Goliat Bourbon Oak Chips
To Øl

 

 

 

 

 

Got this one from some shop in Maastricht. Thanks to The Man for recommended the place to me. Cheers!

From a 375cl bottle into a snifter
Bourbon Oak Chips Edition

APPEARANCE: Clear light brown pour yields a huge, four finger, thicker, creamier looking light tan head with great retention. Clear bistre brown body with no carbonation evident. Head retains like a champ. Eventually fades to a think wisp and leaves some decent lacing down the glass. Color is a little light and the head a little too big.

SMELL: Oak, boozy alcohol and plenty of wood on the nose. Notes of leather as well. Stronger nose but not all that interesting.

TASTE: Oak, wood and some booze up front. Pretty alcoholic for the ABV. Some more oak and wood at the swallow with a bold and boozy finish of alcohol, woody flavors, some red wine, oddly enough, and sharper whisky. A bit of a yeasty quality as well. Not really all it was hoped to be.

PALATE: Thinner body and higher levels of carbonation. A little light on the palate, goes down rather foamy with a decent burn at the swallow and finishes somewhat mouth-coating. A good deal of heat lingers.

OVERALL: A lack-luster To Ol. This reminds me that oak chipping is not nearly the same as barrel aging. These guys are usually top notch in the beer department, but this one is not nearly up to speed. I’ll assume this was a one-off mishap and will try other things these guys make, but unfortunately this is a rather big disappointment. Skip this one and try something else.

 

Jet black with nice hazelnut colored lacing. The smell is full of coffee, bourbon, malt and wood. I know it is oak, but feel more robust than normal oak, and some char too. Taste is bitter and dark to match bittersweet dry and heavy body. Great in the heart of winter

Pours black with a finger of khaki foam forming after an aggressive pour of ~6oz straight into a glass. Head retention is good. Aroma is bourbon, with a light boozy heat to it. That booziness (although minute) muffles the coffee and roasted and toasted malts underneath. Fortunately, there is a bit of coffee, chocolate, and roasted and toasted malts working through. Clean oak note as well. Flavor profile is more centered on coffee, and roasted and toasted malts. Coffee is medium-roast, with a bold, and lightly bitter and acidic bite. It has a fleshy oak, and char taste that becomes more apparent at the finish. Bourbon is light at the onset, but heats up a bit as the beer finishes, although it never comes off as boozy or overpowering. Mouth feel is a touchy fizzy, which breaks up the otherwise velvety feel landing it more on the harsh side of the spectrum. It has a medium feeling. Overall, bourbon and oak are present in this otherwise fair coffee stout. Good execution, allowing each piece of the beer to shine.

Served in a 12oz snifter from a 375mL bottle. NBS review side-by-side with Sherry Oak Chip version.

Dark black brew. Head production is very strong, easily topping 2 1/2 fingers of dense, dark tan foam after the second pour. Tremendous lacing.

Everything you'd expect on the nose, albeit slightly restrained: bourbon, white oak, roasted barley, brown sugar. A bit of ash, and a hint of sour grapes.

Hits all the right notes on the palate, although the balance is quite different than for a BBA brew (vice one which uses oak chips soaked in bourbon). For example, the balance between oak and bourbon is completely swapped, with sweet mash notes providing a minor accent, and woody white oak given a more prominent role. Other flavors making an appearance include brown sugar (in particular on the finish), red grapes, just a hint of char, and tons of bitter, coffee-like roast. The coffee notes blend imperceptibly into the malt bill.

Full-bodied and nearly chewy. This brew shows its double digit ABV without becoming burdened by it.

A really excellent brew. I don't favor soaked oak chips to barrel aging, but it definitely works here.