Sextant - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Ballast Point Brewing Company

On tap at ballast point

Dense pencil thin creamy taupe foam layer over dark brown liquid

Aroma of coffee, roast malts , bourbon

Taste is roast malts , coffee

No carbonation, flat beer , roast malt taste lingers but doesn’t bite

Nice beer

On tap at the Tap and Mallet in Rochester, NY.

This one took forever to pour, with a very black body, a 3 inch foamy head, and a good amount of lacing.

This smells off, slightly sour, with stale coffee, and a bit of coffee.

I definitely think there is something off with this. I'm not going to scream "infection," but something is definitely wrong. It tastes prickly, due to the intensely high level of carbonation, and a vinegary, tangy sourness. There is some light, stale tasting coffee, and a bit of chocolate. But the off flavors definitely overwhelm everything else.

The carbonation on this is way too high, making it hard to drink. It's fairly light bodied.

I'd like to try this again, but it's hard to drink now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On-tap at Barcade into a goblet. Reviewed from notes.

A: Black body, thin tan head that turns into a ring. Ok.

S: Bourbon and vanilla jump out, with some delicate chocolate underneath. Solid, but a little tame.

T: Everything's here: bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, molasses, dark fruit - but somehow it's just too weak to be impressive. The bourbon finish is delicious, but it's just underpowered.

M: Fairly light and frothy, but not offensively so.

O: I reviewed this without knowing its extremely modest ABV, and I think I was expecting the base beer to be an RIS rather than just a simple oatmeal stout. Now that I see what I was actually dealing with, I've bumped its Taste score up half a point. It was a really nice, complex, mellow beer that did a great job integrating barrel and base. Highly recommended.

Cheers!

I had a glass of this at Pinnochio's in Media. Served in a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy dark brown with a finger of tan head that leaves a ring around the edge of the pour.

Smell: Sweet roast along with some smoke, dark chocolate notes, and some mild bourbon.

Taste: This is a very smooth BA stout. Roasty dark chocolate with some mild smoke and smooth bourbon. The finish is roasty and slightly bitter. Goes to show that you can tastefully age a lower abv beer.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with just a tingle of carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: This is a very tastefully done BA beer. The flavors all mixed very well. I would definitely have it again.

 

 

 

 

Served a little too cold and I forgot to ask for plenty of head, which may acount for why it had almost none. Benefit of the doubt. Tiny bit of lace. Inside ring is tan. Color is an opaque pitch brown black. Aroma is malt, butterscotch, malt, roast, toast, sour. Flavor’s very similar to nose; sweet is up front, but not over done, then the butterscotch, sour, carbonic tang, malt, roast, etc. Body is good and gets better as it warms, carbonation good too. Finish is like flavor ( not a fan of butterscotch), little alcohol warmth, and fairly long. Could be classified as dry stout for sour, but at same time it’s fairly sweet. soooo.... don’t sue me.

 

 

On tap at Ballast Point's Barrel Aged Day

A: Black with a 1/2 finger mocha colored head.

S: Tons of freshly ground coffee and chocolate. I haven't smelled anything like this since KBS. Really great smell.

T: Buzzkill! I was expecting a lot after smelling this one, but the mouthfeel is way light and the flavors just don't cut it for me. Some dark chocolate and maybe a touch of the bourbon barrel, but it seemed like this one needed way more time in the barrel. Alright, but not one of the better barrel aged beers they make.

Big booze barrel taste greets the tongue. Lovely dark stout color with a line of tan foam. Fairly light body but sweet and woody. Tangy and fruity-- maybe pomegranate and a hint of dates. Not so much vanilla but plenty of bourbon flavor. Not overdosed at all. Decent carbonation adds to the fun.

Sensationally drinkable and nice to have the barrel flavors in a non-RIS beer. Great nose of Jim Beam, and then I think of Jimmy Buffet and "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean." Ballast Point rules!

03/13/2013 update: Had a couple tasters of this at the Ballast Point tap. Surprising nose of vinegar and a sourish sensation that dominates the initial taste. Seems to have been fermented to the end of the line but with a little syrupy sweetness remaining. Otherwise it seems well on the way to becoming a barrel aged sour.

On Tap

Ballast Point
San Diego, CA

Almost black with a very thin light brown head--dots of lace left on the glass.

Roasted malt and some chocolate, along with a bit of sweet and earthy vanilla. The bourbon barrel characteristics are faint, but present.

Simple and tasty stout made far more delicious and complex from the barrel aging process. The wood, earth, and vanilla notes lay underneath the bitter chocolate, mild coffee, and balanced roast character. Delicious, and incredibly drinkable.

Medium mouthfeel with ample carbonation.

A niche-filling beer if there ever was one, and a delicious one at that. Finally, a sessionable bourbon barrel aged stout. See? Dreams really do come true!

10/24/2011

On tap at Home Brew Mart.

A: Near black with a finger of tan foam.

S: Toasted oats blend with moderately roasted grains and chocolate. There's a little caramel and bourbon with a whisper of vanilla.

T: Coffee and oatmeal with green wood and bourbon notes. I get caramel and a little vanilla with baker's chocolate. Roasted notes are restrained. Upper low bitterness.

M: Upper moderate to lower high body with moderate carbonation.

Overall: This was blended with a portion of fresh non barrel aged Sextant so the barrel character is restrained, but it's still a nice beer. I could drink a lot of this.