Kentucky Winter Golden Stout
Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

I think at this point I probably like about 50% of this brewery's ouevre, which is kind of a bad batting average... but for some reason I typically do check out each and every new thing they put out because they at least tend to intrigue me. I've had plenty of "golden"/"white" stouts at this point (a trend that began about 4-5 years ago I believe) and some are good but not beers I want regularly, while some are pretty awful. In other words, I've never really had a golden stout I would re-buy frequently (though Stony Creek's Stony Joe was actually pretty good and I did end up getting a sixer of it a couple years ago, but I digress). Will this change my mind?

Pour here is very, very nice... so we're off to a great start! The color is like a mostly-filtered pale ale, honestly; it has that light-golden body with enough deeper hues to let me know some honey malt or something similar (Golden Promise?) was used in the process here. The head is absolutely huge, measuring about four fingers on an initial, not super aggressive pour, which left behind thick lace patterns bearing very solid consistency. Decent legs once the foam settles to a very solid finger-and-a-half, as well. Great looking beer.

Up front on the nose I am, unfortunately, getting a slight metallic scent that distracts from the, uh, buttery scent I associate with this brewery's regular Bourbon Barrel Ale. Unfortunate, but there are silver (golden?) linings... under these aspects I do not like are some very nice things happening that I end up being able to appreciate in spite of the "meh" first impression. Some nice caramel, blonde roast coffee, smoky cocoa, and cereal grains combined with a little bit of oatmeal gives this some character. Some light notes of plum if I really get in my glass and think about what's going on here, but, yeah, it's really not all bad. Hoping, however, that it picks up on the palate.

Surprisingly chewy with some good flavors of vanilla/tannins, milk chocolate, buttered rye toast, bourbon, cocoa, and moderately-roasty coffee. Alright, this isn't bad, but the buttery flavor is definitely there. Granted it works slightly better than in their regular ol' BBA, but it's still not my favorite bourbon barrel treatment out there. The feel is pretty good; doesn't really seem to hit at its 8% strength, and goes down with minimal fuss. Slightly slick with low carbonation and decent tannins. Oak is decently apparent here, too. I'm trying to give this the benefit of the doubt big-time, because I truly do think this brewery does some unusual and good stuff that tends to be better than expected at times, but this is just not a repeat buy/drink for me in particular. If you enjoy "golden stouts" more than I do, perhaps you will really like it. I think it would be improved with some spicing (for that "wintry" feel they're pushing with the branding) and a tiny bit more chocolate.

Gotta say, the reviews so far are pretty accurate. On opening I got zero aroma, with slightly buttery thereafter. Color an unimpressive muddy amber. Almost no head. After it sat a bit, you pick up the buttery notes along with a "tinny" taste that does it no favors. When we were kids, I had some ten-year old warm Buckhorn that had a more metallic taste, but still not real pleasing. Kinda sticky on the lips without redeeming sweetness. Not a drain pour by any means, but def a one and done for me.

 

A - Medium orange amber color with nice bright white head resting on top, carbonation is slow and steady.

S - Sweet malt, vanilla, oak, and Bourbon on the nose.

T - Sweet malt buried down below. Up top is vanilla, light oak, bourbon, and a delicate nip of toffee.

M - Thick and silky texture leaving the palate mostly wet.

O - Expected more roastiness out of this beer since it's a "Stout", golden or not.

 

 

 

L: More hazy copper than gold. Not much head or lace. Almost flat
S: minimal vanilla
T: metallic at first. Gets better as it warms. Maybe should have kept this in the wine cooler instead of the beer fridge
F: thin
O: intriguing but not always in a good way. Definitely had better blonde stouts. It does get better as it warms. ABV doesn’t hurt either

 

 

 

Poured from a bottle into a snifter, gives around a finger of head. Smells of vanilla, bourbon, and some maltiness. Taste follows the smell, with the bourbon primary, followed by vanilla and malt. Light/medium body with light carbonation. Not an intense bourbon flavor, quite good.

 

 

 

 

Look: Amber orange pour
Smell: wheat, honey-crisp apple,
Taste: little vanilla, has that blonde ale flavor, honey/carmel
Feel: medium body, lighter carbonation
Overall: interesting, but in a way that is really appealing to me. I agree with @ichorNet in that I find my self liking about 50% of these guys brews. The ones I like, I really like, the ones I don't (this one unfortunately) are kinda meh for me

 

 

12oz bottle dated 2019 10 30 (about a month old) poured into a Spiegelau stout glass at fridge temp 8% ABV. The beer pours mostly bright orange amber in color with off white head. The head settles to a nice cap and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is minimal with hints of vanilla and chocolate. The taste is semisweet malt with cocoa & vanilla prominent before it turns roasty with the oak and earthy hops. The finish is moderately bitter and mostly dry. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation. Overall, very good. This is my first "blonde" stout, but I'm enjoying it. The cocoa nibs and (very tired) bourbon barrel help make this a stout despite the lack of roasted malt.