York County Stout
Barreled Souls Brewing Company

 

2024 vintage, on tap at Barreled Souls Brewing Company in Saco, ME.

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells quite bourbon-forward, with caramel, vanilla, and oak, and a touch of creamy chocolate.

There’s a certain “dampness” to the barrel character here – like the barrel was in a wet place, if that makes sense – it’s classically bourbon-forward and spicy, but there’s a touch of musty funk on the finish. I’m not sure what it is, but it doesn’t detract. There’s lots of chocolate, and some vanilla too.

This is medium bodied, creamy, and not too boozy.

This is an interesting beer that’s clearly aging pretty interestingly.

Sampling a 500 ml bottle poured into my snifter at cellar temp. Purchased at the brewery , the beer was bottled on 11/4/2024 and was aged in bourbon barrel for 11 months and 14 days.
The beer pours into my glass a rich cola brown color with no light passing through. A dense spongey tan head of 1 cm foams up and this foam fades slowly to a sturdy edge layer. A bit of dense lattice forms on sips and swirls.
Aroma on this beer is some dark fudge with hints of brown sugar and then heavy on the bourbon. Not really any wooden barrel and the hops are absent. Not fusol or boozy either. Nose is appealing, even if a little bit not overly complex.
First sip reveals a medium body with slightly sticky texture and very mild gentle carbonation. A little bit of coating after each swallow.
Flavor is what the nose predicts. I get dark fudge , not really sweet, a bit of brown sugar, some rich bourbon, with hint of vanilla mixed in. Finish rolls into a little booze, but no accompanying warming on swallow. sort of a black peppery bite that comes on. No hop character anywhere.
This is a bourbon driven barrel aged stout, that drinks easy for a bigger beer. Another win from the folks in Saco, Maine!

Poured at fridge temp. Pours black as night. Brown head first appears but quickly fizzles to nothing within seconds. Almost made me worry a bit as it seemed odd. The nose is really strong on the bourbon. Chocolate, salted toffee, and big vanilla notes are also there. Also getting a hint of dark berries.

The taste is incredible. Tons of molasses, bourbon, sticky toffee, chocolate, vanilla, biscuits, brownie batter, whoppers, prunes, and a hint of maple. This is incredible with really intense and vibrant flavors.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a rich aftertaste of toffee, bourbon, and baking chocolate. Amazing stout.