Bourbon Barrel-Aged Route 33 Collaboration Porter
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

 

 

Shared by whiterascal, poured into a tulip. This here’s a bourbon barrel-aged imperial oatmeal chocolate pecan porter. Every one of those words sounds good to me. Bottle 109 of 168.

Deep black, with not a hint of light visible from middle to edge. The head is extremely thin and the color of cocoa, fading within seconds to a skinny ring.

Heavy, sugary bourbon aroma, complete with vanilla extract, oak and toffee. Pecan, milk chocolate and a touch of roast are noticeable below.

The flavor’s a little less rich. Dark chocolate and vanilla meld before oak and toasty bread settle in. A splash of alcohol is off-putting, but is quickly replaced by sweet pecan. Sugary overall, with a lingering vanilla-heavy finish.

A little thin in feel. Medium-light and slightly watery, with almost-not-there carbonation. Alcohol is big in the nose and on the tongue, but it’s to be expected at 9.2 percent. Big lingering sweetness.

Tasty! The bourbon takes over a little too much, but overall it’s a good, sweet porter. 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle courtesy of GoGriz in a recent trade. Cheers for the bottle man!

From a bomber into a snifter
Vintage: 2010
Bottle 159 of 168

APPEARANCE: A thicker looking black pour makes a one finger, medium looking, noisy, crackly, mocha color head with lousy retention. Head is really obnoxious, but luckily is quickly fizzes down to a faint wisp and ring. Black body with relatively high levels of carbonation evident. A slight ring remains but leaves no lacing. Looks quite flat by the end.

SMELL: Big nose on this one, and quite barrel heavy. Bourbon, oak, vanilla, and some milk chocolate. Touches of dark chocolate and caramel as well. Pretty big and the barrel smells quite nice.

TASTE: Some dark malts and dark chocolate up front with the barrel coming through on the swallow. Bourbon and some oak notes, though very little vanilla or milk chocolate at all. Some booze in the finish as well. Aftertaste is really mild and short lived, with some oak, bourbon, and a touch of the pecan nuts if you close your eyes and think about it. This is relatively lackluster and boring on the finish. Much less impressive than the nose had advertised.

PALATE: Medium-thin body and higher levels of carbonation. Prickly carbonation, and somewhat fizzy on the palate, goes down alright and finishes a little sticky. Bleh.

OVERALL: Pretty boring really. The nose was definitely the most attractive feature of the beer, showcasing the barrel quite nicely, but the flavor was bland and weak, with a pathetic showing after the swallow, and the palate relatively thin and watery. I hear Jackie O’s makes some good brews but this is not one of them. Was happy to give this one a go, so thanks again GoGriz, but I’ll pass on this one in the future.

A - Dark brown color with a brownish head that disssipated quickly.

S - Lots of bourbon, lots of nuts, bit roast and burnt malts.

T - Bourbon, little bit of roast, nice nuttyness. Kind of digging the flavors on this one. Little bit of vanilla and some sweeter spices.

M - Medium bodied with lower carbonation.

O - Nice beer, particularly if you like nuts and roast. Bourbon adds some good complexity.

pitch black, no light was escaping this one at all. Rich, evil looking with a thin tan head on top that only slightly faded as it came back down to earth really just coating the inside of the glass completely as it went down. The aroma was huge, this is exactly what I had hoped it would be. Rich vanilla notes that were interlaced perfectly with rich chocolate and hints of bourbon and oak. Sublime and perfect in every way. As I go in for a sip I find the same thing, simply perfect. Smooth, seductive, a bit lighter in the body then I would have thought, but still wonderfully smooth. Rich chocolate dominates here early before the bourbon takes over. Lots of vanilla here as well as it really is soo complex I find it hard to really put into words. But I drink on and as I do, wonderful oak and woody notes greet me as it comes up to room temp

Thanks to Mark for sharing this one.

A: The pour on this one is a dark brown color with a small khaki head.

S: Not surprisingly, the nose opens up with lots of bourbon and vanilla. Quite a bit of chocolate on there with some toasted nuts. A little bit of cherries, along with roasted malts and a hint of alcohol.

T: Not as good of a flavor, but not too shabby. The roasted malts stand out more than on the aroma. There is a definite cherry note, some nut shells, bourbon, and vanilla. A bit hot with the booze.

M: Medium in body, maybe a touch thin, with a medium carbonation.

O: Some good aspects to the beer, but there are just too many flaws.

22oz bottle poured into a Jackie O's snifter. Bottle generously provided by normyk, thanks a lot!

2010 release, bottle #32/168.

A - Pours a dark brown, pretty much almost black. Even after a relatively hard pour, only about a finger's worth of head forms, light tan in color. Retention is low and ghastly whisps of foam litter the top of the beer when it's gone. Not much lacing, but some pretty good alcohol legs.

S - The smell is pretty decent for this beer. Lots of bourbon and vanilla, but still get hints of the chocolate and nuttiness in this. The overall aroma is fairly sweet and smells like it has a pretty hefty malt bill. Relatively earthy as well.

T - After my first sip, I am getting flashbacks to last night when I tried Bourbon Sweet Chocolate Love and Bourbon Dark Apparition... I feel this is the same type of barrel (Woodford Reserve), and honestly I'm not a fan of it. It leaves a strong bourbon flavor, bordering on alcohol-soaked dark fruit, and overwhelms the base beer. The malts here are roasty to the point of almost leaving a smoked flavor, yet its faint and quick. Not getting much chocolate besides some flashes here and there, and the vanilla that was prominent in the nose takes a back seat to the other barrel-imparted flavors. Finish is moderately long and boozy.

M - Mouthfeel is moderately light-bodied and has good carbonation. A little bit thin and watery at points. Leaves a solid coating on the mouth, however.

D/O - Drinkability is moderate. Due to an allergy to pecans that my regular tasting buddy has, I had to tackle this one solo and it took a good amount of time. The main criticism I have is that the bourbon comes across too strongly, but I come from the perspective that bourbon barrel-aging should complement the base beer and accentuate its nuances and complexities, not completely overshadow them. A rare miss from Jackie O's.

From 03/27/11 notes. Thanks to Thorpe429 for sharing another Jackie O's beer. Bottle 82 of 168.

a -Pours an almost black color, with an inch of tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of bourbon, chocolate, oak, and roasted malts. Pretty nice nose.

t - Tastes of chocolate, roasted malts, bourbon, oak, and vanilla/cream. Bourbon isn't quite as strong as it is in the nose, and some vanilla in the taste which I like a lot. A step up from the nose.

m - Medium body and low to moderate carbonation. Smooth and creamy body, wonderful mouthfeel.

o - Overall another good beer from Jack O's. While this is not my favorite beer from them I thought it was very good, and I continue to be impressed by them. Would like to have it again.

Consumed at a recent DC area tasting. Served in a SAVOR snifter.

Pour yields a very dark brown brew with a thin tan head. The nose carries a good amount of bourbon along with some roasted malt and chocolate. There's a bit of sweetness in there as well, backing up the roast. The flavor melds the bourbon, chocolate, and sweet malt together well, with a bit of booze in the finish alongside the roasted malt. Nice combination of flavor effects. Medium body with a nice barrel presence. A really nice brew; glad I was able to grab a bottle of this.

Many, many thanks to csmiley for this one.

Bottle 142/168

Barrel Aged Route 33 pours a very ominous, onyx color. It's pitch black. I'm not seeing any light cutting through. A tan head covers the surface, but rises no higher. It dissipates quickly, leaving very little lace in its wake. That's disappointing, but I do like the color a lot.

The nose is impressive. It's chock full of chocolate. It smells like a mix of dark and sweet milk chocolate. Bourbon is definitely in the mix, but has a restrained, moderate presence. I like that a lot. I was hopeful that pecan would be noticeable, but I'm not getting any. That's unfortunate. Secondary scents include roasted coffee, vanilla, oak, and light dark fruit. Alcohol is there, but seems to be masked pretty well. It doesn't come through too strong.

Barrel Aged Route 33 is anchored by a solid mix of chocolate and roasted malts. The chocolate variety adds bittersweet dark chocolate and sweet milk chocolate flavors. Bourbon plays a complementary role, and plays it perfectly. The barrel aging also imparted a very nice vanilla flavor that isn't far behind the bourbon. Roasted coffee and oak are secondary. There might be a hint of a nutty pecan flavor, but it's very light and subtle. I'd like a little more. Alcohol is definitely more prominent here, and definitely has a warming effect. Finishes with a nice chocolate, bourbon, and vanilla combo.

The body is medium. Carbonation is dialed down nicely, and it does feel relatively smooth. Nonetheless, it could use a little more body. Not bad by any stretch though. For a beer of its size, it goes down surprisingly easy.

I understand that Jackie O's and Columbus Brewing Company collaborated to create Route 33. This is simply the barrel-aged version of that beer. It's pretty good stuff. Some suggested tweaks are a stronger pecan flavor, a little less alcohol, and more body. Those would all improve it. Good stuff as it is. Definitely worth checking out. Here's hoping Columbus Brewing Company and Jackie O's brainstorm frequently in the future.

I though this was pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but a tasty, well balanced. Pours dark. Notes of bourbon, nuts, roasty malts, oak, vanilla and more dark malts. Flavor lacks a bit in complexity, but is very well balaned. Another super unique and very tasty beer from Jackie O's. Great Stuff!

Bomber from Ryan011235, poured into a Duvel tulip at cellar temperature. Exceedingly dark brown with mahogany highlights. A skim of bubbles quickly reduces to just a wispy hint that there might be some carbonation. No lacing.

Pretty nice-smelling stuff. The bourbon, while not quite muted, is toned down enough to complement rather than overwhelm. Dark chocolate and a roasted malt are enhanced with light notes of oak and vanilla. There's a general nuttiness that I suppose can be attributed to the pecans, but I couldn't have identified the nut in question without reading the label.

Tastes good, too. Roasted malts up front turn more tangy and raisinish toward the swallow. Not quite thick, but plenty smooth, and the bourbon lends a nice warmth to the finish. Dark chocolate aplenty, but it avoids straying into 'too sweet' territory. Oak, vanilla and nuttiness are light, but appreciable. A well-constructed brew

Overall impression: I've never had the base beer, but barrel-aging it seems to have been a wise choice. It probably will cellar well, but the bourbon is already a well-integrated part of the overall flavor profile. No harshness here; drink and enjoy.

Pours very dark with chocolaty coloured head with dissipates quickly. Strong bourbon presence on the nose. Nutty smells peak through. Can definitely taste the nuttiness under the strong bourbon. The roasted malts are barely detectable. Tastes stronger than it is... very drinkable though