Barrel Aged Liquid Soul
O'so Brewing Company & Tap House

 

Pours dark deep brown with a thin mocha head that dissipates rather quickly. Nice lacing. Aroma is dark roasted malts, and chocolate. Flavor follows the nose with a hint of bourbon barrel. A touch of vanilla and smoke also join. Feel is on the heavy side of medium bodied with low carbonation. Overall this is a real nice beer.

 

 

12oz bottle, snifter glass. Dark black body, one finger offwhite head, short retention, good lacing. Smell is graham cracker, vanilla, bourbon and oak, slight vanillin, milk chocolate, a bit of cocoa and a dab of smoke. Flavour-wise, it has everything you could ask out of a barrel aged, non-pastry stout. Milk chocolate, graham cracker, vanilla, light smoke, roast, a bit of dark fruit, slight chalky charred malt. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, good carbonation, reasonably substantial, slight char and earthy bitterness on the finish.

Poured from 12oz bottle into glass. Bottled on date is stamped on bottle neck as '03OCT18'. Website lists ABV% as 10.5%.
Black colored body with only the tiniest edge of dark brown highlights when back lit. Partial finger of tan head sticks around. Leaves behind an extensive webbing pattern of lacing.
Aroma of dark roasted malts. Expresses a little alcohol in the nostrils. Features a whiff of dark fruit and a bit of molasses.
Taste of dark roasted malts, through and through. A little smoke. Incorporates some bourbon oak barrel but this is so well integrated and not a overly strong influence.
Medium to full mouth feel. Good carbonation, but this beer does not depend upon carbonation.
This is a stout that is barrel aged but is very straight forward with its smells and flavors. No huge barrel influence although it is there as part of this beer.
Are you looking for a strong stout that has been aged in bourbon barrels, but is true to this and not overcome with other flavors, well, this is the beer for that purpose. Easy to drink, and expresses the true integration of dark malts and bourbon oak barrels.

 

Poured 12oz bottle into tulip. Black as night in color with 1.5 tan head that retains a bit before fading into a ring, leaving thin lace on the glass. The aroma is delightful. So much cocoa and milk chocolate. Hints of vanilla and bourbon with caramel and roasted malt. This is rich and decadent, sublime and mellow. The roasted malts in the stout have big cocoa, chocolate, mixed with toffee and caramel. The barrel presence is divine with vanilla, bourbon, and marshmallow. Alcohol is not very noticeable. Soft carbonation, full, velvety body make this a pleasure to sip. This one impressed me given the $4.99 bottle price tag.

 

12oz bottle, no date. Pours black with a smaller sized dark khaki head. Smells and tastes of whiskey, oak, roasted malt, cocoa, licorice, char, and dark fruit. Good intensity. Medium sweetness and light bitterness/dryness. No noticeable alcohol. Somewhat thin body and average carbonation for the style. Overall, it’s even better than the non-BA version. The barrel adds welcome depth and roundness to the smell/taste, but the body’s fairly thin. Worth a try.