Bourbon Paradise
Prairie Artisan Ales

 

 

2019 version poured from a 12oz bottle into a Dogfish Head snifter on 2/15/2022. Aged very well.

1822
Name: Bourbon Paradise
Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stuff
Location: Kreb, Oklahoma
ABV: 13.7
Date: 2022

Continuing with stouts, I chose this from Prairie. Using my Jester tulip glass, I let the beer warm up to 56 degrees. A hard pour created a half finger, medium dark tan head. The retention is dismal, and dropped as fast as it formed. The color of the beer charts arounds SRM 36, dark brown with ruby hues. The beer is opaque but does show some carbonation bubbles on the sides of the glass. Overall the appearance is average for this style, I wanted to see a longer lasting head.

Nosing the beer, I detect dark chocolate, vanilla, coconut with espresso. After smelling the beer several more times, I notice caramel, bourbon, oak, hints of floral, dates, raisins, slight char, roasted malts, bready, and a touch of Maillard.

The chocolate weaves coconut with vanilla seamlessly. Other flavors in the beer are caramel, bready, roasted maltiness, raisins, figs, oak, bourbon, oak, anise, soy sauce, oranges, hints of floral, Maillard, and char.

The heavy roasted malts gives the beer a heavy body and a low carbonation. A chewy thick mouthfeel and a lasting finish.

The beer is tasty, yet I have a few complaints. I wanted more coconut flavors and less char. Overall the beer is a wonderful example of Imperial stout. I enjoyed sipping this one on a cold winter night.

 

As good as it gets

On tap at Frisco Taphouse in Crofton, MD. Definitely lives up to expectations - pours pitch black with a tan head, huge aromas and flavors of dark roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, vanilla, and some coconut. Rich and sumptuous mouthfeel. Stellar.

It's incredibly rich and decadent....it's delicious....perhaps the thickest creamiest beer I've ever had... the bourbon is quite evident, as it should be... the coconut wafts in and out like a ghost....incredibly intense experience....having this on Black Friday morning while cooking a breakfast casserole... warming to the belly after a few healthy sips...this is a real banger.

The sort of beer you pull out for just the right moment.. I love it...one is enough due to its intensity and richness...

A masterpiece...

 

 

 

Poured from bottle to wine glass. Super dark color with rich brown head. Totally opaque, head is very small and is soon totally gone, there is some lacing however. Strong scents of soy sauce and dark malt, I like this though it is bordering on being too strong. Taste, there is a lot here. Extremely rich, strong flavors of raw coconut, bourbon, soy sauce, roasted malts, licorice. It is delicious but it is simply too much. The beer is creamy and the finish is incredibly long. A great beer but it is just not for me.

Look - Fantastic looking BA Stout! Black and thick with a really nice thick tan head and fantastic rimming and lacing. Not sure what you can do better
Smell - nutty dark chocolate woody smell. I'm sure that nut smell comes from the coconut but I don't get the coconut, more just nut. maybe some molasses caramel deep in there
Taste - a little sweet but not overly sweet. dark chocolate some char woodiness along with the toasted coconut and vanilla.
Feel - Medium full body with a medium light carb, slight creaminess
Overall - I like how the vanilla and coconut aren't overly done and instead just bring out some great flavors of the beer in different ways. The Barrel to this beer is fantastic. Well done not overly sweet BA Stout

 

 

Awesome.
Pricy? Sure.
But worth every sip.
The art of the craft.,.
Stuck 2 in the cave for Xmas.,.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fantastic! Before getting into the flavor, I greatly appreciate this brew being offered in 12 oz bottles. Though I enjoy drinking socially, I do most of my drinking solo, which makes those 16 oz plus bottles a challenge. That might be the wimpiest thing I've said this week. I should probably go start my lawnmower in one pull to make up for that. As for the flavor, both the coconut and vanilla come through, but hold back from dominating the flavor profile. I liken it to Phil Anselmo holding back in Cemetery Gates, unleashing at just the right time. It goes without saying, but drink this one slowly, as the flavor profile changes as it warms. Enjoy the ride.

 

 

Appearance - The beer poured thick blackness with brown bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass.

Smell - Dark chocolate was most prominent in the nose. Coconut was faint in the nose.

Taste - Initially, the dark chocolate led the way. It was like a bourbon barrel aged Mounds bar. The chocolate and coconut worked so well together. The sweetness of the coconut was most prominent in back. The bourbon made for a warming finish.

Mouthfeel - The body was thick with roasted chocolate. Carbonation was largely non-existent.

Overall - This was a great coconut stout.

 

Packaged on 11/20/2020 - consumed on 3/13/2022. Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Portsmouth tulip.

Dark seal brown to bistre body with a thin fawn/camel collar. Vague lacing; fast running legs; poor retention.

Vanilla, barrel char, bourbon, roast malt, and a hint of tobacco, molasses, cocoa, and toffee in the nose.

Intense palate entry - all of the flavors above but concentrated. Rather sweet, with a long chocolate-laden finish. Some barrel/alcohol elements along with a gentle, clean bitterness add a little balance. Stewed dark fruit notes emerge as the ale warms. Neutral yeast character. Coconut and vanilla seem a little redundant, overwhelming their counterparts in the bourbon flavor, and reinforcing the borderline cloying impression.

Silky, almost oily, rich mouth-feel with active yet low carbonation. Moderately warming.

More on the dessert end of the spectrum for the style, but very potent with some balanced barrel influence. Enjoyed it more than my notes might suggest.

 

Little to no head. Only a very thin tan ring clinging to the glass. Very dark like dark chocolate cake. The nose is chocolate and more chocolate. Bourbon comes right out of the middle of the chocolate. Vanilla and barrel leak out at the end. The taste has bourbon, vanilla, and oak jumping right out. Chocolate and a small hint of coconut follow. There is a small bit of spice that hides behind the coconut at the finish. The mouthfeel is a bit thin but with the right amount of carbonation. This is a wonderful beer. It wants to be too sweet but stops just short and balances out to make you smile. (Found old notes on this one)

 

2019 version enjoyed 27 months later.

Pours pitch black with a finger of fizzy, dark mocha, almost reddish head that fizzes away almost instantly. When swirled, it coats the glass with a dark film.

Aroma is light coconut and even lighter vanilla as expected from the extended aging. This allows the base stout and barrel to shine more. Dark chocolate, black cherry, tobacco, roasted malt, some peat, and molasses from the base and some charred oak and bourbon from the barrel.

Taste brings more of the adjuncts than expected given the aroma, but they're still quite light given today's "pastry stout" standards. Toasted coconut and light vanilla bean dance in the background while the barrel treated stout is at the forefront. Bakers chocolate, some bittersweet chocolate chip, roasted malt, some peat, tobacco, black cherry, some fig, molasses, some brown sugar, charred oak, bourbon spirit. I'm sure there's some vanillin and even possibly some coconut coming from the barrel, but it's hard to tell if that character is from the adjuncts or the barrel.

Medium to high medium body. Slick, oily, sticky, warming. Could use a bit more body. Doesn't drink like 16%, but you know you're drinking a big beer.

I know I shouldn't have sat on this as long as I did because I'm sure there was a lot more coconut and vanilla character; however, the base and barrel integration are top notch and allowing the adjuncts to subside has shown this. It also has led to what I'd imagine is a smoother drinking experience than when it was fresher. I'm sure a fresher version of this would meet my expectations more, but this is still a very enjoyable beer at where it's currently at.

 

 

 

 

Wonderful brew. So far, my favorite.