Bourbon Barrel Blackburne
Left Field Brewery

At The Cookie Bar on Drouillard Rd. in nearby Windsor, leading an outing of The Responsible Beer Drinking Club; on tap and chilled, 2oz. in a flight of 13 beers. My 20th beer from the Toronto, Ontario brewery, and 11th for 2026...

355 mL can from the LCBO, one of three Blackburne variants included in their winter mixed pack. Dated Sep 21 2023 and served barely chilled; listed at 10.7%.

Pours jet black, with nearly two fingers of creamy, foamy, dark tan-coloured head erupting from the surface. It lasts for more than five minutes, coating the glass with a thick, arcing pattern of lace in the process; a dense quarter-inch cap and collar remain for a little bit longer. Bourbon and oak are quite obvious on the nose, but I'm also getting notes of dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, coconut and milk chocolate, with suggestions of date and brownie.

Plenty of bourbon, if that's what you're here for, but there's depth of flavour beyond that - I'm getting fudge, caramel, vanilla, oak, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Hints of licorice, herbal hops, date and roasted malts develop on the tail end, with bourbon, vanilla and dark chocolate persisting into a boozy-sweet aftertaste. Full-bodied and gently carbonated, with a thick, luscious mouthfeel that coats the tongue; more of an assertive, "in your face" experience vs. original Blackburne, or the other variants that I've tried.

Final Grade: 4.14, an A-. I prefer the rye barrel version, but Left Field's BBA Blackburne is basically a tweaked version of the same thing - the bourbon is just a bit 'edgier' than the rye, making for a slightly coarser quaff IMO. Definitely recommended to bourbon lovers, but fans of barrel-aged stouts in general are likely to love this one.

2023 edition. Canned September 21, 2023. 10.7% ABV. Served cool into a tulip. Out of retirement.

Appearance - Virtually black in color with a dense foamy dark tan head amounting to a finger an change. Very good staying power and ominous in appearance.

Smell - Bourbon, vanilla, wood some licorice in there too. Bourbon soaked milk chocolate features. On the sweeter end of things here with the aromatics, even some light fruitiness with plums and figs playing in the background.

Taste - Dark chocolate, roasted malt with some bourbon and vanilla. Not as sweet as the nose suggests. Wood and licorice make trace appearances too.

Mouthfeel - Smooth and full bodied, carbonation is middling but on the higher end for a BBA stout. Booziness is only dialed up to midrange, so this makes for a very pleasant sipper.

Overall - One of the best offerings from Left Field going with a tasty, decadent and well rounded BBA stout that doesn;t overwhelm in any one direct, making it enjoyable for a wider variety of BA's.

 

 

A very good attempt at this style, with something amiss, compared to Founders and the like. But still.
Pours black, as something like this should, but the head does dissipate quicker than I am used to. The nose indicates bitterness and it is in fact more bitter than the bourbon barrel aged stouts I have tried, even with the sticky sweetness left on the lips. Perhaps it's a tad bit too much roasting.
The price is right at $6 in Canada and really, even though it may seem like I am slighting this beer in some fashion, I think it is pretty darn good. I recommend it.

 

 

Can: Poured a pitch-black color ale with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of roasted malt with some black chocolate notes with some vanilla, oak and bourbon notes is pretty decadent. Taste is a mix of roasted malt with some black chocolate notes, residual sugar notes with bourbon, oak and vanilla. Body is pretty full for style with good carbonation and well-hidden alcohol notes. Solid BA imperial stout with good drinkability.