialed up several notches but nothing is out of balances... Brownie batter, caramel, brown sugar and a very subtle booziness... Barrel aging is very delicate and adds tons of refinement... On the lighter side of full bodied and Alta sleek... Wow, this one is exceptional beginning g to end...
Apr 21, 2024Reviewed by MikeB_from_Macomb from Michigan
1.95/5 rDev -56.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
1.95/5 rDev -56.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Maybe I had a bad bottle. Totally flat. No suds or carbonation. Very bitter. Not sweet so the Maple flavor just didn’t present for me. My impression? Cough syrup. Flat, black, just dank bourbon. Super disappointed. Made a special trip to get this.
Nov 23, 2023Reviewed by damndirtyape from Ohio
4.65/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.65/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
12.7oz bottle, served in a snifter. 2023 bottling, 12.6% ABV.
Appearance: Black letting no light through, with a thin tan head and an occasional island of lacing. Imperial Porters and Stouts do often look the same....
Smell: Maple, bourbon, vanilla, hint of something berry-like. Quite inviting.
Taste: Very well blended combination of the above aromas, with a nice sweet malt note that has caramel and very mild chocolate notes. The finish has a bourbon-bite to it, but not really bitter - more like a lingering alcohol note to counter the sweetness. There is a tiny coffee-like bitterness on the palate a bit after the swallow, but it's faint.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth and creamy, very light carbonation (almost non-existent), a bit sticky, and warming from the alcohol, again with that bourbon bite at the finish.
Overall / Drinkability: I can see why this beer got so highly rated, it's very smooth and a great combination of bourbon, sweet porter, and maple. While a slow sipping and savoring beer, it's quite drinkable and I would be in a lot of trouble if this was on tap and I was asked for another as I doubt I would be able to say no to this one. Well done.
Oct 27, 2023Appearance: Black letting no light through, with a thin tan head and an occasional island of lacing. Imperial Porters and Stouts do often look the same....
Smell: Maple, bourbon, vanilla, hint of something berry-like. Quite inviting.
Taste: Very well blended combination of the above aromas, with a nice sweet malt note that has caramel and very mild chocolate notes. The finish has a bourbon-bite to it, but not really bitter - more like a lingering alcohol note to counter the sweetness. There is a tiny coffee-like bitterness on the palate a bit after the swallow, but it's faint.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth and creamy, very light carbonation (almost non-existent), a bit sticky, and warming from the alcohol, again with that bourbon bite at the finish.
Overall / Drinkability: I can see why this beer got so highly rated, it's very smooth and a great combination of bourbon, sweet porter, and maple. While a slow sipping and savoring beer, it's quite drinkable and I would be in a lot of trouble if this was on tap and I was asked for another as I doubt I would be able to say no to this one. Well done.
Reviewed by schoolboy from Ohio
4.36/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.36/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
My vendor got four of these styles in and by the time I got to the store two were gone. Wow. I missed the opportunity to buy two more $12 bottles of beer.
This pours like what it is, a hugely malted porter - kind of runny and fairly flat. The aroma is a well behaved blend of all kinds of things. Nothing overpowers. This is the taste that probably cost much of that $12 to make. The aging allowed things to meld together nicely.
Recommended. This is a great porter you need to try (or have again).
Oct 07, 2023This pours like what it is, a hugely malted porter - kind of runny and fairly flat. The aroma is a well behaved blend of all kinds of things. Nothing overpowers. This is the taste that probably cost much of that $12 to make. The aging allowed things to meld together nicely.
Recommended. This is a great porter you need to try (or have again).
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington
4.04/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
2023-06-25
375ml bottle served in a smallish snulip. 2022 vintage. Got it from @ozzylizard in NBS BIF #17.
Pours thick, dark, with almost no head, just a minuscule ring. Smell is dark beer -- roasty, coffee, anise, dates, molasses.
Taste is very sweet. Maple syrup and molasses, vanilla, date flavor is really concentrated, again roasted coffee.
Mouthfeel is not quite as thick and chewy as I want it to be, but almost. Overall, very nice beer.
Jun 26, 2023375ml bottle served in a smallish snulip. 2022 vintage. Got it from @ozzylizard in NBS BIF #17.
Pours thick, dark, with almost no head, just a minuscule ring. Smell is dark beer -- roasty, coffee, anise, dates, molasses.
Taste is very sweet. Maple syrup and molasses, vanilla, date flavor is really concentrated, again roasted coffee.
Mouthfeel is not quite as thick and chewy as I want it to be, but almost. Overall, very nice beer.
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois
4.3/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
375 ml bottle into a snifter. A 2021 release, had 4/14/22.
Pours a dark brown, mostly opaque, with a quarter inch foamy head and light cling. Aromas of bourbon, oak, char, vanilla, some maple- more as it warms, malt, some chocolate. Smells a bit smoky. Flavors of bourbon, maple, malt, vanilla, some oak, some chocolate. Smooth, a very good lighter full body, appropriately carbonated.
A strong base, great barrels, a lighter but effective touch of maple. Best fully warmed and very enjoyable.
Jun 07, 2023Pours a dark brown, mostly opaque, with a quarter inch foamy head and light cling. Aromas of bourbon, oak, char, vanilla, some maple- more as it warms, malt, some chocolate. Smells a bit smoky. Flavors of bourbon, maple, malt, vanilla, some oak, some chocolate. Smooth, a very good lighter full body, appropriately carbonated.
A strong base, great barrels, a lighter but effective touch of maple. Best fully warmed and very enjoyable.
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania
4.31/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.31/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bourbon Barrel Black Maple from Jackie O’s, 12.7 oz bottle. Received from brewery 05/04/23. Reviewed 11/04/23 (Review 3071). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Printed on the label “2022”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 51.4 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 57.5 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), almost opaque.
Body – Deep Brown (SRM 30), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, shows a translucent olive at the top edge and ruby at the bottom.
Head – Average (Maximum one cm, aggressive center pour), khaki, low density and fizzy, quickly gone leaving neither crown nor cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.25 – Bourbon and barrel are the predominant aromas followed by maple syrup; no malt, no yeast, no hops, no chocolate. No ethanol (13.1 % ABV as marked on the label) aroma.
Flavor – 4.5 –Mostly maple and bourbon barrel, light chocolate. Initially no hops, malt, or yeast. Moderate gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium; a bit thin but approaching creamy; soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 For my taste, you can’t go too far wrong with maple syrup and oak bourbon barrels. Pretty damn good.
Apr 11, 2023Printed on the label “2022”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 51.4 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 57.5 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), almost opaque.
Body – Deep Brown (SRM 30), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, shows a translucent olive at the top edge and ruby at the bottom.
Head – Average (Maximum one cm, aggressive center pour), khaki, low density and fizzy, quickly gone leaving neither crown nor cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.25 – Bourbon and barrel are the predominant aromas followed by maple syrup; no malt, no yeast, no hops, no chocolate. No ethanol (13.1 % ABV as marked on the label) aroma.
Flavor – 4.5 –Mostly maple and bourbon barrel, light chocolate. Initially no hops, malt, or yeast. Moderate gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium; a bit thin but approaching creamy; soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 For my taste, you can’t go too far wrong with maple syrup and oak bourbon barrels. Pretty damn good.
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina
4.34/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.34/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Picked up a 12.7 oz bottle from the Blue Door Bottleshop in Hendersonville 9-1-22 for $16.00. 2022 bottle consumed 1-5-23.
Beer poured black with a nice off-white head.
Nose is nice with a touch of maple, bourbon, and coffee making appearances.
Taste is really nice with maple and the base porter being the stars. Coffee is noticeable in the background and along with the barrel they are the balancing elements in a finish that could be too sweet with the maple.
Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and very smooth.
Overall another well-crafted bourbon barrel aged brew from my favorite Ohio brewer!
Jan 05, 2023Beer poured black with a nice off-white head.
Nose is nice with a touch of maple, bourbon, and coffee making appearances.
Taste is really nice with maple and the base porter being the stars. Coffee is noticeable in the background and along with the barrel they are the balancing elements in a finish that could be too sweet with the maple.
Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and very smooth.
Overall another well-crafted bourbon barrel aged brew from my favorite Ohio brewer!
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana
4.47/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.47/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12.7 ounce bottle vintage 2022 poured into a Duvel glass at just above fridge temp 11.5% ABV. The beer pours midnight black with no light penetration and meager light brown head. The head recedes to a pencil thin ring and little else. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring chocolate, caramel, bourbon and maple in no particular order. The taste is semisweet bourbon soaked chocolate, maple and caramel. Earthy, mildly bitter. Really, really delicious. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with less than medium carbonation and a semi dry / sweetish finish. Not cloying, with the bourbon and earthy notes pulling it back from that ledge. Alcohol is well hidden. Overall, excellent, outstanding etc.
Nov 21, 2022Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey
4.35/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.35/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Solid black motor oil appearance.
Really light carbonation and the body feels about average but overall its a nice feel for this type of beer.
Aroma is a nice hit of maple, bourbon,boozy, sweet mocha, very mild dark fruit,malt and roasted malt.
Taste is a little sweet,boozy yet the alcohol is still fairly well hidden. Otherwise it is similar to aroma.
Overall this was a great beer,definitely worth a try
Nov 11, 2022Really light carbonation and the body feels about average but overall its a nice feel for this type of beer.
Aroma is a nice hit of maple, bourbon,boozy, sweet mocha, very mild dark fruit,malt and roasted malt.
Taste is a little sweet,boozy yet the alcohol is still fairly well hidden. Otherwise it is similar to aroma.
Overall this was a great beer,definitely worth a try
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