Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout 3-Year
Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

 

 

 

Had on tap at Maltitude. Great nose on this vanilla and bourbon. B the mouth feel was much the same. Very balanced with not a lot of heat. A little thin on the mouth feel but overall a solid brew

 

A solid pour gets me only a inch of light caramel colored head. Body is jet oil black. Nose is just spectacular with tones of bourbon, coffee and chocolate covered caramel. Now on to the taste. Well yes you do get bourbon and then some bourbon. Big up front bourbon that yields to a body that is slightly thin for the listed 11.2% alcohol. Some dark fruit develops with black cherry skins shining through. The Stars also include coffee and caramel on the flavor. Only draw back seems a slightly weak base beer. This is however a marvel of barrel aging.

 

Vanilla and caramel sweetness dominate the aroma, but the roasty coffee and chocolatey malt character provides balance.

Flavor is bourbony throughout, smooth, sweet initially, with a roast malt backbone and coffee bitterness that round out the profile. Notes of marshmallow emerge. This one definitely makes up for the lack of bourbon in the original version.

Three years after the introduction to the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Coffee Stout, a new and amped up version awakens- one that has spending that long three year slumber in Kentucky bourbon barrels and has taken on premiere bourbon character with deeply woven roast, malt and coffee complexity.

Carrying an onyx-like sheen, the coat of motor oil aligns the glass with deep black saturation. Carrying the daintiest of a coffee-like creme, the beers sultry scent showcases its bourbon influence well. Vanilla, caramel, char, oak and booze tease the nose with the same rebel nature as does well crafted bourbon, but its malty-sweet taste is chocked full of roasted marshmallows and chocolate coated espresso beans.

Light in carbonation, the full saturation of its roasted malt and toffee sweetness seeps into the tastebuds. Carrying those deep and dark roast coffee flavors, candied walnuts, burnt toast, and seared oak and caramel the beer is both smooth and robust. Final flavors of peppery bourbon with a light vinous barrel tone, hints of sherry and soy sauce decorate the periphery of taste.

Full bodied, but much less viscous or dense than expected, the dryness of age and barrel tannins keeps the texture velvety, creamy but also surprisingly drinkable. Still a sipper, the stout finishes spicy with bourbonesque booze, heated and chocolaty with a long undercurrent of charred fruit and coffee.