Mala Vida Bourbon
Companyia Cervesera del Montseny

Mala Vida BourbonMala Vida Bourbon
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From:
Companyia Cervesera del Montseny
 
Spain
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,538
ABV:
11%
Score:
90
Ranked #10,457
Avg:
4.04 | pDev: 9.65%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
28
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 08, 2022
Added:
Mar 07, 2016
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  4
No description / notes.
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Ratings by GRFounder:
Photo of GRFounder
Rated by GRFounder from Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Mar 23, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.7/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
RateBeer European Summer Gathering 2016 in Barcelona. On tap at NaparBCN. Black colour. Roasty aroma and flavour with notes of bourbon and vanilla. Okay.
Dec 08, 2022
Photo of BEERMILER12
Reviewed by BEERMILER12 from Maine

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Pours a near pitch black color with 2 fingers of head that fades down to a thin cap

S: Roasted malt, bourbon, vanilla, oak, dark chocolate, caramel, and some dark fruit and anise

T: Starts off with a mix of roasted malt, bourbon, coffee, oak, and dark chocolate. Picks up some lighter dark fruit, leather, and more oak. Finishes with lingering roast and leather

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. On the dry side

O: A good, simple BA stout that makes for a nice sipper. Nothing new or different going on here. Take it or leave it
May 24, 2021
 
Rated: 3.03 by OregonGrown7 from Oregon

Nov 26, 2020
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

2.92/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Mala Vida from Companyai Cervesera del Montseny. $ 12.49 (Including shipping)/11.2 oz bottle ($ 1.115/oz). From Craftshack, San Diego, CA. Received 9/21/20. Reviewed 10/8/20.
Stamped on neck label “Batch No. 14-09-22”. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 45 degrees (Per label instructions) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 53 degrees.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Brown (SRM 20), hazy.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When held to direct light, black but precipitate shows.
Head – Miniscule (Maximum three mm, aggressive center pour), fawn, initially fizzy but quickly settles to medium density, incredibly short retention, diminishing to a one mm crown and a thin tiny island.
Lacing – None – not unexpected at 11% ABV.
Aroma – 3.5 – Sweet, roasted malt and candi sugar. No hops, no yeast, no bourbon.
Flavor – 2.5 - Begins with lactic acid and a bit of char. No hops, no yeast. No alcohol (11% ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. A bit of gastric warming occurs.
Palate – 3 – Medium, slightly syrupy, nearly flat.
Final impression and summation: 3 Nasty. This is a pricey drain pour.
Oct 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by Chico1985 from Massachusetts

Jul 28, 2020
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Rated by pathman from Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
06/28/20 bottle @ home
Jun 28, 2020
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.07/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours brownish black with a light brown foam ring. Smell and taste are exactly the same: leading tobacco, bourbon, earthy malt, leather, with supporting black strap molasses, soil, wet wood, and chickory. Refined bite in the flavoring, but does not finish strong enough with the barrel to reach the highest heights. Feel is chewy, warm, thick, earthy and leathery, barrel presence is there but not powerfully. This one is clearly stout first then barrel, and is well done in that way, but could define the elements more with just a touch more toward the barrel on the spectrum or more malt diversity.
Feb 27, 2020
Photo of Humanusfermentum
Reviewed by Humanusfermentum from Virginia

4.39/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Black as night pour, with a thin, oily, tan head. Enticing nose of chocolate, dark fruit (figgy), wood and alcohol. Exceptional taste profile. Chocolate and dark cherries up front, followed by coffee, vanilla, molasses, and bourbon. A slightly peppery note in the finish. Thick, rich and smooth. Superb stout.
Jun 09, 2019
 
Rated: 4.22 by stephenlee from England

Mar 31, 2019
Photo of OlaB
Reviewed by OlaB from Norway

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a oily black color with a medium top of dark-brown head that dissolves quickly. Aroma is of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, wood, cocoa, vanilla and molasses.
The taste is slightly sweet with strong roasted malty notes. I sense coffee and dark chocolate but also some sweet notes of bourbon and vanilla in the flavour. The finish has some slight bitterness and a good strenght and lenght in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is creamy ,oily and smooth with a medium carbonation and a full body.
A really delicious imperial stout. Very enjoyable. To be enjoyed slowly.
Dec 31, 2018
 
Rated: 3.94 by desint from Belgium

Dec 16, 2018
Photo of ASoftMachineMan
Reviewed by ASoftMachineMan from Florida

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Look: Pours jet black with visible viscosity, forms body of the same. Phone flashlight completely blocked out by opaque body. Half-finger brown head which rapidly dissipates to very thin lacing.

Smell: Woody and boozy, not very complex. Mild smoke in the very back of the nostrils.

Taste: Thankfully more complex than the nose with heavy bourbon notes, black coffee, a mild tartness (think sweet tarts or nerds candy) some dark red fruit on the middle of the tongue.

Feel: Surprisingly, perhaps shockingly light with its heavy body cut substantially by very heavy carbonation and the tartness on the palate. Some syrup left on the tongue, but it's still disconcertingly light for an imp. stout.

Overall: An odd but enjoyable stout, however, others have done the same style better and for less of a pricetag in most areas. However, I will commend them for not allowing the bourbon to totally overwhelm the rest of the beer.
Oct 19, 2018
 
Rated: 3.78 by tbryan5 from Louisiana

Jun 28, 2018
Photo of janubio
Reviewed by janubio from Spain

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a black colour, with a smell brown head that fades quickly, leaving a ring that sticks to the glass. Not much lace, but it sticks to the glass too. Aroma of chocolate, coffee,vanilla, prunes, molasses, pepper. Barrel is subtle, in the background. Medium to full body, thick creamy texture, carbonation is OK. Taste of chocolate, prunes, licorice,pepper, coffee. Again, barrel is subtle. You know that its veroy alcoholic, but it doesn't seem that much. Another great Mala Vida from Montseny.
May 14, 2018
Photo of Vidblain
Reviewed by Vidblain from Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I picked Mala Vida up without doing any research, and then cringed a bit when I got home and finally did so - but hey, I feel like I need to delve a bit more in to Spanish beers. No regrets regarding Mala Vida at least.

Mala Vida pours a very dark, oily brown-black, with minimal light brown head. It immediately smells a bit boozy and hoppy. The taste is similar, layered with bourbon notes. The barrel doesn't seem to be terribly present, but there is a mild dry presence that I am assuming is the barrel.

I like this well enough - it's quite complex and layered. It surprises me that it's so widely panned by Spaniards. Regional preferences, perhaps?
Jan 03, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Aug 21, 2017
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Rated by OompaMentor from Georgia

4.56/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Very solid beer from Spain; Shelton Brothers 8/18/17
Aug 20, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by MTKATL from Georgia

Aug 20, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Aug 20, 2017
Mala Vida Bourbon from Companyia Cervesera del Montseny
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 28 ratings