Bourbon Barrel Black Maple
Jackie O's Brewpub

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.

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.

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!

 

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.

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

 

Robust and well rounded bourbon barrel and maple flavor.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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!

 

 

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.