Bo & Luke
Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks good, smell is pretty average, nothing standing out, booze and roasty malts. Flavor, well it's a damned good beer. Chocolate, Coffee, smoke, booze, oak, marshmallow, sweet roasty malts. Good mouthfeel, could use more heft. Overall, yeah, great beer. I'm digging the smoke trend in stouts lately.

 

 

This one was an extra in an in person trade with zid! I appreciate it man, I love smoked beers in any capacity, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a smoked stout, so I’m excited for this one. A big old RIS is perfect for this freezing night as well, so let’s just crack it open

Pours nearly pitch black with 2 fingers of dark brown head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

There’s not all that much smoke going on in the nose here, more of just a typical RIS roast. I’m picking up on aromas of dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, toasted malt, char, sweet caramel, light oak, and raisin

Oh man, the smoke is way more hefty in taste, adding a really nice vibe on the latter half. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting rich toffee, dark chocolate, smoked oak, medium roast coffee, brown bread, and caramel. The swallow brings notes of cherry wood smoke, rich caramel, earthy hops, toffee, rye whiskey, and dark chocolate

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a rich and velvety beer. Finishes mostly dry and becomes completely dry after the smoke takes full effect in the aftertaste

This is definitely a sipper, but it also drinks easy for what it is. Great stuff

 

 

Had on tap. Midnight black body with a light brown cap and sporadic lacing. Aromas of smoke, rye, molasses, dark wood, earth, char, dark fruit, and a touch of vanilla. Starts with the smokey and earthy robust tones in the taste, leather, char, rye, and wood, then the bourbon, molasses, prune and fig come into focus from the depths, vanilla, coffee grounds, and cocoa attempt to round out the finish but a boozy char note won't let it. Complex yet highly drinkable overall. Feel is pretty warm though, smoke accentuates this booziness, earthy spiciness lingers. Good but not as great as so many have told me

 

Original release, 2012. Cellared all these years. It had feathers attached to it when I got it but they all fell off.

Wax is thick and difficult. Pour is thick and welcoming. Dark, dark black, small head, medium fizz.

Aroma is intense smoke and booze, like a charred barrel. Interesting, but a bit scary.

Flavor is likewise intense and a bit scary, but wonderfully done. Smoke smoke smoke. Meat and cheese. Swiss Colony sample box up front, boozy BA stout in the middle, and then a shockingly sweet and smooth end and finish that refresh your pallet and invite another sip. Not quit like any other beer I've ever had, and while no single part blew me away the balance is absolutely otherwordly.

You probably don't need to age this one as long as I did, but a year or two certainly don't hurt.

 

 

 

Pours into a snifter nearly black except a tinge of garnet with a creamy full one finger beige head that never fully leaves atop.Smoke and bourbon always makes for a great combo and it does here as well,somewhat sweet in the nose but very inviting.Full and creamy in the mouth,very lush.Bourbon/vanilla and smoky char stand out most in the nose,dark fruit is notes as well,not as sweet as I was expecting,even a bit of spiciness seems to come thru as it warms as well.Nice to drink a beer put together like this,a savoring beer to really enjoy,I def did.

 

Bo & Luke is smoky but not overpowering like other smoked stouts. I'm happy to see some of the previous comments echo this statement. It has a deep imperial stout profile and is quite bitter. However, the bitterness is balanced by the smoke and maltiness.

IG: @firesidewithhphil

750 ml bottle.
No date.
6-8 years old...?
Moderate pour yields a 1/2" tan head over a dark, dark, dark reddish-brown (near black) body with some lacing. Nose of dark chocolate, dark fruit, bourbon, vanilla, caramel, and smoke. Taste is true to the nose and then some! As it warms, aromas and flavors morph slightly with leather, coffee, and spice appearing. Wow! A fine bit of smoke and cherry on the finish. Nice feel and overall, I'm very impressed with this one, folks.
Cheers!

 

 

An orange pinkish waxed 750ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a thin tanned head that dissipated quickly and left nice spotty lacing.

Aroma: Bourbon, chocolate, black coffee, light roast, oak, smoky, charred wood, caramel, vanilla, dried dark fruit, raisins, and prunes.

Taste: Roasty, sweet, bourbon, charred oak, light smoke, caramel, vanilla, with hints of rye spiciness and dried dark fruit.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.

Overall: A very nice warming Imperial Stout for a cool night. The smoked malts added a nice touch and balanced the bourbon sweetness.

 

 

750ml bottle. Wax over cap. No dating information found.
Black colored body. Two finger small bubble tan head, which sticks around. Lots of lacing slides back into the body but some small patterns stick to the glass.
Aroma of roasted malts, with cherry wood smoke, oak bourbon barrel and vanilla. The malts express chocolate and coffee. There is a touch of rye spice.
Taste is imbued with the oak bourbon barrel, which brings vanilla to the mix. The dark roasted malts really bring in a lot of chocolate, coffee, toffee, and molasses. The smoke from the cherry wood combines with the rye to brings layers of complexity. A little bit sweet along with the bite of the char/smoke. No real bitterness.
Super creamy and smooth texture, with a fuller mouth feel. Any alcohol burn is well hidden. Very good supportive carbonation.
The smooth and thick body lend itself to savoring the beer in the mouth, and letting the flavors and blends to pop out as the liquid is swallowed. Very easy drinking for its higher ABV%. I like the combination of the rye and the bourbon barrel to bring a tang to the mix.

I am not a fan of smoked beer, thus far I have tried a few and did not care for them all. The beers I tried was heavily smoked and the Maillard in the beer overpowered the delicate flavors. Honestly, these beers are my least favorite to drink. The beer is 52 degrees and served in tulip glass. The pour of the beer produced a one finger light tan head with fair retention. The head is creamy and foamy leaving a minimal amount of lacing on the glass. The beer is brown nearly black. The appearance is good considering a high abv.

The aromas in the beer are smoke, fire, anise, Maillard, fig, dark roasted malts, raisins, vanilla, caramel, toffee, earthy, molasses, and wood. It is difficult to smell much, the smoke is strong, but not super strong.

The flavors in the beer are fig, anise, vanilla, molasses, wood, earthy, toffee, raisins, herbal, fire, smoke, Maillard, dark roasted malts, molasses, bourbon and a touch of solvent.

The mouthfeel of the beer is dry, coating and thick.

The body of the beer, the carbonation in the beer is low, and full finish.

This beer surprised me! This the first beer that had smoke in it where it did not overpower the beer. The balance in the beer is incredible. The harmony is beer is singing an aria. I hate smoked beer, but this one is incredible. The flavors are equally matched with the smoke. I love how the brewer used a deft hand when adding the smoke. Must try for any beer lover!

Beautiful beer that is dark with mahogany highlights. Two fingers worth of dense and creamy, peanut butter fudge colored bubbles rest on top with good retention.

The nose is pleasant with notes of roasted malts and lightly smoked wood. A lot of char, more so than smoke. Ton of chocolate as well as coffee, rye and light bourbon notes.

The taste brings touches of char mixing with the dark malts. Cocoa, coffee, rye and very light touches of bourbon.

The mouthfeel is so smooth. So creamy. Not much heat at all for 13% and being barrel aged.

Overall, I’m surprised (don’t ask me why) at the balance this brings. It’s a really nice sipper full of a melange of flavors.

From the growler via DEPS in a snifter. This fine brew pours a blackish brown with
a nice had of tan foam that settles leaving a thick ring, thin clumping pool, and
sports some EXCELLENT lacing. Nose of light smoke, char, bourbon, earthy malts,
coffee, and cocoa. Flavors nail it. Coffee and cocoa vie for dominance in a bourbon
haze of light vanilla and with woodsy smoke and light cherry (cherry wood) note
with char and earthy malts. Mouth feel is very nice; full body, smooth as silk,
rich, complex, warming, light carbonation that is enough to give lift to
leviathan, and a smoke and warming booze laced finish that is nicely balanced.

Overall----EXCELLENCE!

Cheers

 

25.4 oz bottle with orange wax (2019) poured into a Spiegelau stout glass at just above fridge temp 13% ABV. The beer pours dense very dark brown with abundant mocha colored head. The head recedes to a cap and leaves the glass completely laced. The aroma is subtle with bourbon barrel, chocolate, rye and smoke. The taste is roasty malts and dark chocolate up front before the cherry smoke, bourbon barrel, oak and vanilla really hit on the back side. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with below average carbonation and a mostly dry, woody, smokey finish. Overall, excellent. There's a lot going on in this beer and the taste changes with each sip. Not overdone on any one aspect. Certainly enjoyable, but maybe not a great value at $1/1oz.

Purchased as The Liquor Barn in Louisville, KY...just miles from the brewery.

Pours a jet black, totally opaque color. No light is showing through this brew.

Oh my, a wonderful aroma of roasted malts and whiskey.

The whiskey barrel aging really is prevalent in the initial sip. It never overpowers the beer but it is the prevalent taste. A wonderful stout that ranks up there as one of the best I've had.

I've been to Against the Grain brewery but have never had the chance to enjoy this beer. Rather costly at $22/24oz but it was certainly worth the cost. A+ brew...a real treat!

 

Black in color with no penetration to light. There’s a half inch of densely packed brown on top. The aroma is comprised of smoked cherry wood, robust roasted barley, caramel, and molasses. I’m tasting a burst of smoked cherry wood, dark roasted barley, piney hops, vanilla, bourbon, and caramel. It’s thick, chewy, and dense.

 

Took me a while to cut through the thick wax dipped cap on this 25 ouncer. Poured into a tulip glass. Pours dark brown with a minimal creamy head to it. Smells strongly of bourbon and smoke and doesn’t even smell like a beer really. Others have described it as a campfire and I would tend to agree. The beer has kind of a flat taste to it - not really rounded out. I’m getting vanilla and bourbon and maybe some cherry in there too. Very smoky taste. In fact this is my first beer I’ve ever had that is a “smoked” beer. Mouthfeel is heavy and thick almost syrupy but not cloying. Overall I love these kinds of stouts and although it’s not one of my favorites of this variety I can still respect it for what it’s worth. Nicely done.