Barrel Constrictor - Vanilla STR Whiskey
Alpha Acid Brewing Co.
- From:
- Alpha Acid Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- Imperial Pastry Stout
- ABV:
- 14.2%
- Score:
- +8 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.23 | pDev: 0%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jul 20, 2025
- Added:
- Jun 01, 2025
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
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The team crafted Vanilla STR Whiskey Barrel Constrictor by aging a chocolatey Imperial Stout for 14 months in a 10th Street Distillery barrel that they shaved, toasted, and re-charred -- that's the STR. Then they finished the brew on oodles of organic Tahitian vanilla beans.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Falcon91Wolvrn03 from California
4.24/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look - Pours a pitch black color with a very nice lighter colored head that sticks around nicely.
Smell - A rather nice whiskey scent (I'm usually not a great fan of whiskey - maybe I like the STR finish - shaved, toasted, and recharred), and some vanilla. I find the smell rather nice.
Taste - Here's where I think the whiskey takes over a little too much for my liking. The whiskey flavor dominates the vanilla, and it may be a bit much.
Feel - Feel is ok, except I'm not a huge fan of the dominant whiskey flavor.
Overall - Not a bad stout overall. But slightly below my expectations after I smelled it. :-)
Jul 20, 2025Smell - A rather nice whiskey scent (I'm usually not a great fan of whiskey - maybe I like the STR finish - shaved, toasted, and recharred), and some vanilla. I find the smell rather nice.
Taste - Here's where I think the whiskey takes over a little too much for my liking. The whiskey flavor dominates the vanilla, and it may be a bit much.
Feel - Feel is ok, except I'm not a huge fan of the dominant whiskey flavor.
Overall - Not a bad stout overall. But slightly below my expectations after I smelled it. :-)
Reviewed by micada from New York
4.23/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.23/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Alpha Acid BA STR Barrel Constructor vanilla. Rather interesting. The aroma is unique, a cross of vanilla, vanilla bean, leather, hazelnut, and maybe a touch of steak. Yes, steak.
Taste in the Glencairn glass comes off a bit fusol at first, but with a little aeration it fits more into a strong vanilla meets that scraped, toasted, and recharred wood. The whiskey has a small bite at the end, but is really an afterthought kept in check by the vanilla and tannins. The latter are not fresh biting white oak, but more of a mellow cream soda note. Mouthfeel is full, slick, and slightly carbonated. The ABV hits hard after one Glencairn full.
The jury is still out if I’d buy it again, but it’s decent and I’m sure better palates would get much more from it than I describe.
Jun 28, 2025Taste in the Glencairn glass comes off a bit fusol at first, but with a little aeration it fits more into a strong vanilla meets that scraped, toasted, and recharred wood. The whiskey has a small bite at the end, but is really an afterthought kept in check by the vanilla and tannins. The latter are not fresh biting white oak, but more of a mellow cream soda note. Mouthfeel is full, slick, and slightly carbonated. The ABV hits hard after one Glencairn full.
The jury is still out if I’d buy it again, but it’s decent and I’m sure better palates would get much more from it than I describe.
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