Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Griffin Claw Brewing Company
Beer Geek Stats
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- Style:
- Stout - American Imperial
- ABV:
- 11.5%
- Score:
- 90
- Avg:
- 4 | pDev: 13.75%
- Reviews:
- 9
- Ratings:
- From:
- Griffin Claw Brewing Company
- Michigan, United States
- Avail:
- Retired (no longer brewed)
- Wants
- 8
- Gots
- 15
SCORE
90
Outstanding
90
Outstanding
Notes:
Reviews: 9
| Ratings: 66
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Reviews by StonedTrippin:
StonedTrippin from Colorado
4.25/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
tons of booze, tons of bourbon, this is one of the better beers i have had from a brewery i had not previously heard of. this was the cap to an excellent several days of drinking crazy beers with thebrewo, and it was a great way to finish. silky smooth and very rich, this reminds me a lot of some imperial porters, lacking some of the intensely bitter coffee side earthiness that a lot of the big stouts have. this is more mellow than that, although really boldly flavored. its got a milk and honey flavor going on in the malt, remarkably not dark in its malt complexion, there is some milk chocolate there, but for me its lighter, oaty even, creamy feeling, and sweet like molasses. very pleasant base beer, but the bourbon barrel really kicks it up. there is a ton of bourbon on this, almost like the whiskey was blended into the beer. less oak, more vanilla and charcoal, and that corn based sweetness you get. the alcohol does come through in the end, but its almost like it cleans up all the richness that comes before it, its not weirdly heavy or anything. frothy feel, velvety gentle going down, and warming up really really well. we enjoyed the 2013 edition very much.
Mar 13, 2015
4.25/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
tons of booze, tons of bourbon, this is one of the better beers i have had from a brewery i had not previously heard of. this was the cap to an excellent several days of drinking crazy beers with thebrewo, and it was a great way to finish. silky smooth and very rich, this reminds me a lot of some imperial porters, lacking some of the intensely bitter coffee side earthiness that a lot of the big stouts have. this is more mellow than that, although really boldly flavored. its got a milk and honey flavor going on in the malt, remarkably not dark in its malt complexion, there is some milk chocolate there, but for me its lighter, oaty even, creamy feeling, and sweet like molasses. very pleasant base beer, but the bourbon barrel really kicks it up. there is a ton of bourbon on this, almost like the whiskey was blended into the beer. less oak, more vanilla and charcoal, and that corn based sweetness you get. the alcohol does come through in the end, but its almost like it cleans up all the richness that comes before it, its not weirdly heavy or anything. frothy feel, velvety gentle going down, and warming up really really well. we enjoyed the 2013 edition very much.
Mar 13, 2015
More User Reviews:
KevinL from Michigan
3.97/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Mar 22, 2020
3.97/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Mar 22, 2020
Monkeyknife from Missouri
4.12/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
May 17, 2015
4.12/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
May 17, 2015
Bung from Michigan
4.25/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Oct 15, 2015
4.25/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Oct 15, 2015
intovert2438 from Michigan
2.34/5 rDev -41.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2
Difficult to review, as with many Griffin Claw products, infected
Apr 12, 2015
2.34/5 rDev -41.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2
Difficult to review, as with many Griffin Claw products, infected
Apr 12, 2015
onespartan from Michigan
4.08/5 rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Nov 19, 2015
4.08/5 rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Nov 19, 2015
jaydoc from Kansas
3.94/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Aug 14, 2015
3.94/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Aug 14, 2015
wtkphoto from Michigan
4.33/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Feb 11, 2015
4.33/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Feb 11, 2015
gratefulbeerhead from Indiana
4.36/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Oct 05, 2015
4.36/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Oct 05, 2015
StoutHunter from Michigan
4.21/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Short Review. This is a very nice Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, it's got everything that I look for in the style and I think it has just about the perfect amount of balance to it, I really enjoyed this one and if it wasn't $20 for a bottle I would have taken one home, I think $15 would be a much more reasonable price, but I might have to splurge on a bottle if they still have it the next time I'm there.
Feb 09, 2015
4.21/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Short Review. This is a very nice Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, it's got everything that I look for in the style and I think it has just about the perfect amount of balance to it, I really enjoyed this one and if it wasn't $20 for a bottle I would have taken one home, I think $15 would be a much more reasonable price, but I might have to splurge on a bottle if they still have it the next time I'm there.
Feb 09, 2015
hotsudge from Canada (ON)
2.93/5 rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A good version of this style of beer, perhaps the bourbon (alcohol) smell and taste was a bit too intense for me on the day I tried it. It opened up more as it warmed. I would definitely try it again on tap somewhere but not sure I'd buy it to take home.
Mar 01, 2015
2.93/5 rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A good version of this style of beer, perhaps the bourbon (alcohol) smell and taste was a bit too intense for me on the day I tried it. It opened up more as it warmed. I would definitely try it again on tap somewhere but not sure I'd buy it to take home.
Mar 01, 2015
superspak from Ohio
3.9/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
750 ml bottle into snifter; 2013 vintage bottling, listed at 12% on the bottle. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1-2 finger dense dark tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, toast, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, oak, brown sugar, light nuttiness, and oak/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt and bourbon barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, toast, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, oak, brown sugar, light nuttiness, light raisin, and oak/toasted earthiness. Slight roast/oaky bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, toast, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, oak, brown sugar, light nuttiness, light raisin, and oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness and complexity of dark/roasted malt and bourbon barrel flavors; with a good malt/barrel balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, fairly creamy, and slightly slick mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice barrel aged imperial stout. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted malt and bourbon barrel flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. It was not as roasty as I expected for a stout, but had a lot of nice barrel and malt complexity; and was very enjoyable overall.
Jan 17, 2015
3.9/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
750 ml bottle into snifter; 2013 vintage bottling, listed at 12% on the bottle. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1-2 finger dense dark tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, toast, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, oak, brown sugar, light nuttiness, and oak/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt and bourbon barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, toast, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, oak, brown sugar, light nuttiness, light raisin, and oak/toasted earthiness. Slight roast/oaky bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, toast, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, oak, brown sugar, light nuttiness, light raisin, and oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness and complexity of dark/roasted malt and bourbon barrel flavors; with a good malt/barrel balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, fairly creamy, and slightly slick mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice barrel aged imperial stout. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted malt and bourbon barrel flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. It was not as roasty as I expected for a stout, but had a lot of nice barrel and malt complexity; and was very enjoyable overall.
Jan 17, 2015
mklisz from New Hampshire
4.02/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aug 25, 2015
4.02/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aug 25, 2015
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout from Griffin Claw Brewing Company
Beer rating:
90 out of
100 with
66 ratings
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