Bourbon Barrel Mean Coffee Bean
Drafting Table Brewing Company

Labeled "Mean Coffee Bean". Description states "Imperial Stout aged in oak bourbon barrels with coffee and vanilla." Unsure which BA entry this is applicable for, but the ABV matches this listing (15%).

Pours black with a near still effervescence, with little head forming. What head does appear is more caramel-colored fizz than foam. Oily legs form around the glass after a swirl.

Aroma is thick roasty and toasty malts with hearty vanilla bean and coffee mashed into the mix. Vanilla bean leads coffee, with coffee forming more of a firm undertone to the whole experience. Bourbon is present, really crescendoing at the mid-point towards the finish, bringing with it a little cutting heat. Despite the heat, it does not smell like it has the weight of 15% ABV behind it. Mild notes of chocolate, brownies, and faint dark fruits help shape the remainder of the aroma.

Flavor profile is just as stacked, bringing roasty and toasty malts together with coffee and vanilla bean. Here, the coffee leads out the vanilla, taking the bulk of the first half, before transitioning to vanilla bean in the final half. Bourbon is present throughout, bringing with it a low simmering heat to the entire profile. Bourbon really builds in the final third, resulting more in a spike of heat, than a spike in flavor. Otherwise, it sort of falls flat in terms of depth. Chocolate notes are present, but very mild and muted.

Mouth feel is thick with a still texture. It almost drinks like a flat cola-like soda pop, but with greater thickness.

Overall, a great BA stout, but a bit off at times. Vanilla beans and coffee work together well, building together, but can't quite curtail the swelling heat of the bourbon. Despite all that, it does carry it's 15% ABV heft well.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 16oz can. Canned date: 02/25/2022. Consumed/reviewed: 09/08/2022.