Oil of Aphrodite - Almond & Vanilla Bourbon Barrel
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

Review: 2364
Name: Oil of Aphrodite Almond and Vanilla
Brewery: Jackie Os
Location: Athen, OH
Style: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
ABV: 12.4%
Canned: 2020
Date: 15 April 2025
I was given these during the madness of COVID-19; they have sat in my cellar since then. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 50 degrees. The pour created an airy, half-fingered, light tan head with terrible retention. The fast dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The color is inky black, with dark mahogany hues, charting at SRM 38, and opaque. This beer's appearance is below average.
Nosing the glass, I smell molasses, nuttiness, dark roasted malts, toasted brown bread, oak, char, bourbon, leather, raisins, dates, toffee, caramel, dark chocolate, espresso, and earthiness. Smelling the glass again, I noticed vanilla, tobacco, floral, and grassy.
Sipping the beer, I taste toasted bread, toffee, anise, raisins, toffee, caramel, dark chocolate, soy sauce, Maillard, brown sugar, flower bouquet, grassy, light smokiness, oak, whiskey, vanilla, char, dark roasted malts, espresso, and earthiness.
The mouthfeel is smooth, with a warming finish. The body is heavy and low in carbonation.
I was disappointed to see a terrible head; I was hoping for something. The beer has several earthy notes: soy sauce, Maillard, leather, and char. The almonds come across as nutty; I don't detect much else. The addition of vanilla helps, but only so much. The barrel aging is heavy-handed also.

 

 

 

 

 

12.7 oz bottle, vintage , poured into a snifter at 55 degrees F:
L - black and oily with a hazelnut head that quickly dissipated
S - vanilla, almond, bourbon
T - taste follows the nose
F - thick, oily mouthfeel with minimal carbonation
O - another excellent stout from Jackie O's. Even people who don't like beer love this stout

 

Oil Of Aphrodite back in the rotation with almond and vanilla. This is classic Jackie O's with a deep profile, light barrel, and a bunch of flavor. Dark brown sugar and nuttiness to it.

 

Very dark brown with black edges for the body, light brown ring. Vanilla and almond create a marzipan image on the nose, chocolate and bourbon, oak and black strap molasses, goes with it beautifully. Starts with the bourbon, molasses, chocolate and walnut in the taste, but the vanilla and almond combo does eventually shine through with the oak before the finish. Lighter body, barrel is present but not instructive, adjunct cool a bit. Nice variant!

Look - black and thick with a slight head but great lasting rimming and lacing
Smell - woody almond vanilla caramel slight coffee and roasty
Taste - chocolate vanilla almond caramel and sweet but not overly
Feel - medium body and could use more but still nice and creamy
Overall - just fantastic

 

Served from the bottle in a Phase Three snifter.

VDubb was worried about this one, what with his distaste for nutty beers, but I pushed him into it. Deal with it, skippy. This stuff pours a straight obsidian topped by a half-finger at best of light tan foam. The nose comprises almond extract, roasted malts, bourbon-soaked wood, a hint of vanilla, and a touch of coffee. The taste leads with the barrel and the roast, but quickly assumes a strong character of marzipan, before then regaining some roast and dipping everything in bourbon-soaked vanilla. The body is a hefty medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a tasty extrapolation on the Oil premise, one that provides plenty of marzipan goodness without overdoing it (or bringing in some strange additional cherry notes that marzipan tends to drag along with it).

 

 

great brewery friendly people - they took a great beer and made it greater- the almond and vanilla added a lot of flavor a lot of malty almond andvanilla flavors all thru the drink =when you buy one get a few to share with friends

Jackie O barrel game is as good as there is.