Bamburana
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew

BamburanaBamburana
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From:
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
12.2%
Score:
99
Avg:
4.48 | pDev: 5.58%
Reviews:
94
Ratings:
266
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 06, 2022
Added:
Nov 20, 2018
Wants:
  15
Gots:
  32
A collaboration with Cigar City brewing in Tampa, FL. This beer is an imperial stout aged in whiskey and brandy barrels with figs, dates and Amburana wood spirals.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by argock:
Photo of argock
Reviewed by argock from Virginia

4.26/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a clear glass snifter. 01/10/19 BLACK BETTY BAM-BUR-ANA

Black with 1-2 finger brown frothy head with decent retention but no lacing. Legs obvious however.

FIg, date, and rum raisin mixed creatively with pineapple, vanilla, coconut, and burnt caramel

Flavor is maltier than the aroma (which is hard to do) with date, rum raisin, toffee, burnt caramel, dark chocolate on the malt side with vanilla, pineapple, orange, coconut, and a general lively fruitiness from the barrel side throughout. Sweetness gets to be a bit much by the end.

Feel is a bit syrupy despite the attempt to provide more carbonation.

A really good beer that will be hard to replicate due to the unique barrel character. If they were to make it better, lighten it slightly and up the bitterness a touch to counteract the intense fruity, caramel sweetness which is really delicious.
Mar 17, 2019
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.98 by BMBCLT from South Carolina

Oct 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4.84 by Gipsy_Danger from Colorado

Jun 22, 2022
 
Rated: 4.33 by _derrr from California

Jan 31, 2021
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.88/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12 oz can from Homebrewstuff. Pours out a thick dark brown, small beige head. Aroma is chocolate, sweet, figs, hint of whiskey. Taste brings more sweetness from the figs and dates, chocolate, roasty flavors. Late warmth. Slick and slippery.
Jul 22, 2020
Photo of dr_lager
Reviewed by dr_lager from Washington

4.81/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
This is a bit out of my comfort zone. Very strong, thick, a bit treacly, and the taste is a really complex spicy, whiskey, figgy and fruity melange. Kind of like a Christmas pudding. Very, very good, but it didn't leave me wanting more than one.
Jul 01, 2020
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

4.56/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
12oz can. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with. good-sized, light brown head of foam. It smelled of whiskey, figs, spices, roasted malt and dark chocolate. Rich chocolate and molasses taste with fig, dates and spiciness from the amburana spirals.
May 24, 2020
 
Rated: 4.3 by Ajlvt from Washington

Apr 29, 2020
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.59/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
I am looking to close out the "Better Together" badge on sister site, Untappd. That one awards you one level per every five (5) collaboration beers that you check into. Right now, I am at 487 with this one as 488. Even better is that it furthers The CANQuest (tm)!

From the CAN: "A CANarchy CANlaboration"; "Barrel Aged Bamburana"; "Imperial Stout aged in whiskey and brandy barrels with figs, dates and Amburana wood spirals"; "A collaboration by Oskar Blues Brewery & Cigar City Brewing"; "CANs [-] Infinitely Recyclable"; "Both Barrels Blazing"; "Pack It In, Pack It Out"; "CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective".

OMFG! I Crack!ed open the vent & got a spritz across my fingertips for my troubles! The culprit was once again, a brimful craft CAN with nowhere for the tongue to go. 8=O I CANtinued as planned with a slow, gentle C-Line Glug since the hour was growing late & I did not want to deal with any potential mess. It foamed up to form two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-brown head, but it suddenly exhaled & fell like Wile E. Coyote off of a cliff! 8=O Color was stygian Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), not only allowing ZERO light penetration, but it was also sucking the light out of the room! 8=O Nose indicated that the brandy barrels had won the CANtest with the whiskey barrels, plus the fruits were no slouches, either. There were many times, as an underway sailor, that I subsisted solely on Fresh Fruit & Vegetables (FF&V) and figs & dates while in the Med were a special treat. The nose alone evoked a LOT of pleasant memories. Mouthfeel was big, thick & full, like a dollop had been scooped into my mouth & onto my tongue. The taste was a riot of dried dark fruit, chocolate, tobacco, cigars, brandy & light whiskey, all vying for superiority. Phew! I felt like I was punching above my weight class. I am SO glad that I grabbed one of these when it was originally released! One was plenty, since the finish was not only dry, but I felt like I had taken a punch to the solar plexus. Phew. What a gem. YMMV.
Mar 29, 2020
 
Rated: 4.41 by Dactrius from Netherlands Antilles

Mar 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.75 by NickThePyro from Washington

Mar 13, 2020
Photo of stortore
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois

4.4/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 ounce can into a snifter. Canned 1/10/19, had 2/21/19.

Pours dark, thick looking, mostly opaque, with little head and some specks of cling. Guessing that great, spicy aroma is the Amburana wood. Other aromas of brandy, chocolate, dates, some figs, malt, light whiskey- more as it warms, light molasses and char, oak, light licorice. Getting hints of coconut and cinnamon, too. Flavors of the Amburana wood, whiskey, brandy, chocolate, figs, dates, malt, oak, some molasses, light vanilla and licorice. Smooth, a solid full body, well carbonated.

The Amburana wood is clearly the star here, it gives off a terrific character. The figs and dates show really well also, and the barrels are solid contributors. One of the best collaboration beers I can remember.
Mar 12, 2020
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

4.57/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12 oz can with a January 2019 canning date stamp on the bottom. Revisited with same canning date in October 2020.
Pours near black with a decent tan head.
This is a delightful, lightly sweet, complex Imperial Stout. The mix of vanilla, bourbon, brandy, dark dried fruits, wood, and dark roasted grains is superb. Somehow there is a hint of coconut in the mix. The high ABV is not obvious in the aroma but only partially hidden in the flavor and feel.
REVISIT: With nearly two years of aging it may still be improving.
Feb 29, 2020
Photo of Barettes
Reviewed by Barettes from Washington

4.72/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Found a lonely old can in a bottle shop and scooped it up. 13 months old. There's something odd in the aroma, but feel and taste are fantastic. Smooth and creamy chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, fig and similar dark fruits, brandy, tobacco, apple, vanilla, an odd woody taste I'll assume is the amburana.
Complex and interesting flavors. Super creamy feel. It's great at this age, hope to find it fresh some day.
Feb 22, 2020
Photo of CanConPhilly
Reviewed by CanConPhilly from Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
L - 2-finger stubborn hazelnut head atop a pitch black body.

S - vanilla, molasses, dark candy, chocolate, oak. Love the nose.

T - so much chocolate and vanilla! Tastes like an adult milkshake, with booze inserting itself only slightly mid-sip. I love the effect of the barrels here. Dark fruit, ancient wood, molasses, coconut, expensive wine. Low bitterness. Moderate-low sweetness. Moderate-low booziness.

F - medium-full body with appropriate carb.

O - I love everything about this beer.
Feb 16, 2020
Photo of SierraNevallagash
Reviewed by SierraNevallagash from Maine

4.48/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Huge thanks to Donnie for giving me this huge personal want that was unavailable in my state.

12oz can - dated 01/10/19 - poured into an 8oz short stem at cellar temp (55ish)

Pours a used motor oil/molasses brown, sitting midnight black in the glass with absolutely zero light penetration. Half a finger of loose, fizzy, deep brown head forms before quickly fizzing out to a still top and a thin collar of foam. Sparse spots of lacing are deposited after a swirl in the glass. 4.5

Nose: Right from the start, it is quite clear that this isn't just a typical bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout. There is a lot going on here. Classic straightforward imperial stout roasty malts - no added coffee, no added chocolate - just deep roasty malt, with no overly charry or acrid ashen notes, and a suggestion of bittersweet cocoa. Next comes the brandy barrel, which I find to dominate the bourbon barrel a bit. Sweet, warm, oaky brandy with undertones of caramel, fruitcake, vanilla bean, French oak spice, raisin, red dessert wine/concentrated wine grape, Pedro Ximenez sherry, and complex mature Armagnac notes. There is a hint of sweet brown sugar and oaky, dusty bourbon underneath the brandy characteristics. An absolute explosion of dark fruit, with notes of blueberry, dates, fig, prune, cherry, raisin, and even a bit of dried pear and dried papaya in the mix. The Amburana wood is immediately and surprisingly evident, with these complex, unfamiliar spice notes. There is definitely a big suggestion of cinnamon, as well as some freshly shaved nutmeg, cardamom, black licorice, and star anise. There are wood spice notes I simply cannot describe, and they're so unique and I have nothing to compare it to. Tahitian vanills bean, and with s deep inhale, there's a faint note of cinnamon waffles. So incredibly unique, and that Amburana wood is not at all hidden. 4.5

Palate: The beer greets the palate with an immediate sweetness, which is quite full, bordering on dessert, but not cloying or syrupy. That brandy barrel once again does not shy away, and lends all the same traits as is does in the aroma, plus a little bit of warm, sweet spirit character. The Amburana wood is front and centre, opening with an explosion of Vietnamese cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, vanilla bean, cedar, Turkish tobacco, and more spicy, woody flavours that cannot be explained. Again, following the nose, a huge dark fruit presence lending blueberry, maraschino cherry, fresh honey-drizzled fig, madjool dates, prune, fresh plum, and sundried raisin. Deep roast lends a dusting of cocoa, cacao nib, and Turkish coffee, with a little extra roast from the charred bourbon barrels. Never is the beer charry, acrid, ashen, or bitter from heavy roast, as it's just balanced enough to lend that drying roasty depth, without becoming bitter charcoal or burned in any way. The wood spice and dark fruit lead into this roast, which sets up the finish, very slowly drying out the rich sweetness, and lingering on and on with basically subtle notes of everything the beer opened up with, the Amburana spirals holding strong throughout the ridiculously long finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel/Body: The beer is absolutely full- bodied and rich. It may lack the seriously fudgy texture of some big heavy hitter stouts, but it still has plenty of heft, viscosity, and little bit of chew in its slick, rich, decadent body. Effervescence is fine and fuzzy, and impressively present for a barrel-aged stout of this calibre. Medium-low carb, not even close to being flat, or even lacking. The finish has drying properties, but this is a big, sweet, sticky beer. 4.25

Overall: I've wanted to get my hands on this for about a year now. While there was no real hype surrounding this beer, I knew I had to have it, as everything about it sounded like it would be right up my alley. It does not at all disappoint, even in the slightest. The brandy barrel presence is forward and really helps set the barrel-aged tone, and I could not have hoped for more from the Amburana addition. The insanely complex spice notes alongside cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg take this beer to a whole other level, as do the incredibly forward dark fruit notes bringing such a unique blueberry flavour to the mix. You could sell this as a Mexican Hot Cocoa stout with blueberries, and if you slapped a hypey name onto it, this would be in high demand. What an incredible beer. 4.25
Feb 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Jan 31, 2020
 
Rated: 4.77 by Asics from Washington

Jan 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.64 by BirdsandHops from Oregon

Jan 24, 2020
 
Rated: 5 by DISKORD from South Carolina

Jan 16, 2020
Bamburana from Oskar Blues Grill & Brew
Beer rating: 99 out of 100 with 266 ratings