Twelve Gauge Imperial Stout (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
Payette Brewing

 

 

 

Black tinged with brown under half a finger of head. Aroma foreshadows a fairly sweet experience, lots of chocolate, hints of banana, walnut, and malt balls. Good whiskey heat and spice, with a bit of barrel oak but not a ton. The sweet flavors suggest more syrupy texture than is actually delivered on the mouthfeel, which at times comes across fairly thin, with some sips starting out feeling a little watered down.

i know this has changed quite a bit from year to year depending on the barrels, how its blended out, and even maybe some base beer tweaks, not totally sure on that, but most recent vintage of this is very solid, lots of whiskey character and richness and depth of flavor. they do a lot of versions of this beer too, a new one each year at least, but it really needs to adjuncts for me. my critique i guess is that its a little sweeter than it needs to be, hangs on the tongue and teeth and has neither the body nor the bitter low end roast to necessitate or tolerate that level of residual sugar, its too much, and it slows me down a lot more than the alcohol does, which is real well disguised here. more brown than black in the glass, no real head from the tap, a slightly syrupy texture in the absence of much carbonation, but still not as full feeling as it could be despite the look. the aroma and flavor hint at brown sugar and molasses, a good amount of chocolate malt, some nice barrel char and vanilla and whiskey character, mature and woody, simple in many ways, warms up well though, and i get tobacco and raisin as it sits. it could be better balanced with more from the dark barley, more bitterness as counterpoint to the sweet, but if you like them barrel forward and not annoyingly big, this is a good pick. i think i liked the straight up this year better than the creme brulee variant they also dropped this weekend!

 

Got this from rutger this past summer. Cheers, man!

From a bomber into a snifter
Vintage: 2017

APPEARANCE: Transparent dark brown pour yields a 1+ finger, looser, fizzy, light tan head with okay retention. Head quickly fizzes down to a thin wisp and then just a ring. Clear black body with no real carbonation evident. Slight ring remains until the end leaving some falling lacing down the glass as it empties.

SMELL: Decent nose of whisky, woody aromas, vanilla cream and coconut, milk chocolate and butterscotch on the nose. Solid.

TASTE: Bourbon, wood flavors, butterscotch, toffee and vanilla cream up front. Flavorful with plenty of sweetness at the swallow. A decent finish of whisky, wood, butterscotch and toffee sweetness, some vanilla cream, milk chocolate and a touch of bitter coffee as well. Some hints of alcohol and plenty of sweetness linger long after the swallow.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Semi-creamy on the palate, goes down fine and finishes somewhat sticky. A bit of alcohol lingers.

OVERALL: This is okay. The barrel is a little generic and somewhat woody, but it has some good qualities to it as well. The look is a little lighter than hoped too, so there’s probably not enough roasted grain in the base. This would explain the lack of roasted and bitter flavors as well. Still, this is enjoyable and well worth checking out if you’re into this style. Thanks again, rutger! Always a pleasure.

 

22 oz bottle poured into snifter/tulip glass.

A: Slightly off white Soapy head that settles quickly. body is a decent black/brown with just a little light getting through.

S: Lots of Cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, smells a lot like graham crackers and a little bourbon.

T: the bourbon shines through with soft hints of cinnamon, chocolate, and vanilla, maybe just a hint of spice on the end.

M: Soft feel a little alcohol slickness, but a little thin.

O: This beer is quite amazing. the bourbon is so well integrated in this beer and the cinnamon and vanilla really meld well. The beer finishes with a little heat, I wish the pepper was more prevalent in the flavor.

Thanks Toby for this 2013 bottle! Pours a pitch black, small head of tan foam, bits of lacing.

Big caramel and sweet chocolate notes up front, some oxidation that presents itself as Port like character reminiscent of an aged English Old Ale or Barleywine. Wow. Bourbon is mild and not obtrusive.

The taste backs up everything I said aboot the smell and that, I find, glorious. I have had a few Imperial Stouts that went that way in the past with significant aging.

Full bodied, light carbonation. Dang, this is good!

 

 

Appearance- The beer poured a deep black color with mocha bubbles crowning the glass.

Smell - Light booze and raisin bread come through in the nose.

Taste - Booze, raisins, and fresh breads dominate the initial taste. Cinnamon is nicely balanced. Unlike the original, there is no heat. Raisins linger in the aftertaste, and bourbon does not overwhelm.

Mouthfeel- The beer is sticky, but not sticky sweet.

Overall - Barrel aging mutes the characteristics that make the original great.

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Bottle dated 2013. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin light brown head that dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, light bourbon and chocolate, lightly nutty. Flavor is dark toasted malt, licorice, mild chocolate, bourbon with hints of raisins and plums. Finishes with bourbon, raisins and light oak. Medium bodied; a bit light for the style. A nice tasting bourbon barrel aged stout. Not too complex, but does have the mild fruit notes and the malt supports the bourbon quite well. A 2013 dated bottle that apparently just showed up in the Seattle market. Don't know if the brewery just released some of this or if it's another example of our fine beer distribution system, which often takes months to deliver beer from a distance that can be travelled in a few hours. Either way, this has aged well, and is reasonably mellow with no oxidation. I'll watch for a newer example to try, but happy with this one.

2012 vintage had at annual Black Friday event. This one smooths out with age, with the barrel aging accents increasing to add emphasis to the solid RIS body. Heavy on the wood, elements of chocolate and roast grains, with tons of warmth from the ABV. have bottles from 2014 and 2015 to sample at a later date.

Very average. Little disappointed I spent $14 on it. More like an $8 or $9 stout. Thought it was really thin for the style.