Nanaimo - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Trillium Brewing Company

 

 

Nanaimo Barrel Aged from Trillium Brewing. Received on 9/4/21 from @Rub_This_BBQ in NBW/NBS BIF #13. 25.4 oz capped bottle stored at home at 42 degrees. Reviewed 15/8/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
“11/01/19” stamped on side of label. Served at 57.3 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 61.8 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque with dancing effervescence. When rear-lite, same.
Head – Tiny (Maximum one cm, aggressive center pour), caramel, low density and fizzy, no retention, diminishing to a one mm crown and no cap, just a surface pocked by jetsam and a seven mm veil marking the former location of the head. Second pour produces 0.5 cm head, gone almost instantly.
Lacing –
None, but really didn’t expect any for a 14.9% brew.
Aroma – 4 – Bourbon. No malt, no hops, no yeast, and none of the other additives.
Flavor – 4 – Flavor follows the nose but cloying as well. Flavor is less harsh than straight bourbon, probably because of the graham crackers and some brown sugar. No malt, no hops, no yeast, no vanilla and especially no chocolate. No ethanol (14.9 % ABV, marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Full, creamy, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 Well, I may have held this one too long. Basically, it’ll kill diabetics and the bourbon is the predominant flavor. This seems like one of Southern Tier’s dessert beers. Still, the bourbon flavor makes it drinkable and the absence of alcohol in taste and nose makes it desirable.

Bottle dated November, 2019, drank February, 2021. Perfectly cellared.

Really enjoyed the taste and smell of this beer but the fact that there were graham cracker floaties on top pretty much crushed it for me. You could see the sludge on the side of the bottle neck and you could hear it hiss on being poured into the glass, and it wasn’t the carbonation. Great taste, the graham cracker taste actually added a lot and was dominant, the other adjuncts might have been there too but after the graham crackers came the bourbon, which was also dominant on the back end - I loved that about this beer. There wasn’t much of a middle ground, if anything - the sweetness that can be attributed to the coconut could be called out, but I didn’t really get any coconut, vanilla or chocolate per se - they seemed all nicely mixed together. But the fact that you could not only see, but taste the consistency of the floaties was a real rookie mistake for what is now a brewery that should now be executing on these kinds of beers flawlessly - a major miss on Trillium’s part IMO, but still an enjoyable beer to drink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boozy bourbon, woody oak barrel, graham crackers, marshmallow, vanilla, creamy lactose, rich chocolate, hints of coconut, dark stone fruit notes, molasses, dark caramel, toasty dark toffee, dark brown sugar, smooth, medium plus bodied

Drank from a 25.4 fl oz (750 ml) bottle purchased at Trillium Brewing Company, Boston, MA
11/01/19
Served in a tulip

Oily, shimmery, dark brown/black appearance. Medium-full bodied for the style. A barely-there, saddle brown film topped the liquid, but it quickly dissolved. No lacing nor any head retention whatsoever.

The aroma was pretty underwhelming initially. Malty and moderately sweet. Fairly boozy. Brown sugar notes were apparent. Touch of bakers chocolate too. Vanilla came forth as the beer sat. Powdered cocoa was also noticeable. The overall sweetness intensified as well. Later, the coconut made its presence known. Nice vanilla/coconut juxtaposition.

The flavor profile was similarly lacking in punchiness at first. Malty up front. Roasted and caramel malts were apparent. Lots of brown sugar sweetness. Slightly cloying. Vanilla was detectable in the center. The beer finished with more roasted malts and a big boozy kick. I definitely got a lot of alcohol heat bit not much actual bourbon or barrel character. With time, the flavor profile became more interesting and complex. The vanilla and creamy lactose notes intensified. Some marshmallow and graham cracker were noticeable too. More roasted malt, booze and sugary sweetness on the back end and the finish.

Rich, creamy, fuller bodied mouthfeel. Oily and slick on the palate. The beer contained a finer bubbled, fairly zippy effervescence. Impressive. After a few sips, the liquid left a super sticky, sugary film on my lips.

Most of Trillium’s pastry stouts have been outstanding, but Barrel Aged Nanaimo was a notch or two below the others. Not only was the beer excessively sweet, but the bourbon/barrel was fairly subtle and none of the adjuncts really stood out. That said, the free Nanaimo that came along with this beer was pretty tasty. Thanks Trillium!

 

 

 

 

The barrel character actually cuts through the sweetness a lot compared to the non-BA version, which was one of the nastiest, sickly sweet stouts Trillium ever brewed. Great aromas of Graham cracker, marshmallow, bourbon, and milk chocolate. Flavors largely follow the nose. still a bit sweet but not too bad. Mouthfeel is a bit over carbonated for the style

84/100

Dark brown appearance with a small light brown head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a very pleasant chocolate, coconut and vanilla blend. Taste is also a very pleasant smooth blend of chocolate, coconut and vanilla. A little thin.