Barrel Aged Christmas Bomb!
Prairie Artisan Ales

A: Pours an opaque yet still clear thick viscous jet black in color with light to moderate amounts of active visible carbonation along the edges of the glass and extremely faint very dark cola brown highlights. The beer has a quarter finger tall foamy very dark mocha head that quickly reduces to a medium sized patch of very thin film and a very thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, and cinnamon with moderate aromas of brown sugar and caramel. Light to moderate aromas of toasted oak + vanilla + bourbon.

T: Upfront there is a moderate flavor of roasted + caramel malts with a moderate amount of caramel + brown sugar sweetness. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors dark roasted coffee and dark chocolate. There is a light to moderate of barrel aging presence - toasted oak + vanilla + caramel with some bourbon flavors as well. Finally there is a moderate to strong flavor of cinnamon and hints of gingerbread cookie spices. Moderate amounts of roasty bitterness in the finish which does not linger for long.

M: Full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light to moderate amounts of alcohol warming.

O: Very enjoyable and very rich - a really nice dessert beer for after Christmas dinner and getting the kids to bed. Definitely a slow sipping beer and a sweet beer but I like the cinnamon + spice flavors in addition to the richness of the bomb flavors. Definitely a nice holiday stout. The barrel aging reduces the sweetness slightly and enhances the cinnamon.

 

2023 bottle poured at fridge temp but allowed to warm for 10 minutes before tasting. Pours black (not overly thick) with a thin layer of brown head. A really nice chili pepper heat is immediately evident on the nose. Followed by chocolate, cinnamon, maybe a hint of vanilla, and a slight nutty note. No real evidence of booze or barrel for me on the nose.

The taste is incredible. Again, the chili pepper is there, providing a nuanced heat and lays the red carpet for the other flavors. After this I get vanilla, milk chocolate, cinnamon, marshmallow, nutmeg, molasses, black licorice, burnt toffee, and a nice nutty note. The more I taste this, the more I think hot tomales candy. It's the heat combined with the cinnamon. I'm loving it. Not really getting a bunch of barrel on the taste either, but the other flavors are pretty intense so I don't see a window for the barrel to climb through.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied, and the aftertaste is pepper and cinnamon. Lovely beer overall.

It’s not often I have beers from Prairie, but this one excites me. The OG Bomb is one of my all time favorites (I still need to revisit that one) and the addition of Christmas spices with that sounds like a winning combination. Let’s pop open this (almost) top 250 beer

Pours completely pitch black with a finger of creamy dark tan head that fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

The spice is super prevalent in the nose, very warming but not aggressive. I’m picking up on aromas of nutmeg, vanilla bean, cacao nib, dry oak, earthy cinnamon, dried chili pepper, molasses, brown sugar, and walnut

It doesn’t quite have the same balance in taste but this still tastes fantastic. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting earthy cinnamon, cocoa powder, dark toast, burnt caramel, brown sugar, light raisin, and molasses. The swallow brings notes of nutmeg, earthy cinnamon, cacao nib, dried chili pepper, toasted oak, earthy whiskey, vanilla bean, and allspice

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes mostly dry and spicy

While it doesn’t touch the OG, this is a very fun variant for the holidays

Pours opaque dark chocolate brown. Thin short-lived mocha head. No lacing. Aroma is cinnamon, chocolate, dark roasted malt, coffee and bourbon. Flavor follows the nose, heavy on the cinnamon, but the chocolate comes through strong as well. Feel is thick and chewy. Overall, a fantastic variation of Bomb!

Look - black and thick with a quickly disappearing head but nice rimming and lacing
Smell - cinnamon and spices, chocolate and whisky
Taste - about the same as the smell but boozy. nice blend of the cinnamon, spices, chocolate and whisky
Feel - full body, fizzy crisp carb
Overall - taste like Christmas.

 

 

 

Fantastic Bomb! variation. Just like the original Bomb!, the various components of the stout are easily identified: coffee, chocolate, cinnamon and chilis, with enticing seasonal spices added. Whiskey barrel-aging completes this wonderfully complex and delicious 13% affair. Very well done, as would be expected from the fine OK folks at Prairie.

Batch 10/03/23

 

11/15/23 bottle @ home