Bourbon Barrel Porter (BBP)
Alewerks Brewing Company

 

Poured chilled from a 1 pint, 9 oz bottle into a pint glass

Opaque, dark brown beer with red and tan highlights when held to the light. Gave my glass a rinse just before pouring so going to blame the water for the absence of head retention, though it resisted foaming despite a vigorous pour. What head appeared was toffee colored. Some carbonation creates a central column of bubbles which hold shape at the surface.

Nose is very subdued. Brown sugar, vanilla, and unspecific bourbon notes.

Nice warm flavor - again, brown sugar and vanilla, maybe a hint of cola. Tangy bite on the back end of the swallow that fades without any lingering aftertaste, tastes like oak tannins but not astringent. Brown sugar morphs into gentle molasses as the beer warms.

Smooth, full, velvety mouthfeel. Definitely the strong suit here if you like dark beer.

 

 

16.9oz bottle, tulip, 2020 release.

Milky, hazy brown with Cabernet highlights. The head is a pretty creamy mocha affair, all the more impressive for the lacing that defies the ABV.

Cedar, maple syrup, chocolate syrup. It’s cloyingly sweet, tempered by some bourbon booze that comes through as vanilla, hot cocoa, and salted caramel.

Sweet, smooth milk chocolate and pretzels with a punch of smooth bourbon. The bourbon is clean, oaky, full of vanilla. The finish is woody and a bit tannic like very dark chocolate.

Thin, but also a little syrupy. It’s a bit contrary and is on the thin side with low carbonation.

Dude, this is a good beer! Balanced barrel flavors even though it’s freshly bottled.

 

 

Poured moderately hard from a bottle into a Guinness glass, resulting in a bit of head that faded to a ring of lacing. Smells of sweet bourbon. Taste is strongly bourbon when cold, but mellows out to hints of chocolate along with the sweet bourbon as it warms. Sweet throughout, but not quite too sweet. Medium bodied with light carbonation. Intense bourbon flavor when cold had me worried, but it didn't get too sweet when it warmed, so this turned about to be an excellent bourbon aged porter/stout.

Want to compliment Colts9016 for recent excellent review @ 11/26/19.
Could not describe better.
I enjoyed on tap at brewery and subsequently over a 4pack I purchased as well.
Beautifully crafted BA Porter.
This and this year’s Jubilee were both outstanding.

 

This beer has been sitting idle in the beer cellar for quite a while now. Tonight seemed like the perfect night to consume this beer. The beer is a barrel-aged porter with sugar. I hope the beer does not come off too sweet or overly charred. The beer is 46 degrees and served in a tulip glass. The pour of the beer produced a one finger medium tan head. The head did not last long, dissipating quickly and not leaving any lacing on the glass. The color of the beer is SRM 38 a dark brown nearly black in color. The beer is opaque. The head just left a tan ring around the glass.

The aromas in the beer are medium roasted coffee, caramel, toffee, anise, oak, solvent, biscuit, toasted malt, roasted malts, milk chocolate, yeast, earthy, subtle char, and a hint of floral.

The flavors in the beer are, roasted coffee, char, caramel, toffee, figs, raisins, oak, oranges, cinnamon, toasted malts, a hint of smokiness, roasted malts, burnt sugars, a hint of solvent, yeasty, earthy, floral and a hint of herbal.

The mouthfeel of the beer is coating and lush.

The body of the beer is medium, the carbonation is medium, and the finish is full.

The flavor profile in the beer is incredible. The sugar does give the beer a bit of sweetness, but not in an off-putting way. The char notes in the beer are kept in check. The beer is well balanced and flavorful. I enjoyed drinking this porter. The warmer the beer got, it started to have come to life.

A good bourbon to this porter, well crafted an not overdone. I found it a tad too sweet with less bitter backbone than desired for the sugar.

Pours a very dark brown, almost black with a well retained one inch tan head that left sticky lacing. Smells of bourbon, molasses, chocolate, oak and some char. Tastes of dark chocolate, cocoa, bourbon, oak, vanilla, slightly burnt molasses, figs, coffee and roasted malts. Full bodied for a porter, lightly carbonated, creamy mouth feel with a slightly sweet finish.

A: deep brown as it pours, but near black in the glass. With a fairly strong pour you can coax some dark brown head out of it.

S: smells of creme brulee, vanilla, oak, and and bourbon. Rich and sweet

T: sweet vanilla, oak, and brown sugar. Some decent dark malt in there, but there is a lot of bourbon flavor. After taste is coffee and malt.

M: medium thick, but with higher carbonation than others of the style. Done thickness in the finish.

O: overall a damn fine beer.

Pours an opaque color with a generous head and lacing
Aroma has nice Bourbon, dark chocolate and caramel hints
The taste follows the nose with a Bourbon dark chocolate and caramel flavors
A medium bodied well carbonated beer
A well balanced Barrel Aged Porter

Dark, opaque body; thick, frothy tan head; sticky foam clinging to the sides of the glass. Rich aroma of bitter chocolate, dates and figs, some booze; a bit of licorice. The taste amplifies what comes through in the smell; cocoa and bourbon. Heavy, chewy mouthfeel; lushes and velvety; robust sweetness coats the palate.

Well, I must say this is one fine barrel-aged porter. It really steps up its sensory game when the beer hits your taste buds and palate. Incredibly deep and complex and very satisfying.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a quarter finger light khaki head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, milk and dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla and a little oak. Flavor is dark toasted malt, bourbon, dark chocolate, oaky vanilla, light molasses and a hint of coffee. Finishes a little bourbon boozy. Medium bodied with light creaminess and sharp carbonation. A richly chocolate porter that is also quite bourbon forward. The chocolate and vanilla character is excellent and and the malt is robust enough to support the bourbon. The bourbon barrel character is a little overwhelming in the finish, cutting through the malt in the finish, however the overall flavor is so rich that it invited repeat tasting. My second beer from Alewerks: both were impressive.

 

12oz bottle dated 10/24/2018 oozes into a classic hotel room glass and boasts an ebony colored body favoring cola highlights that briefly floats an 1/8in cinnamon colored head of medium bubbles leaving spotted lacing steps.

Aromas up front evoke a bourbon soaked, candied, bacon with the expected colors of vanilla, oak, char, leather, brown sugar, and tobacco.

Flavors match with an emphasis on booze leaving a sugary aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is full and just short of creamy with a wet finish.

Overall a really fine example of the style. Thanks to Craig for the opportunity.

 

 

 

 

Another big thanks out to Craig!

BBP pours black. It looks viscous coming out of the bottle. The deep abyss of a body is capped by a thin bubbled tanned head, which recedes into small islands and a fading coastal blend of colors.

If there has ever been a beer that smells like straight up fudge, this is it. Liquid fudge doused in oak and booze. It smells decadent.

And it is. Dense, rich, chocolatey fudge with caramel and walnut highlights make this a euphoric dessert experience. The oak and booze play supporting cast perfectly, rather than dominating the delicious base. A slight dark cherry tartness only elevates the flavor.

The feel matches just as it should. It is in fact decadent with it's smooth, creamy, syrupy body. It's no question on the sweet side, but has a wonderful charred and oaky presence to keep it in check. Every sip coats the mouth, and let lingers lung enough to allow intermissions between each sip.

This beer is amazing. Perhaps a bit too bold to be labeled a "porter", but who gives a shit? This is a wonderful experience. If you find it, consider yourself lucky, and indulge. Thanks again Craig. Cheers!

 

2015-03-14 bottle date

Deep brown to black with a hint of brown tinted head

Nose is bourbon but not booze, notes of barrel, notes of caramel, and notes of coffee

Taste is the same - bourbon and caramel, a bit of vanilla, some coffee, charred barrel character, and subtle sweetness

Mouthful is medium and smooth. Carbonation is low. Finish is semi sweet accented by barrel.

Overall aging this bottle worked out very well. The booze notes abated and all you were left with were the bourbon character. Very much recommend aging a couple of bottles.

Aged almost a year. Solid BA porter. If you like desserty porters and BCBS, grab this. Very impressed with Alewerks’ BA dark brew offerings! Similar to Cafe Royale, but I like Cafe Royale a little more since cafe royale is more full body with more Fudgy bourbonness. Love it!

 

 

Dark, syrupy beer with a tan-brown head. Smells boozy. Tastes boozy up front (it's 9% ABV and you can taste it). Some bourbon flavor, but the brown sugar and molasses flavors are right there. Fells like a heavy beer, syrupy. Overall, I love bourbon but I thought this one was a little strong.

 

 

Poured into a snifter. Nearly opaque dark brown color with a modest tan head. Bourbon, vanilla, and honey on the nose - only a slight hint of roasty malt. More porter-like up front on the palate but quickly enveloped by a nice warming bourbon presence. Slightly sweet and woody. Also a noticeable cherry tartness on the finish that melded well with chocolatey notes. Full-bodied but easy to drink. Really enjoyable.

22oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- pours a deep black color with just a hint of light creeping through, one-finger creamy khaki head that reduces to a ring around the edge

S- plenty of barrel notes on the aroma with woody oak, bourbon and vanilla. Roasted malt gives some chocolaty aromas as well as caramel

T- bold bourbon notes up front, wet wood, barrel juice caramel and coconut. Mid-palate gives roasted malt and layers of chocolate. The finish gives more bourbon and chocolate on the linger

M- medium-heavy body with moderate carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel and a viscous velvety finish

O- bold flavors with plenty of barrel notes and roasted chocolate, very good

 

 

 

15 June 2020 - Beer #120

Corona Day #95

Price: $7.25 at Craft Beer Cellar in Washington, DC

Appearance: 4 - almost all black. A bit red at the edges. Small tan head.

Nose: 5 - very pleasant barrel notes. I doubt it spent just 2 months aging. Description must be an error.

Taste: 4 - as basic as a barrel aged beer can get. Fairly roasty, fairly sweet from the barrel. At 9.0%, eminently drinkable.

Mouth: 4 - fairly thick with plenty of bubbles. Nicely done.

Overall: 4 - nothing special, not if you want to drink barrel aged beer all day, this is a prime candidate.

Stay safe out there, my friends.

Cheers!