Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Microbrasserie Charlevoix

 

Deep brown near black, soapy tan head, no lace. Smell is of bourbon and oak, roasted malts, coffee, bittersweet notes and vanilla. Taste has a big bourbon charachter up front, tons of roasted malt, vanilla, faint sour points, light sweetness, oak and lots of vanilla in the finish, some coffee as well. Mouthfeel is a little thin, light carbonation and slightly watery. This was one of my favorites of the day and with a little more body or carbonation this would have been outstanding stuff.

On cask at Volo's Cask Days 2011, 45 IBUs.

Pours almost black with some deep ruby and burgundies around the edges, some light brown bubbles as head. Nose has some light bourbon, but some woody oak and vanilla characteristics dominate. Some lactic qualites (I'm assuming the was a BA version of the Vache Folle Milk Stout) that approaches almost slightly sour, some roast and chocolate. Bourbon upfront on the palate, before more oak and vanilla again. Bourbon was a bit harsh, and quite 'corny,' and this sits over more chocolate, roast and lactic notes. Some brown sugar sweetness. Mouthfeel was too watery for my liking, and feels thinned by the barrel aging (again, I'm assuming this is relative to the base beer which I believe to be La Vache Folle). Doesn't necessarily destroy the base beer, but certainly overtakes it. A touch of alcohol, but not alcoholic at all. Decent but not spectacular. I'd like to try this in bottled or kegged.

Masterpiece. Very rich and tasty. Dark brown with a cask bubbly head. The aroma is inviting. The taste is malty chocolate, and some of the best notes of bourbon, a kiss of sourness, and some whiskey complexity, with only a bit of wood, The low carbonation, and I had one of the last pints, greatly enhanced drinkability. I do not know the actual cask they used, but seemed to me like they used one and transfered to another to pick up this taste and complexity.Cask at Cask Days 2011.