Barrel Aged Stout
Chuckanut Brewery

12-ounce can purchased at Belmont Station in Portland, OR. Date stamp on the shoulder of the can reads "BA STOUT 6 Canned FEB 19 26". Enjoyed in an English tulip-style half-pint glass.

Note:
The label shows an ABV of 9.3%, unlike the 9.8% shown here.

Look:
In the glass it is a dark walnut brown with ruby highlights. It builds a tall head of frothy, golden tan foam that fizzes away to nothing in about a minute. No lacing.

Smell:
The nose is of moderate strength, leading with oak tannins and whiskey on a rather subdued base of milk chocolate, caramel, and dark fruit notes.

Taste:
The flavor is similar. Hot whiskey bolts out of the gate, shadowed by oaky tannins. Roasted malt and milk chocolate flavors come through next. I also get notes of cherries, plums, and mild coconut, along with hints of char and smoke. The boozy finish is whiskey, chocolate, oak, and light vanilla.

Feel:
The body is light-medium, with a nice smooth texture, but it feels a bit thin due to carbonation which is frothy bordering on harsh. Finishes with prickly alcohol heat.

Overall:
A rare disappointment from one of my favorite northwest breweries. I've enjoyed this beer on draft before, but while this canned version has some good flavors, it is thin, hot, and over-carbonated. I picked up 2 cans last weekend, intending to send one to a friend as part of a birthday box. However, this beer would not make a very good present, so I'll store it away for Cellaruary 2027 to see if it improves.

On tap at P-nut

The nose is rather muted with licorice, anise, spice, a rather raw, oak heavy barrel character, lightly toasted, mildly buttery, moderately boozy. Dry cocoa, mild coffee. The palate opens mildly bitter, warming with a really tannic profile. Vanilla, mild wheat like sweetness, light honey. Tannic finish, warming, spicy finish. Tasty.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass with a two finger khaki head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, whiskey and light cocoa. Flavor follows with dark toasted malt with light char, whiskey, a hit of peat, bakers chocolate, light oak and wisps of coconut. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Chuckanut's first barreled stout takes a different approach with an export stout base and is somewhat drier and reminiscent of that style. The whiskey notes are good with light woody oak from the barrel. There are light bitter chocolate notes behind the whiskey. Body is lighter than many BA stouts, but satisfactory and the malt holds up well to the barrel. Pleasant and nicely done. Chuckanut is one of the areas most reliable breweries and this entry into BA ales is welcome.