Raspberry Halo - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Cigar City Brewing

Raspberry Halo - Bourbon Barrel-AgedRaspberry Halo - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
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From:
Cigar City Brewing
 
Florida, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
13.6%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.08 | pDev: 6.37%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
43
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 04, 2022
Added:
Aug 12, 2017
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  6
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by user785335:
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Rated by user785335 from Florida

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Aug 24, 2017
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.04 by KevBot89 from Pennsylvania

Sep 04, 2022
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Reviewed by MJSFS from Florida

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2017 vintage 750ml bottle poured into a Cigar City Spiegelau Barrel Aged Stout Glass

Body is inky black, cola thin, with a ring of mocha head that leaves zero lacing.

Aroma is sweet dark fruits, chocolate, barrel char, and alcohol.

Taste is prunes, leather, Bourbon, tobacco, with a strong acidic alcohol finish

Mouthfeel is remarkably thin for a stout of this magnitude, but coating and then very dry

Overall this is a decent BBA Stout, but I was expecting more from a Catador Club exclusive release.
Oct 05, 2019
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Reviewed by Jeffo from Netherlands

3.47/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Got this one from desp a while back. Cheers!

From a 750 into a snifter
Bottled 8 August 2017
Stout brewed with Raspberries aged in bourbon barrels

APPEARANCE: Clear black pour yields a 2+ finger, medium looking, fizzy, tan head with good retention. Black body with touches of carbonation evident. Head eventually fades to a good, full wisp cap. Splotchy wisp and ring remain leaving touches of lacing on the glass as it empties.

SMELL: Some oak and bourbon for sure, with vanilla cream, milk chocolate aromas, as well as a dose of somewhat acidic raspberries.

TASTE: Bourbon, oak, vanilla cream and some light raspberry flavor up front. A good dose of alcohol at the swallow with a touch of acidity as well. Moves into a bold and boozy finish of bourbon, alcohol, vanilla cream, milk chocolate sweetness, red fruit and some raspberry acidity that lingers nicely.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Somewhat creamy on the palate, a touch prickly perhaps, goes down fine with a bit of a burn and finishes sticky. Some decent heat lingers.

OVERALL: This is alright I guess. The barrel character is nice and the fruit quality shows some class as well. The base beer had a bit too much acidity, which made it less attractive, but the barrel treatment here seems to have tamed that aspect enough to make it a more enjoyable drink. I wouldn’t say this is one of CCB’s better bourbon barrel stouts but it’s certainly got enough going for it to make it an enjoyable sipper. Check it out, especially if you’re into red fruit in your stouts. Thanks again, desp!
Mar 30, 2019
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Reviewed by macrosmatic from Florida

3.87/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Reviewed from (long-standing) notes. Poured from the 750mL bottle into an El Catador teku glass.

A: Very dark brown with just a tint of red around the edges, and opaque. Minimal visible carbonation, and a thin tan head that quickly fades to a ring of foam.

S: Bourbon, vanilla, and oak. Dark roasted malts and some chocolate, tobacco, and a dry roastiness. Not getting much fruitiness on the nose here, but otherwise nice enough.

T: Bourbon and roasted malts, oak and vanilla. Dark chocolate, sweet tobacco, some caramel. A light raspberry fruitiness (I guess), but it's fairly minimal. Some mild dry tannins and a fair amount of roastiness try to balance all the sweetness, but ultimately succumb. Chocolate and bourbon last in the hang.
NOTE: As it warms to nearly room temperature, I do get a little more of the raspberry fruitiness. I'm not certain it ended up adding a lot to the beer though.

M: A nice thick body overall, though maybe a little thin by Cigar City's (admittedly lofty) standards. The alcohol flavors seem integrated well, and low but as-expected carbonation go hand in hand with the sticky mouthfeel.

O: Well, it's significantly better than the base beer, but still not great. The raspberry flavor is nearly missing – though the base beer ended up tasting a bit like medicinal and syrupy raspberries to me, so perhaps I shouldn't complain about that too much (See note above as to changes when the beer warms). The chocolatey and bourbon flavors dominate, but are reasonably tasty.
Mar 24, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by FLBeerGuy from Florida

Dec 24, 2018
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Reviewed by ThickNStout from Georgia

4.02/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
750mL bottle acquired through th El Catador Club. Bottled 8/8/17. Served in a Cigar City teku. Enjoyed 7/1/18.

Pours oil black with two and a half fingers of tan head. Once the initial froth subsides only a thin halo remains.

Smells of berry jam, bourbon and chocolate.

Rich flavors of fudge, bourbon, raspberry, wet wood, caramel, some dark roast coffee and a slight alcohol bite.

Medium body with light carbonation. The aftertaste calls to mind burnt bourbon dipped raspberry truffles.

More El Catador barreled goodness from Cigar City. The base beer didn’t quite meet my expectations but Bourbon Barrel Aged Raspberry Halo has a sweetness and complexity that I enjoyed. Not something I’d personally seek out but definitely not something I’d pass up drinking again if offered.
Dec 12, 2018
 
Rated: 4.06 by 22Blue from Kansas

Nov 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by scottiethebody from California

Oct 23, 2018
 
Rated: 4.19 by BeerBeast from Florida

Aug 08, 2018
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Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida

3.31/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
750 mL bottle. Black body. Smells of strong bourbon. Some oak. Licorice and molasses. Tastes of bourbon up front and throughout. Acidic raspberry. Molasses and some roasted malt. Not that sweet. Heavy. Surprisingly drinkable, though. Not bad.
Jul 07, 2018
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.92/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Slappy black with a moderate, creamy matte brown head settling to a thin film with a creamy thick collar.

Smell is waxy, maple-esque oak with a dark, nutty and cocoa-forward malt that brings to mind Tootsie Roll, and an intriguing, barely popping hint of raspberry.

Thankfully this is a lot better than its base, which I found too medicinal. This has more Stout up front with a formidable bourbon oak presence. I'm getting prune, raisin and other dark fruits in the oak, and a mild bourbon flavor without the heat, as a chocolatey and nutty roasted malt is hit with a faint accent of sweet raspberry. Hints of molasses and maple arise as it warms.

The medium-full body has a soft, frothy carbonation, and a slightly stinging, semi-dry finish.
May 07, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by oline73 from Maryland

May 03, 2018
 
Rated: 4.04 by bb-magic from Florida

Apr 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.21 by Futbolmanby from Michigan

Apr 04, 2018
 
Rated: 4.3 by LloydDobler from Indiana

Mar 19, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by Kurmaraja from California

Feb 13, 2018
 
Rated: 4.08 by SFC21 from Florida

Feb 10, 2018
Photo of DVMin98
Reviewed by DVMin98 from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Deep brown color. Mild head. Smell is roasted malts and some raspberry fruit. Flavor is malts, chocolate, moderate barrel and raspberry. Unlike a lot of fruited stouts, the fruit is not over the top. Overall, this is pretty tasty.
Jan 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by imperialking from Illinois

Dec 25, 2017
Raspberry Halo - Bourbon Barrel-Aged from Cigar City Brewing
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 43 ratings