Beastie Barrel Porter
Barley Island Brewing Company

I found a bottle of this on the sale shelf at Binny's in Naperville. $2.99 for a barrel porter? Bring it on! And a new brewery too.

No date on the bottle, except for a "copyright 2009". Maybe a two-year-old bottle then?

Appearance: Outrageously carbonated! It overflowed and made a mess even though I didn't shake it. After that, a huge Belgian-style head that never completely dies and a brown-colored brew resembling something like a "Belgian barleywine". Odd but cool!

Smell: Bourbon and then some. This is like sniffing a barrel, rubbing your nose on the wood. Beyond the bourbon and the barrel, some sugar, caramel, Old Ale-like sweetness. A porter, though? Don't get that.

Taste: More bourbon, followed by a tad of roasty-toastiness and some chestnut puree. Drink this by a fire in late autumn! Slight German smoke around. Finishes bitter (a smattering of hops) and dry, almost aggressive, with freshly-ground coffee beans in the aftertaste. One-dimensional (nothing but bourbon here) and yet delicious, if you like this kind of thing.

Mouthfeel: Full body and carbonation, but waaaay too much carbonation. Too filling. A bit on the boozy/burning side. My least favorite part of this beer.

Overall: I give it high marks for being original, wild and from a tiny brewery. The carbonation is a bit annoying and the bourbon is overpowering, but this is still mighty drinkable, deliciously woodsy and weird.

 

Served in a Devil's Backbone willibecher.

Wait, there's a Jethro Tull whiskey? This stuff pours a clear brown topped by a finger of off-khaki foam. The nose mostly consists of cheap whiskey, but deep beneath that is a mixture of mild roasted malts, light cola, and lightly-toasted caramel. The taste brings in more of the same, with that cheap whiskey flavor dominating the proceedings, with nothing of value backing it up. It's situations like this that lead to groups' lead singers thinking they can strike it out on their own (though their mileages have varied). The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a slick feel. Overall, there's too much of a mediocre barrel in this too-thin-for-its-own-good porter, which doesn't really even try to express itself anyway. If it doesn't wanna try, why should I care about it?

 

 

A: deep, dark copper color, nice tan head
S: medium nose, roasted malt with strong bourbon-barrel notes and EtOH
T: exactly what was advertised and well-made, not your really rice malty porter, more bourbon barrel than roasted malt, somewhat thinner in body
M: bourbon barrel is evident but seems a bit thin or watery

Acquired from tburkhart, courtesy of the Under 100 IV BIF so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep brown color, with a large beige head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains roasted malts, dark fruit, coffee, the essence of oak aging, a touch of hops but also a bit of metallicness to it.

T: The taste starts out with a hearty roasted malt character and creamy flavors of coffee and chocolate. Then some mildly sweet flavors of dark fruit and bourbon come in. the hops presence is mild but complementary and provides a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a solid dark beer with a little extra flavor that makes it worth drinking for a while.

A: Very dark. Blackish with huge mocha colored head.

S: Some dark chocolate with citrus hops and a hint of bourbon.

T: Lots of dark chocolate and roasted coffee up front with some bourbon flavors in the finish.

M: Just on the heavier side of medium.

D: Hard to tell without knowing the abv but I'd say medium.

I like that there is some bourbon flavor without overpowering the porter. It makes you feel like you're drinking a barrel aged beer and not a beer with bourbon poured in.

*Possible carbonation issue here. Head exploded out of the bottle as I took off the cap and had to pour very slowly to avoid foam coming over the glass.

First of all, a huge thanks goes out to ptwnbwlr for this great extra. Cheers!
Appearance - Pours a hazelnut brown into my SA Perfect Pint. LOADS of head is achieved with a mild pour - over two fingers of tan, mocha colored head is achieved that dissipates quite slowly leaving fat, chunky lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell - Roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, slight dark cherries, bourbon, molasses.

Taste - Similar to the nose. Heavy roasted malts, cocoa, vanilla, chocolate, slight oak, etc. I'll be damned but I love porters. Yes there are better ones out there but this one is hitting the spot right now.

Mouthfeel - Medium to light bodied, loads of carbonation.

Drinkability - Very drinkable. Glad I was able to try this. Quite good after having a couple IPA's tonight.

12 oz. Ruby brown pour, just a ring of off white bubbles.

Aroma is muted roast malt, peat and chocolate. Just a hint of vanilla, barrel, booze.

Taste is a bit malty with vanilla and caramel. A bit sweet really. There is also a harshness, almost spicy that is unpleasant. Whisky barrel is there a little warm in the finish. Not sure the barrel did this much good, not really sure where the beer underneath is either. Maybe this one has wasted away a bit. It is pretty average at this point. Which, shouldn't be that bad, other than by this sites ratings.

The carb that appears not visually present is there in the throat. Kind of thin but scratchy. I don't think it is very high abv, but it is not one that begs for another. This paled significantly in comparison to their Beastie Barrel Stout.

A: Biggish (3 finger) head on a pitch black body. Lots of texture and big bubbles in the head, but it's fading fast. Looks like decent active carb.

S: Potent, bourbon in a beer sort of smell I guess. Sweet and something funny, a little sharp, not an off-flavor, just a sharp oddity that I don't like.

T: Hmm, that same taste, though I think I maybe have identified it. Roasted grain done less than well. It's a little astringent. I think, sadly, this beer was better fresh.

M: Light, sort of English Portery, more like Sam Smith than Founders.

D: Drinkable, but I'd rather have a lot of other beers.

12oz bottle.

Pours dark mahogany with amber edgework and an inch-plus head of fizzling tan. Retention similar to a cola with a placid surface showing itself quickly after the pour and zero lacing.

Aromatics lead off with roasted malts, bourbon, chocolate, with hints of espresso and Kahlua following through. Faint cherries step forward as well which hints at an infection.

On the fuller side of medium bodied with a slightly sharp edge.

Heavy roast, coffee, bakers chocolate, and bourbon start the palate. Cherries and drying oak follow through.

Finishes with a boozy warmth, roast, and a hint of tartness.

I think this one is going south. The body is a bit thin for my tastes and the slight tartness detracts.

Reviewed from notes

Black pour with 3 fingers of head that leaves good lacing in its wake.

Aroma is pungent with an odd sweetness that somewhat reminds me of fruity lip gloss. Not really too promising.

The flavor is not as off-putting as the nose, but it really isn't noteworthy either. A few light barrel notes in the form of vanilla and toffee. Perhaps some oak. Roasted maltiness underneath. The odd sweetness is present but it is in a very small dose.

Mouthfeel is medium boded. Drinkability is slightly above average simply because there are a few nice flavors hiding in there that make me want to revisit.

A: Pours a dark brown with some light passing through, generous 2 finger head that appears light brown, the head leaves splotches of foam around the ring of the glass

S: chocolate and coffee on the front with bourbon in the background. The bourbon is definitely there, but seems to take a back seat to base beer.... as it warms, the bourbon makes itself much more known

T: the smell doesn't translate to the palate like I expected. The chocolate and roast are much more subdued and the vanilla notes from the bourbon seem to dominate. I'm used to bourbon aged beers having a bigger base to hold up the bourbon flavors... that is not the case with this beer. It tastes good, just not as good as it could.

MF: thin body, high carbonation

D: not the best experience for a bourbon aged beer, something seems to fall a little short here. I didn't pick up any oak and the bourbon just doesn't seem to meld with the porter

Thanks to hwwty4 for this 12 oz bottle.

A: The porter is a dark caramel brown color, syrupy-looking in its opacity. A finger (almost a finger and a half) of off-white head is lacing nicely.

S: Bourbon takes a heavy-handed approach in the porter, leading off with oak, vanilla and brown sugar. Booziness is at a minimum, as are porter aromas. I do love the bourbon though.

T: A warming bourbon flavor leads the porter off. Vanilla is strong but beyond that there isn't much. Porter flavors do appear here (finally), roasted and deep. The dark flavors nicely support the bourbon, which re-appears shortly after the porter side. Brown sugar and oak comes through this time around, adding depth to the flavor. An excess of carbonation detracts from my enjoyment of the bourbon, which lingers after each sip.

M: The mouthfeel is a little thin, fleeting at times. While it does stick around, the flavors are strong and domineering over the porter.

D: I like the bourbon punch that the porter delivers. I'd drink another if I had one.

Dark brown with amber highlights and a dense mocha head of whipped foam that melts slowly leaving some patchy lace behind. Roasty malt, cocoa and mild oaky bourbon are all present in the nose. Rich and smooth, the bourbon is there but doesn't dominate the flavors, chocolate, honey, coffee and vanilla bean mix nicely with toasted oak. The body could use a touch more heft to suit my personal tastes. Creamy and smooth with mild carbonation. A nice porter.

This beer has a dark, black coffee like color to it, with a hint of ruby coloring to it. It is so dark that light barely passes through it. When poured into the glass, a creamy tan head. The head fades slowly leaving a good thick lacing on the side of the glass.

The smell is an enticing combination of chocolate and caramel malts followed by the scent of the oak barrel. The scent sets up the flavor. The taste consists of chocolate malts backed by oak. Some caramel malts are noticeable as the beer washes over the tongue. A good hop finish on it rounds off the beer. There is a smooth aftertaste, just a hint of coffee malt that is pleasant.

This is a medium bodied beer with a nice creaminess to it that coats the mouth. The carbonation is mild and unobtrusive.

This is a very easy to drink beer. A nice flavor, low carbonation, creaminess; it has a complete mouthfeel that makes this a great beer to drink with friends. I could see myself sitting down and sharing a couple with some friends, especially during the winter months.

Bottle from stfun37. Thanks a bunch.

Dark brown in appearance, almost completely opaque. Two fingers of light tan head forms from a hard pour, which settles to a thick quater-inch that retains well.

Roasty, chocolatey aroma. Hints of barrel; a bit of vanilla, a touch of caramel. It's a subtle but nice aroma.

Bal is a bit more noticeable on the palate, lending the faintest up front heat and a dash of bourbony caramel. This leads into flavors of dark roast coffee and bittersweet chocolate. The barrel comes through again briefly on the mid-palate, leading into a roasty, bitter, semi-dry finish.

Pretty nice stuff, this beer. It's good. I don't know what else to say. Guess I'll stop reviewing now. OK bye.

A: Dark brown with chestnut notes at edge. tan head.

S: Good bourbon with some sweet malt, touch of roast character.

T: Bourbon right up front, almost dominating, but not quite. None of the typical sweetness usually associated with bourbon, light roast at end.

M: Medium bodied

D: Good drinkability especially for a bourbon beer.

The pour reveals a straight black liquid with dark brown highlights reminiscent of cola. The head is only one finger after the pour, but a nice light brown color. After a couple of sips, the nice brown head dissipates to nothing. Brownie malts wwith some oaken bourbon barrel as well in the nose. Nice roasted malts with a little sweet bourbon up front. Chocolate hits the middle with some dry vanilla powder. The finish lingers long and smooth, maybe still dry, but flavorful, and urging you to take another sip. Could be a session beer, don't taste much alcohol. But the price for a 4-pack was a little steep for a session brew. Still a beer worth trying and enjoying.