Bourbon Barrel Coffee Stout
The Farmers' Cabinet

pours dark black with tight light brown head. Nose is huge coffee, clean and roasty. Some creamy chocolate cake and note of vanilla with just a faint hint of bourbon in back. The flavor is similar, the coffee is bright an roasty with notes of rich chocolate and vanilla. There is a faint touch of bourbon and heat in back. The body is a touch thin in the finish, very creamy feel to it, slightly dry and well carbonated. Very bright integrated flavors but just a touch thin, strong coffee forward.

On tap, at the Farmer’s Cabinet (Philadelphia, PA) on 12/16/11. Served in a goblet.

Pours black/deeper brown, with a ½ finger of rich darker mocha colored head. This maintains some creamy edges, throwing up a rich cascade of robust spotty lacing. The aroma smells of fresh ground coffee, with the acidity of the roast working nicely with the burnt tannins of the wood on the edges. Coffee, chocolate, citrus, and vanilla all give the nose a flavorful smelling core and I like the way the bourbon is very complimentary to this. Just hanging on the edges and not interrupting any of that delicious smelling coffee character.

That coffee is still right out there here in the taste, with the initial aggressiveness of it being muted out a bit on the edges by the notes from the bourbon barrel. Like the nose, it’s that base Coffee Stout flavors of roast, chocolate, toffee, green citrus, and then some vanilla from the barrel that mixes in, which really makes this work. The finish is dry and oaky with the lingering bitterness of the roast sticking to the tongue a bit. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe a little fuller, and quite sharp on the tongue before getting much creamier feeling as this expands out into the mouth. That initial prickliness really helps draw the roasted flavors out of this. The alcohol is decently hid overall and mostly comes from the bourbon flavor here that sticks in the finish.

I like how this came off, being mostly a straight-up robust Coffee Stout with more of a complimentary angle to it from that bourbon barrel. The barrel isn’t overpowering in any way, keeping the focus on that base Stout while working in sweet vanilla and then a lightly charred bourbon finish. I’m not sure if this was the absolute intention with this beer but it sure worked for me.

At the Farmers' Cabinet.

A: The stout is a beauty, deep and dark. Nothing gets through the body. A tan head, varying from 1/2 to a finger on different pours, lasts for the first few sips.

S: The nose, oh the sumatra coffee. I jumped in expecting more bourbon than coffee but quickly was set straight. This stout stresses the coffee, a cold addition, with the bourbon only adding supporting vanilla aromas. Damn though, the coffee is very good.

T: The coffee, so intense and flavorful that is suffices for my daily fix. It transitions nicely into the roasted chocolate stout base, the two flavors together quite a combination. Bourbon is present, in a supporting role, adding a sweet vanilla flavor into the coffee stout mix. The low alcohol, and this really pleased me, made me go back (I both could and did) for a few glasses. Plenty of coffee, sweet chocolate stout, and just enough bourbon to lead a vanilla finish. Easily the best of the day.

M: Smooth and sweet, the stout's coffee side brings plenty of java goodness. Very well done.

Pours pitch black with a one finger beige head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Sporadic streaks and spots of lace left behind.

Deep roasted malt aroma that's bursting forth with freshly ground gourmet coffee bean.  Some dry toasted wood but very faint on the bourbon.  Nice that it's not just a booze bomb in the nose.  Hints of dark chocolate, toast and oatmeal.

Medium bodied but a bit thinner than expected with a prominent roasted coffee presence that lingers over the dark malts and subtle barrel character into a dry finish. Lots of roasted coffee bean but not harsh or acrid.  There's also bitter dark chocolate, burnt toast and oatmeal.  As it warms the barrel is more prominent with lots of dry toasted oak and subtle sweet bourbon.  The coffee flavor is allowed to shine with subtle bourbon notes.  Delicately bozzy with little heat.   A decent balance of booze, roast and sweet but could use more silky malt and more bourbon flavor.