Tombstone Reserve
Lonerider Brewing Company

16 oz can, 2015 vintage, from the Wall of Beer (Clemson, SC). Served in an wn Ottakringer mug.

A: Pours black-brown; opaque in the mug; a proper size creamy tan head exhibits very good retention and leaves fine lacing.

Aroma: dark roasted grains and cocoa, with notes of rye, coffee, vanilla, faint wood and a hint of bourbon. Subtly complex and well balanced.

Flavor: character follows the aroma but is a little bolder and less spicy (rye) than the nose. Dark roasted grains and chocolate dominate; notes of mild black coffee, rye spicing, faint wood and bourbon, and toffee. Mildly bitter.

Medium-full body with medium-light carbonation. Very smooth

Overall: a well-crafted stout with light-handed bourbon/oak treatment.

 

 

 

 

2015 vintage. Poured from a tallboy can and served in a snifter, the beer is jet black, with a tall, dense, creamy, dark tan head. Aromas of cream forward, bitter roasted coffee, and a spicy grain backbone, with subtle highlights of vanilla and oak. Very balanced nose. Flavors of smooth coffee and woody notes forward, with highlights of coca nib, cream, and spiced toasted grains. The rye is smoothed out and softened up a bit by the oak aging. Smooth, creamy bodied, but light throughout. The aftertaste is rich and bitter coffee and cream, with subtle char and woody highlights. Very balanced throughout. The finish is soft and smooth, with a cocoa and coffee linger. Very nice, with a lot of subtle intricacies and layers.

16oz can from Sprayberry Bottle Shop (Marietta, GA). 5.99. 2015 vintage, no canning date. Served in a Clown Shoes snifter.

Pours a deep, near black brown with just over two fingers of fluffy pale khaki head. Before long only a thin halo is left, depositing a few sizeable clumps of lace.

Smells roasty with notes of cocoa, weak coffee, vague wood and a hint of bourbon. Not terribly impressive.

The flavor is more if the same from the nose. Lots of chocolate malt up front, roasted grain, cold black coffee, a little spice, wet wood, burnt caramel and watered down bourbon.

Thin body with active carbonation. Finishes with more roasty malts, weak coffee and some dark cocoa.

Lonerider has presented a decent stout in Tombstone Reserve but it lacks heft. They chose wisely to add soaked oak rather than barrel aged because I'm relatively sure this could not stand up to time in a spirits barrel.

A: Dark black in color with a deep tan head on top.

S: Chocolate malt with some nice roasty notes. Some fairly mild vanilla and oak notes.. The aroma is subtle, but pleasant.

T: Chocolate with some vanilla and oak notes. Decent amount of bitterness coming out in an earthy way. I feel like the flavor is fairly light, but considering this is not an Imperial stout, I think that it works.

M: Medium in body, with moderately high carbonation. Some creaminess in the finish.

O: Overall it is a pretty good beer, but I think the barrel aging is a bit of a loss, this beer could be good without it, and I don't think the aging lends itself to this particular beer. Also the price point is very high for a lower abv beer, where the barrel flavor is somewhat minimal. This would be brilliant at half the cost. I've been impressed by this brewery's other offerings, and this was bit of a let down for me.

Note: as the beer warms the barrel flavor does increase, and seems to add a noticeable mellow flavor to the brew. Let it sit out for a bit.