Barrel-Aged Vanilla Bean Stout
Avery Brewing Company

Barrel-Aged Vanilla Bean StoutBarrel-Aged Vanilla Bean Stout
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From:
Avery Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,482
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
92
Ranked #5,734
Avg:
4.11 | pDev: 8.52%
Reviews:
234
Ratings:
944
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 02, 2024
Added:
Jan 24, 2015
Wants:
  84
Gots:
  291
A double dose of vanilla derived from both fresh Bourbon barrels and the trio of Tongan, Ugandan, and Mexican whole vanilla beans is complemented by essences of chocolate, caramel and molasses to round out this luxuriously silky stout.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by drunkenmess:
Photo of drunkenmess
Rated by drunkenmess from Michigan

3.64/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Mar 19, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
The pour is stout black and it sports a nice, light brown head which left reasonable lacing.
Aroma was lost on my Covid damaged nose. Sigh.
The taste was an excellent melange of coffees and chocolate, dark fruit, leather and vanilla. Bourbon flavor was very slight.
The feel was near perfect for the style, viscous and a little slick, providing a smoothness to contrast the heat from the barrel aging effect.
OA, glad I picked up two bottles!
Feb 02, 2024
 
Rated: 4.38 by AGoodStout from Kansas

Sep 10, 2023
 
Rated: 3.85 by Tree_powers from Indiana

Jun 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Zekenyce from New Jersey

May 06, 2023
 
Rated: 4.2 by dms1767 from Nebraska

Oct 20, 2022
Photo of jkblr
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
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.
Oct 08, 2022
 
Rated: 4.18 by dd53grif from Michigan

Dec 18, 2021
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

4.12/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
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.
Sep 23, 2021
Photo of NCSapiens
Reviewed by NCSapiens from Indiana

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
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.
Sep 21, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Aug 25, 2021
Photo of blazerkor
Reviewed by blazerkor from Nevada

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
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.
Aug 02, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by KT3418 from Colorado

Jul 13, 2021
Photo of dbl_delta
Reviewed by dbl_delta from Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
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.
May 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by anthony-s from New Jersey

Apr 03, 2021
 
Rated: 4.08 by Dope from Massachusetts

Feb 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3.97 by einman from Minnesota

Feb 08, 2021
 
Rated: 3.8 by Pchoate3 from Colorado

Jan 21, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by Birdlegs from Washington

Jan 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.15 by chossboss from Oregon

Oct 14, 2020
Barrel-Aged Vanilla Bean Stout from Avery Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 944 ratings