Old Growth
Upper Pass Beer Company

an excellent no frills bourbon barrel aged stout, the first i have seen of anything like this from these guys i think, and quite distinctive too, neat that they left it in barrels so long, and that they blended in some fresh stout before packaging, ive long liked what that technique brings, and i think this is very good overall, courtesy of my dad, super cool! the darkest brown in the glass, very little carbonation and just a short layer of lazy brown bubbles thats gone pretty fast, looks slick, almost greasy, with obsidian shine, not overly viscous but still substantial. the nose is really barrel forward, oak and vanilla, roast and char, and some honey and corn type sweetness, its all there, higher end whiskey seems evident, and the extended ageing is apparent, light oxidation, licorice and black tea spiciness, and coffee from the dark grain are also present, a little fudge richness, very deep and appealing, love the absence of adjuncts here. the flavor is nice, slick feeling and long, sweet but only in the middle with a molasses wrinkle and some molten chocolate. its bitter at the end with all the roast, and it seems to me like there is a dark malt in here beyond just roasted barley, a midnight wheat or something, really smooth in that way and subtly complex, earthy wet soil, tree bark, that sort of thing, low spice character too before the whiskey kicks up bigtime vanilla and hearty oak, the bourbon is soothing and smoothing and delicious, and the base stout is big enough to hold up to it, its very layered and it warms up quite well with just a bit of a back end alcohol spank. only really medium bodied as the style goes, especially given its maturity, i think the younger beer blended in freshens it up in a nice way, and i dont mind the relaxed carbonation on it. neat to see something like this from a brewery i mostly know for their hoppy beer, nice execution and just relying on good ingredients and technical skill, big thanks to my dad for procuring, was great to share this together!

 

500 ml. bottle #146/600.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 7/8 inch tan head over a black body with sticky lacing.

Nose of caramel, molasses, roasted malt, chocolate malt, and bourbon with slight oak and very slight raisins.

Taste is milk chocolate, dark chocolate, cherries, raisins, oak, and bourbon in virtually equal amounts while hiding it's abv very well. As it warms, dark chocolate, raisins, and oak take over with the bourbon taking a back seat.

Feel is nice for a bourbon barrel aged stout such as this, with near medium carbonation.

Overall, another nice barrel aged offering from South Royalton, VT! Search this one out and you won't be disappointed when you find it!!

Cheers!!!