Rivertucky 2014 Reserve Series - Imperial Stout Aged In Oak Bourbon Barrels
Inland Empire Brewing Company

 

Bottle #477 of 1,000 (NOT 10,000)

Pours a solid black/brown with a fast fading khaki head.

Nose is very assertive sweet boozy chocolate with hints of molasses, vanilla, and caramel. Really pleasant and inviting. There is a black plum quality to the nose that great.

Mouth feel is creamy and half and half like with light carbonation and a richness. Unfortunately, the nice mouthfeel is overshadowed by the flavor profile and finish.

Flavors are assertive and complex. Unfortunately, the flavors are not appealing. There is an initial hit sweet and bitter that your brain likes and then immediately it goes to charcoal and dirty ashtray. There is a "stale" quality to this and a dull bitter that is not appealing in a stout that you expect to be rich, coffee and chocolaty. Flavors don't follow nose, which is great.

Finish is bitter, sour, smokey ash.

bottle 192 of 10000

The best thing about this beer was the GREAT PACKAGING after that only the smell was above par everything else simply put was very below par.

 

22 bottle poured into a brandy snifter

A: Black with a mocha colored head, some minor lacing, head has some big bubbles in it, looks pretty thin, not a lot of carbonation.

A: Getting some bourbon on the nose, slight oak aroma, no alcohol, slight vanilla, not much on the smell.

T: Not getting much bourbon, there is a really strange off flavor right up front, it's a very oaky, grassy, earthy flavor, not good. Needs more bourbon, chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, vanilla, not good at all.

M: Very thin, watery.

O: The beer's strength is it's aroma, besides that, not much here, there is a strange oaky, grassy earthy flavor that is way off the mark. In my opinion, if a brewer ages a beer in bourbon barrels, the bourbon needs to shine and this doesn't. Very disappointed as I bought two bottles at $20 each, it's a mess. Not much bourbon, I definitely will not buy this again.

 

On tap at Newhall Refinery in Newhall, CA.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa powder, vanilla, bourbon, and wood aromas. Taste is much the same with char, earth, burnt cocoa, bourbon, and wood flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roast and wood bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with solid bourbon qualities all around, but there is an acrid element that diminishes the drinkability a bit for me.

Serving type: on tap.

Medicinal. Very thin for the style and ABV.

 

Bottle #70 of 1000.

Pours very dark brown (not quite black). The very faint tan head quickly disappears completely and leaves no lace.

The smell is of dark chocolate, toasted coconut, pipe tobacco and sweet bourbon.

The taste is of bitter dark chocolate, dark fruit, bourbon and an herbal oak aftertaste.

The texture is heavy bodied with almost no carbonation.

A solid bourbon barrel stout. Feels a little thin in texture for the style.