Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Winding Path Brewing Co / Wyndridge Farm Brewing

Wyndridge Farm Brewing’s Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 13.9% ABV. This Imperial Stout pours a jet black color with a mocha colored head that dissipates rather quickly leaving heavy lacing on the glass. The aroma is of roasted grains alcohol with hints of chocolate molasses and toffee/caramel and coffee charred wood and leather. The flavor is of anise bittersweet dark chocolate espresso blackstrap molasses burnt brown sugar like creme brulee a heavy dose of bourbon and woodsy flavor along with some nuttiness before finishing with a slight alcohol burn along with dark fruits tobacco leather. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a silky creaminess I love the mouthfeel of this beer. This is a superb bourbon barrel aged stout with amazing flavors and at 13.9 abv is very easy drinking. 9.6/10

 

8 ball black with a short tan head.

Solid and clean, the roast is chocolatey and nutty while the barrel is drying and caramel forward. It also exudes some vanillin that helps to emulate Tootsie Roll qualities before a darker woody char brings it swiftly back down to Earth.

Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into my snifter. I picked up the can while visiting Pennsylvania for Christmas. The can is datestamped something /17/21. Hard to read. Also ABV on this year says 12.2 on% label not the 13.9 listed on site.
The beer pours a deep black coffee color with a fluffy brown head of 3.5 cm. This foam fades very slowly and leaves dense clingy lacing on my glass. Swirls bring back the lacing each time. Beer looks great!
THe aroma is spot on for a bourbon barrel stout. I get dark chocolate and rich bourbon and a little bit of charred wood. I also smell a little molasses. No hop character is noticed and I dont get fusol hot booziness, but the rich bourbon note makes me aware the ABV could be elevated.
First sip reveals a medium to thick body with very fine and gently tingly carbonation. The texture is a little sticky and the beer coats my palate and remains on my lips with each sip. Feels the part of a big stout.
Flavor is bourbon up front with some hints of vanilla. This moves to some dark chocolate and a bit of charred wood. Finish is a little sweeter chocolate, more of a deep fudge note. This flavor lingers long after the swallow. No hop character, and again booze is fairly well hidden with no real heat, but the robust flavors and physical traits keep me on the sipping rate for this beer. Pleasantly surprised with how good this beer is from a brewery I dont know much about in south central PA.
I would gladly buy this again when in the area.

 

 

Poured from a wax-topped bomber into a Dogfish head tulip

L: Inky black pour with a finger of mocha colored head. Nice ring of lacing.

S: Cocoa, coffee, bourbon, and roast.

T.F: Rich and roasty... modest malt sweetness... dark chocolate and espresso balanced by some char and hop bitterness. Chicory and vanilla... bourbon present and accounted for. Boozy and warming... more complex and tasty as it warms. Medium bodied with low carbonation. Creamy. Roast and booze to finish.

O: A well done big BBA Imperial stout. The ABV is mostly hidden, but this is a boozy slow sipper.

A: The black pour is deep and ponderous. The head is multi-layered as the light penetrates. It's a bright, luminous khaki on top, but underneath a more sponge-like dark mocha.

S: Vanilla bean. Toffee and ripe fruit giving off an impression of honey glazed sultanas. Roasted walnuts, crushed hazelnuts brightened by a grassiness and exotic florals.

M: Full bodied with a syrupy feel to start. Dilutes to a silky creaminess with an assertive espresso roast.

T: Pulls off the sweet and savory really nice that resembles something like date honey. The toffee is rich and nuanced with a nutty tahini and the bright sweetness of golden raisins. Dried apricots and lightly charred wood mixed with coffee. The essence of bacon doesn't elude me. Blackstrap molasses, leather that frequented a tobacconist. The use of bourbon is assertive and complex that actually left an impression of note.

The BA imperial from Wyndridge is one of the more aggressive aged beers I have come across. The bourbon comes through from start to finish and drinks like a beer, but edges on the profile of a cocktail.

The beer is tough at first because the barrel is so overwhelming. However, this one gets better the longer you drink it and ends up finishing above average.

@firesidewithphil

A - Pitch black pour with thin, but dense toffee colored lacing.

S - Dark roasted chocolate, light char, bourbon, roasted cocoa, and Bourbon.

T - Dark roasted chocolate, roasted cocoa, char, oak, Bourbon, and a nice aggressive roast presence.

M - Thick and a little oily with some warming on the way down.

O - Pretty fantastic and recommended. One of those bottles I wish I had bought more than one of.

 

L: A dark dark brown brew with a rootbeer float-looking head and decent lacing and retention.

S: Chocolate fudge and bourbon. A tinny coffee bitterness.

T: Follows the nose with some more booze and barrel, tiny notes of toffee, char, and cherry tartness.

F: Moderately thick and finishes dry and bitter.

O: I wanted to fall in love with this stout as it was well executed overall, but the complexity wasn't there nor a good standout note to hang my palate on. Still a very nice work from Wyndridge very worthy of your own oppinion.

I wish this seasonal style from Winding Path wasn't so hard to find and was less seasonal. It's a tremendous offering!!

Poured from a can into tulip
Inky black with fab of khaki head-scant effervescence- smells of cocoa, leather, woodsy bourbon notes - taste is sweet molasses, vanilla, cocoa - caramel, smoke and leather with a semi sweet finish. Full body- almost syrupy with good palate cleansing acidity.
Solid bourbon barrel aged imperial stout- complex and comparable to the classics- definitely got to stock up

 

L-Jet black......1 finger mocha colored head that dissipates leaving some heavy lacing........absolutely no light passing through this beer

S-roasted grains........booze, chocolate, molasses, caramel

T-chocolate, booze, wood, dark fruits, mocha., sweet bourbon, black licorice, caramel, vanilla........quite complex.........finish is dark bitter chocolate and lingering coffee

F-Thick, creamy, feels exactly as it should.......low carb......highly viscous

O-well crafted beer......as good as any BBA stout I have had........highly recommend.......smooooth........alcohol heat is subdued but this is a big bold BBA stout of high quality

Wow amazing stuff mostly surprised to see it never even heard of it until today. Even at almost 14% I got no bourbon burn and even convinced the bartender to try it much to his surprise. No hard bourbon hits smooth chocolate slight bitter coffee. Again world class stuff

 

 

 

 

This beer smells, feels and taste great if you like a dark and smooth beer. The coffee and dark chocolate hints along with the bourbon barrel flavor is absolutely awesome. I understand that my local beer specialty, wine and growler shop is on their last case of this beer and I am seriously devastated. I would continue to buy this beer until the end of time. Please do not discontinue making this beer.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours pitch black, completely impervious to light. It is rare to find a beer this dark. Dark mocha head that fades quickly. Aroma is burnt espresso, sweet dark molasses, charred wood, wet leather, campfire. Flavor is very complex. In no particular order: anise, bittersweet dark chocolate, espresso, blackstrap molasses, burnt brown sugar (think crepe brûlée top), chatted wood, ash, and a good dose of bourbon. Lots of charred / burnt aromas and flavors going on here. Would be interested to see how the flavors develop over 2-3 years... at $16/500ml bottle, very reasonably priced for a beer of this quality.

2/7/19
500 ml bottle, fall 2018 release - thanks Roach
4.25 rating

Slow-building head, but eventually a solid finger+ of dark tan foam sits elegantly atop a midnight black body. Retention is fantastic for the style, with a thin foam topper lingering long after the pour.

Bourbon is strong on the nose, followed by notes of dark chocolate, nuts, and coffee. Nose overall is quite restrained. Light char, red grapes, honey, and brown sugar round out the profile.

Flavor is a straight-forward but very well executed BBA imperial stout. It's a slow-building profile, with a little bit of brown sugar and caramel up front, blending with bourbon and chocolate and coffee tones. Mid-palate, the heat comes along as the bourbon mash starts to assert itself more aggressively, with tones of coconut, vanilla, and oak. Quite a bit of char on the finish (surprisingly for an "American" imperial stout), along with dark chocolate and coffee, and dulled by oak.

Modest heat; full-bodied and very drinkable. Long finish with tones of fruit, tobacco, leather, and tannins.

Deep and dark body; frothy, sticky head; lots of sheets of foam and rings of lacing inside the glass. Sweet and dark roasted grain aroma; cocoa and bittersweet chocolate. Chocolate and boozy taste; cocoa; some alcohol. Heavy body; sweet and spongy; bourbon heat.

A nice, very balanced barrel-aged stout.

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a half finger light brown head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, cocoa, nuts, vanilla and bourbon. Flavor is rich dark toasted malt with nice char, fudgy chocolate, bourbon, mellow coffee, vanilla and a hint of filberts. Medium bodied with moderate, silky creaminess, superb mouth feel. Wow, this is a really fine imperial stout. Flavor is deep, complex and yet well integrated. Nice level of roasty char, evocative chocolate character and some coffee, vanilla and nuttiness. One of the best stouts I've had in the past year and one of the few that compare to my favorites from Fremont. If this was a local brewery, I'd be stocking up on this one. I hope to see other brews from these guys. Completely off my radar, but world class.

On tap at the Bulls Head. This was surprisingly spectacular. Rich, fudge-y cake batter, fairly potent bourbon, brown sugar, and faint coconut and vanilla. Rich, full mouthfeel and an incredibly well masked abv. Put it in 4-packs and I'd buy a bunch. Get this one.

From the 22 oz bottle in a snifter. This most excellent imperial stout
pours a deep coal black with a nice head of brown foam that settles to
a thin ring, thin wispy pool, and displays some rather nice lacing. Nose
of mellow coffee, bourbon, vanilla, strong booze, aged oak barrel, toffee,
and subtle chocolate with char hints. Flavors---wow...haven't had one this
good since Bluejacket74 tossed me a bottle of Combustion Barrel Aged
imperial. Rich coffee and moderate char round out a mature oaken barrel
around notes of rich bourbon, mellow vanilla, and brown sugars laden with
roast and toffee with hints of chocolate and brulee but beaten back by char
and deeply roasted coffee. Nice mouth feel; full body, smooth, warming,
low carbonation,and a kickin' warm boozy finish laden with coffee and a
lingering char.

Stout lover---rejoice----most excellent if you can find it!
As noted by other BeerAdvocates this one deserves some
much needed attention----it is most excellent.

It is also a Christmas beer from the little lady who always
gets me the finest stouts----ahhh---good life, good wife!

Cheers!

 

 

Look: It pours black with a dark brown head. Head retention is low.

Smell: It has aromas of chocolate, bourbon and some roast. There is a brownie element to the aromas as well. It also has hints of vanilla.

Taste: There are flavors of chocolate, bourbon, roast, and some burnt elements. There are hints of vanilla and some low background dark fruits. In addition a slight wood background flavor is there.

Feel: It has a full body that is not quite chewy. Maybe one of the most impressive elements it the smooth alcohol warming considering the abv of this beer.

Overall, a powerful and flavorful stout highlighting a mixture of items that are balance without one dominating over the others.

Very good but doesnt quite hide the alcohol burn that lingers a but too much. Otherwise holds up well to similar sought after beers.