Bourbon Barrel Tiramisu Stout
Steam Bell Beer Works

 

I don't see a date listed on the can.

Appearance: Black body with a fuzzy top. The head is slightly off-white with a bit of yellow-tan. It fades fast and leaves no lacing.

Aroma: A strong wood note comes through with a distinct bourbon. It smells like wet oak.

Taste: Up front there is a slightly tart cherry-like flavor with a good deal of vanilla and a very strong oak flavor. Towards the middle there is a very strong raw oak flavor.


Mouthfeel: A lot of tannin character comes through, especially with each subsequent drink. The beer feels light but boozy. Drinkability is low due to the high tannin content, but the rest seems alright.

Overall: This has the makings of a good beer but it needs a lot more time to mellow out and blend. The oak feels very raw with a lot of tannin and no char character at all. Whatever the Tiramisu was supposed to be here is missing entirely. It might be worth trying in the future given the quality of the wood in the beer, but the base beer and whatever spice is supposed to be in this beer is missing. I'd recommend waiting to see if it improves in the future, via a taster, but I wouldn't recommend this. I'd probably try it again in a couple years to see if the brewery had tuned things.

 

Poured moderately hard from a large bottle into a snifter glass, forming a finger of tan head that soon faded to a ring of lacing. Smell is definitely sweet bourbon, maybe a hint of tiramisu smell. Taste is noticeably bourbon first, and eventually the after taste turns to tiramisu. Definitely toes the line of "too sweet". A little bit boozy. Medium bodied with light carbonation. Good if you're looking for a sweet bourbon stout, but definitely intense.

 

Dark black in color with a team head. Notes of coffee, caramel, oak, and vanilla in the aroma. Vanilla, bourbon and oak with dark chocolate and molasses. Overall a great sweet Stout.

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown / black color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was a quarter inch of creamy, tan-colored head that quickly dissipated. Below average lacing.

S: A very nice aroma of chocolate, bourbon, malt, vanilla, and coffee.

T: Tasted of a bit of malt (mildly present throughout), a tinge of vanilla, some coffee, a good shot of chocolate (always welcome), and a good shot of bourbon (and its barrel). A sweet and alluring flavor. It definitely has a strong bourbon presence, but is never overpowering. The sweet, sugary quality always seems to shine through. Delicious.

F: An average amount of carbonation with a super smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A solidly made, easy to drink stout. Drinkable.