30th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout
Left Hand Brewing Company

Dark mahogany pour, clear, appears black and opaque in the glass; thin, fizzy head, tan, quickly dissipates to a wispy ring inside the glass. Faint trace of dark roasted grains. Excellent dark malt flavor with a slowly creeping bourbon presence apexing at the finish; a twinge of chocolate. Medium-heavy mouthfeel; slick and silky smooth on the palate; fine warming boozy heat at the finish.

This is certainly a beer that likely hasn't aged well, at least as far as picking up notes of vanilla and coffee. The dark chocolate is about the only advertised flavor (other than the very prominent bourbon barrel taste) to make itself known. If this were a fresher beer, I'd give an overall score of 3.5, but I am guessing that if I tried this last year, it would have been much better overall. It's still a decent barrel aged stout, just not fantastic.

ABV: 14.7%; pouring temperature: 54 °F; bottling info: BEST BY 08/01/2023
Source: local purchase

enormous stout with a decadent bourbon profile and an enormous abv and body, fitting of an anniversary this special, cool release and im stoked i got to have a pour of it! thick as molasses, near black, a little intimidating, a short layer of head on it from the faucet, lively even for the style but still looks huge. the nose is whiskey forward and it seems high end to me, vanilla bean, maple, light earthy spice, and the char of the oak all coming right out early, some alcohol in the middle leading to caramel and raisin, dark chocolate and roast, a coffee note too, some balancing bitterness from the roast it seems, but this is still desserty to me, lots and lots of beer in this glass, and cool to have a beer like this fresh, seems like all the barrel aged stouts i ever have anymore are cellared, they dont need to be, even at this size, take note. the flavors here are awesome, the base beer rules, the barrel treatment is exceptional, and there is a lot of nuance here from toasted coconut flakes to rum raisin, praline, and good espresso. i love the layers and how this opens up, and even though its palate coating, its not as dense to drink as it first seems, slick with some glide, soft feeling, and not as hot as expected. lots of chocolate with the bourbon as it warms, strong vanilla character too, really well refined. delicious strong stout, no frills, befitting of the occasion, left hand is still awesome after all these years!