Barrel-Aged Vanilla Bean Stout
Avery Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

16oz canned 01/11/22 poured into a tulip glass at fridge temp 10.5% ABV. The beer pours very dark brown with no light penetration and light brown head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island of tiny bubbles. The aroma is huge as you can smell it while pouring with no effort. Big, sweet vanilla with bourbon, chocolate and caramel on closer review. The taste is bourbon & caramel up front with the chocolate and vanilla coming in behind and sticking. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Alcohol is somewhat noticeable, but the vanilla may be a factor in that. Not intrusive, but there. Overall, very good.

 

Poured from 16oz can into a dimpled mug. Canned 6/9/20, so aged about 15 months.

Appearance: deep nearly-black hue that shows a murky brown around the edges. Head is a thick finger of frothy, pillowy tan foam. It's very handsome.

Smell: sweetness, oak, and bourbon. I imagine there is vanilla in there somewhere, but it's subsumed among the other barrely aromas. That said, it's still a nice-smelling beer, just perhaps not mind-blowing.

Taste: flavor has a nice sweetness, with some date and tobacco present, along with a dark roastiness and a perfectly reasonable vanilla note. The vanilla here is more than just what the oak lends, but is not over the top -- I appreciate that. There's some nice complexity here; I like it.

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body with a moderate carbonation and a good creaminess. I might expect a little bit more smoothness out of a beer this size, however.

Overall: it's a good beer, there's no denying that. Not too much in the way of fireworks, but a solid and tasty BA stout.

Look: Nearly black with brown highlights. Off-white head with good retention, leaves some lacing on the glass.

Smell: wooden barrel and a hint of vanilla.

Taste: pillowy vanilla gives way to charred malt and bourbon barrel. The bourbon barrel flavors are too harsh and woody. The vanilla goes overboard but doesn’t really taste very good; reminds me of a batch of cookies that I made once when I spilled too much vanilla extract. It permeates and coats the palette but in a bad way. Contrary to the previous review, I don’t find much chocolate and I hardly notice any caramel or molasses at all. There is a little sweetness, but it is dominated by oak and smoke. In fact, the taste of chocolate, vanilla and molasses is exactly what is needed here and exactly what the beer doesn’t deliver through on.

Feel: Medium body. Sufficiently carbonated and quite dry.

Overall: The choice of bourbon barrel is unfortunate and it missing some sorely needed nuances to balance out the flavors. For all that it isn’t bad, just not up to the level of excellence of most other specialty Avery Stouts.

 

It smells like chocolate and coffee.  There's a little of the bourbon in the background.

The taste is mostly chocolate with hints of coffee and booze.  All of the tastes are subtle.

It's medium bodied with mild carbonation.  The finish is coffee bitterness and it lasts.

This is a really good stout.  I barely get the bourbon or the barrel or any vanilla at all but it's still really good.  I give it a 5.2 out of 6.

 

Can dated 1/28/21 into pint glass. Pours a clear dark ruby-brown (SRM 30 or thereabouts) with a brief tan head. No lacing. Initial impression is heavy on the vanilla end of the spectrum, with bourbon and molasses contributing considerably. Mouthfeel is medium and quite clean; carbonation is light but prickly. Finish is smooth, somewhat bitter, and boozy. Overall, probably a good candidate for cellaring - it's got some rough edges when it's this fresh.