Sinkhole Stout
Country Boy Brewing

 

Infected.

 

Very well brewed beer. 750ml bottle poured into a snifter. Dark brown/black pour. With a thick tan head.
Definitely smell the bourbon aroma along with chocolate/vanilla. As well some dark fruit behind.
Taste is definitely pleasing, alcohol is not over powering. The dark malts really balance the alcohol imo. I would definitely buy again.

 

 

aweful

 

750 ml bottle, 2016 vintage. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch and a half frothy tan head that stuck around for a while. There's also a good amount of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like bourbon, vanilla, molasses, roasted malt, and chocolate. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some dark fruit, coffee and nuttiness noticeable. The bourbon is there, but it's not overpowering at all. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's a bit slick and has a good amount of carbonation. I thought this was a good imperial stout, I'd pick this up again in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

Whew! This is a bourbon stout, with significant bourbon influence!

Pours a pitch black with fb of light brown foam head. Smells strongly of bourbon, espresso, leather. Tastes is bourbon notes predominant, vanilla, smoke, sweet malts forward with some coffee notes and that acidic twan as the end note before a residual bourbon and sweet malts aftertaste. Texture is medium to full bodied, fair amount of carbonation.

Overall, good imperial stout with incredibly strong bourbon characteristics. I"m not a big bourbon fan, but overall this was a fairly good sample of this style.

Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels. Poured from a bottle into a Founders tulip. Very dark pour (nearly black) with an impressive amount of carbonation for a barrel-aged beer. A rough pour produces a respectable crown of dingy brown foam that actually lingers around for a while. When I first opened the bottle I got a big dose of dark fruit and fusel alcohol. Once it's in the glass, I get more roasted malt, dark chocolate, toasted oak, and sweet cake-like notes.

Full body with a firm feel and a somewhat complex flavor. I get lots of port wine flavor in this one. It mingles with the roasted malt up front, prevents the barrel character from blossoming at mid-palate, and carries through the finish.

I was hoping for something a little sweeter and richer than this. The barrel-aged beers that appeal to me the most are the ones that somehow avoid the dark fruit flavors that seem to permeate some of these animals and instead feature full-blown flavor extravaganzas of dark chocolate, creamy vanilla, toasted coconut, and of course, bourbon. I didn't get this from Sinkhole Stout. I did enjoy this beer (and BAs who dig lots of port-wine flavor in their stouts will love it), but the tremendous dark fruit presence gives me the impression that it's simply a nice big stout that they aged in bourbon barrels. Let's face it - some of the best barrel-aged beers are based on recipes that are constructed solely with that purpose in mind. BCBS, for example, is by all accounts a very unpalatable beer before it goes into the barrels. When it comes out, it's freaking magic. The more these barrel-aged beers appear on the shelves, the more brewers are going to have to put this kind of thought and planning into it if they want their offering to stand out from the crowd.

 

 

 

This is for the 2016 release. I had it on draft at Country Boy on February 20th, 2016. The look is dark brown to black. The smell is superb! It is bourbon and chocolate, and I love it! The taste is heavy bourbon up front with a coffee backbone. The issue with this beer is a sweet, almost cherry like taste that comes through in the after taste. It is noticeable but not overly done. I would say this is due to the barrel as I was told this is not how last years version tasted. Maybe an infection? Maybe the barrel wasn't of good quality? Whatever the cause this isn't what I would want in a barrel aged stout. Overall, I bought two bottles to cellar and hope the taste changes. I was disappointed, but wouldn't say this is a bad beer. It is ok.