Imperial Oatmeal Stout Barrel Aged
Oproer Brouwerij

Got this one from the neighbor for my 40th birthday. Cheers!

From a bottle into a snifter
Bottled 23 October 2017
Best before 23 October 2019
Aged in bourbon and whisky barrels

APPEARANCE: Opaque dark brown, almost black pour yields a 1+ finger, medium looking, creamy, frothy tan head with very good retention. Black body with touches of carbonation evident. Head slowly recedes to a full, creamy cap and clings to the glass. Splotchy wisp remains leaving a few dots of lacing down the glass as it empties.

SMELL: Whisky aromas, oak, vanilla cream and some definite milk chocolate on the nose. Medium strength. Notes of butterscotch and hints of coffee as well. Nice.

TASTE: Whisky, oak and some solvent up front. Not nearly as pleasant as the nose had indicated. Some booze at the swallow, moving into a big, boozy finish of whisky, wood, slight hints of milk chocolate and a decent solvent character that lingers. This is boozy and harsh, unfortunately.

PALATE: Thinner body and lots of carbonation. Foamy on the palate, goes down foamy with a bit of a burn and finishes somewhat sticky on the palate. Lots of alcohol lingers.

OVERALL: This is not good. I think I remember having this many moons ago and it hasn’t gotten any better with time. Too bad, really, as the base stout can be very nice indeed. This barreled version is boozy and solvent-like, with a feel that is far too light and foamy for the style. Not something worth writing home about.

33 cl bottle @ home, bought shortly after release. Pitch black colour. Brown head that doesn't last very long, leaving a 1 bubble layer. Aroma's from the glass aren't very strong, somewhat boozy, roasty, light vegetal and light umami. Retronasal it's quite different, there's oatmeal indeed, hard roasted malts, dark chocolate, bitterness, some booze, although not really recognizable as bourbon and/or whiskey. Flavor is light moderate sweet with a lot of dark chocolate and roasty bitterness. Body feels a bit thin on the palate for the style and strength. Long finish, roasted and bitter. A worthy attempt.