Neapolitan Porter Barrel Aged (The Living Barrel Series)
Funky Buddha Brewery

 

 

Pours black with a finger of khaki foam. Head retention is good. Aroma is roasty, toasty, bready malts and heavy strawberry, vanilla bean and chocolate. It's not overly sweet, but certainly comes across as a dessert. Flavor profile is strawberry, vanilla bean and chocolate with roasty, toasty, bready, caramely malts behind. A kiss of bourbon and char add a little heat and bitterness respectively. Mouth feel is thick with a velvety, creamy texture. Overall, a dessert beer, but without pushing it into unsettlingly sweet territory. Very unique.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegalau tulip from a 22oz bottle. Reviewed on Beers by BeerAdvocate.

Appearance - The beer poured a black color with a light tan head.

Smell - there was a ton of strawberry in the nose, even overriding the booze.

Taste - Neapolitan has chocolate strawberry and vanilla, but this was very strawberry dominant. Vanilla notes came in toward the back with chocolate more evident with the malts. The lactose sugar makes this creamy like a melted milkshake. I’m not sure barrel aging did much for this The lactose sugar makes this creamy like a melted milkshake. I’m not sure barrel aging that much for this beer.

Mouthfeel - The feel brought to mind melted ice cream.

Overall - it would seem Neapolitan it’s hard to nail down. But I give credit for a good attempt.

 

 

 

Tasted in a Rastal Teku from a 22 fl oz bottle on March 10, 2019. A bourbon barrel aged imperial porter that is blended with scoops of real vanilla, strawberries and chocolate. The result is rich and creamy with a pleasant booze finish.

 

 

On tap at the brewery. Poured into a snifter. An opaque dark chocolate color with a small tan head. Lots of bourbon on the nose, along with chocolate and vanilla. Not much strawberry there. The taste balanced it out. Great strawberry flavor, slightly tart, and met with smooth vanilla and chocolate. The barrel was there especially in the finish. Hot as expected but very nice.

 

 

 

Huge bourbon on the nose! Unbelievably boozy. Strawberry and vanilla struggle to emerge, and the chocolate is lost.

Flavor is much more balanced, and features everything advertised: bourbon, strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, caramel, red grapes, brown sugar, coffee.

Thick, sweet, and boozy.