Bourbon Barrel Black Maple
Jackie O's Pub & Brewery

4.52/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
by TomFoolery_x from Illinois

Jan 19, 2020

4.5/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by Blogjackets from Ohio

Black Maple, a bourbon Black Maple, a bourbon barrel aged porter by Jackie O’s. Very light carbonation and virtually no head or lacing, as one might expect from a barrel aged beer. Bourbon and maple dominate the aroma and taste. The ABV is well masked. The char backbone of their stouts is missing and gives this one a porter lightness if that can be said of such a big beer. Really delightful beer.&&. barrel aged porter by Jackie O’s. Very light carbonation and virtually no head or lacing, as one might expect from a barrel aged beer. Bourbon and maple dominate the aroma and taste. The 13% ABV is well masked. The char backbone of their stouts is missing and gives this one a porter lightness if that can be said of such a big beer. Really delightful beer.

Jan 11, 2022

4.53/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by REVZEB from Illinois

At last I got a bottle of this one, love Jackie O's, very excited to try this one! Pitch black with slightly lighter edges, mushroom cap dies down pretty quickly into a ring. Nose is the most impressive in my humble opinion: earthy walnut, roasted pecan and malt melds into a bath of maple, bourbon, molasses, fudge, a sea of dark fruit, vanilla, brown sugar, and rustic oak, incredible. Taste is not a complex, focusing on the maple, barrel, nuts, and less rich chocolate, with earth and vanilla supporting. Feel is medium bodied, hides the abv incredibly well, not even super warm, very drinkable. Great porter, hype is real

Jun 11, 2021

4.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
by kevanb from Illinois

375ml bottle, 2021 release, poured into a stemless wine glass.

The beer pours a deep jet black color, thick and viscous with a thin finger of tan head, very fizzy with no retention nor lacing. The aroma is nice, lots of dark chocolate, charred oak, molasses, bourbon spirit, brown sugar, caramel, light maple, stone fruits and hearty grain. The flavors are nice, lots of dark chocolate, a bit of roasted grain, toasted barrel, burnt wood, maple and brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, spicy bourbon spirit, stone fruits and a bit of licorice. The mouthfeel is very good, coating and lively with a heavy medium body that is smooth and finishes warmly.

Verdict: A nice barrel-aged porter from Jackie O's. The balance is very nice, lots of rich and decadent flavors but even with the maple, it doesn't veer into an overly sweet space. The barrel character is well developed and it has a great body that really helps deliver the flavors.

May 29, 2021

4.98/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
by jb_4226 from Texas

The bourbon and the maple and usually see this in a stout but just as good in a porter.

May 15, 2021

4/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by BergBeer from Hawaii

Poured from a 375 into a tulip glass

Look: Pitch black. No light going through this beast. Thin mocha colored head.

Smell: Maple, bourbon, and a bit of soy sauce. There is a strange note here I get on about half the sniffs and it smells like dog food.

Taste: Big maple candy on the top, walnuts, bourbon, vanilla, oak, and dark coffee.

Feel: Big and viscous. Low carbonation. Clings to the palate. Medium alcohol. Mild bitterness. Medium sweetness.

Overall: A well brewed beer that I can only finish slowly and not the whole bottle. Split it between some family members. The dog food nose was a bit off putting but the beer itself is excellent.

Mar 16, 2021

4.29/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by Yabu from California

2019 batch, drank fairly fresh. (Significantly better than the 2015/2016 batches, which had a faint of maple.)

Not overly sweet, but just enough of maple with the barrel presence.
If it was more rich/full body, would be a knockout. The thinness detracts from being an awesome brew.


Overall, JO Barrel Aging is good but is clearly the best when drank fresh.
Having several bottles that have been gifted to friends, these are not to be aged!

Jan 20, 2021

4.41/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by trevormajor from Ohio

2018 vintage, 12.7 oz bottle poured into a tulip glass.
L - dark brown with a head that dissipated quickly leaving a thin edging
S - Strong bourbon, mild coffee, maple
T - Phenomenal! The blend of bourbon and sweetness is delicious. More bourbon on the nose, but slight notes of maple, coffee, vanilla on the finish
F - mouthfeel a bit thin and sharp
O - a great beer that fits well into the Jackie O's BBA family. 2 years in the bourbon flavor is overpowering the maple, but is is there faintly and that in itself is pretty darn good. I would not put it on the level of ANTIK, but it's close.

Sep 12, 2020

4.08/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by ChrisMon02 from Ohio

2019 vintage. Pours deep brown with a small mocha head that fades fast. No lacing.

Smells of chocolate, bourbon, coconut and faint maple.

Taste follows the nose. I appreciate that the sweetness doesn't overpower.

On the thin side with low carbonation. Drinks nicely for such a big beer. A bit more mouthfeel would make this one upper tier.

Really nice beer but not on the level of some others and the price point sucks.

Aug 24, 2020

4/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by firesidewithphil from Illinois

For the masses, there are three variants of Black Maple. There is regular, barrel aged, and double barrel aged.
This variant is the barrel aged. The main profile of this beer is maple, chocolate, and bourbon. The mouth feel is very thin, just like the double aged but not as thin.

I consider this the brother to Antik, trading honey for maple. It isn't quite on that level but still a tasty porter.

@firesidewithphil

Mar 28, 2020

4.17/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by Tsar_Riga from Indiana

A - Pours a dark black body, with a brown-red highlights. Light tan head, lining the edge at the glass, and a cast across the top.

S - Strong booze note of bourbon and vanilla, a note of nuttiness.

T - Strong hits of coconut and vanilla, a touch of fruit and maple sweetness, wood and chocolate and coffee acidity, long lingering mild bitterness in the close.

M - Mild carbonation, moderate weight, slightly sticky feel but a dry finish.

O - Well built and tasty, it delivers a huge barrel experience.

Feb 05, 2020