Heaven Hill Stout
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

"Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven."

--Tryon Edwards

Bittersweet chocolate brown with no highlights whatsoever. A single finger of pale golden foam faded within several minutes and remained as a broken film for the duration. Whiskey barrel-aged beer doesn't usually generate much lace, so the fact that the glass was almost spotlessly clean was not a surprise.

The nose was rampant with bourbon whiskey. The chocolate maltiness of the base stout was appreciated as well, but it was very nearly overwhelmed by the spirit. Since bourbon is one of my two favorite liquors (Scotch), this offering was a pleasure to sniff.

Because flavor and mouthfeel improved with time and warming (even more than usual), I'd suggest waiting at least 5-10 minutes before taking your first sip. When you finally do dive in, you'll encounter a relatively light, dry stout that isn't exactly bourbon-soaked, although it's close. You'll also encounter a beer that will knock you for a loop unless you sip it slowly. Man oh man, those must have been some leaky barrels. Ahem.

In truth, the taste score was barely earned. This would've been better and more balanced beer it if had been maltier and slightly sweeter (personal preference). I won't run through the flavor description of bourbon whiskey since most of you already know what it tastes like. If you've never had it, drink a shot of Heaven Hill. Go ahead, I'll wait.

The mouthfeel was too cold, too thin and too carbonated right out of the gate. As time passed, it warmed, filled out a little and softened. Not outstanding, but not bad either, especially given the ABV and the Irish dry stout characteristics of the base beer.

Heaven Hill Stout is a bourbon lover's ale, it's as simple as that. In fact, if you don't care for whiskey, I'd suggest drinking something else. The fortunate thing is, at the West Des Moines Rock Bottom, there's always something good on-tap or on-cask.