Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout
Central Waters Brewing Co.

 

 

On draught at the Barley Mow.
A thin Khaki head, strings of lacing.
Rich dark roasted caramelized malt, vanilla liqueur, pleasant and savory bourbon flavor from the aging process. The booziness is well masked by flavor, and works well with the bourbon aging.

Note: There appears to be a range of alcohol percentages on this one. If you look at the Central Waters website, 10.8% ABV can be found in bottles.
The draught I had was labeled 12%, which can also be found on the Untapped website.

Dark, thick and rich, and a just little less sweet than Central Waters’ other BA selections. Bourbon, vanilla and a bit of chocolate. I really like it quite a lot.

As the colder weather descends, a nice warming stout make for a nice evening companion.

Poured into a belgian snulip style glass. Nice head retention, a bit fizzy. Body is a deep black with slight translucency. Lots of hits on the nose. Dark fruits, vanilla, booze. Roasted malt. Sweet tasting. Some nice bourbon barrel notes. Pretty well balanced. Mouthfeel is thick, almost harsh. A slow sipper for sure.

Good quality and a great price point.

12 oz bottle from a 4pk into a Duvel tulip glass.
L: SRM 39 Pours essentially black with dark tobacco edging, a 1/4" normal khaki head that recedes to light frothy, low steady carbo, light random spotty lacing.
S: A bourbon note, buttered caramel candy, dark toasted malts, toffee, a nutty note, oak barrel, vanilla, light alcohol with warming.
T: Same as aroma plus dark fruits like prunes, dates, fig, raisins, brown bread, toasted grains, a hint of sweet chocolate, the finish is gently earthy with notes of sea salt and oak char.
F: Lightly brisk at first then just smooth with a bit of warming with a medium-heavy to heavy bodied mouthfeel with a long medium-dry finish.
O: Exceptional balance, taste and feel. Nothing extreme or challenging. It is slightly complex with deep flavors and a sumptuous finish. This Stout is world-class in its style.

 

Slight sour note from the barrels that is entirely complementary. Decent amount of char, leaning toward BA RIS. Tasting notes of brown sugar, red grapes, red wine, burnt toast, espresso, bitter chocolate, oak, cola, cream.

Not particularly thick on the mouthfeel, but drinks very easily for the ABV, only letting you know just how big it is with some after-sip warmth.

Poured cellar temp from a bottle into a 16oz pint glass. Appearance is coffee black with little light penetration. Some ruby hues around the edges. 2 finger khaki head receded quickly. Some lacing on the glass.
Aroma is toasted malt, raisins, some bourbon notes, dark chocolate, vanilla.
Taste is sweet malt, bourbon, dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla.
Mouthfeel is medium full with a smooth creamy feel. Decent balance of sweet on the front with subtle bitterness on the back from both hops and bourbon/alcohol notes.
Overall this is a pretty decent American Imperial Stout. Fits the style with the rich roasted maltiness and the back end hop bittering. Enjoyable. I wouldn't pass on this one if I saw it again.

Copenhagen 15/3 2025. 33 cl bottle from Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard, Kbh. S. Dark label with the style in brown and name of beer and brewery in white letters.

Pours opaque dark brown with a small light beige head. a bit bubbly. settles as a thin rim of foam running along the side of the glass. No lacing.

Aroma is intense with a sweet potent, malty odor laced in dark alcohol. Dark roasted malts, toffee and brown sugar. Bourbon Oak. Vanilla and Leather.

Light carbonation. Rather thick, oily, soft, viscous, creamy, almost flat texture.

Flavor is fairly intense with a strong sweetness followed by a moderately strong bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet with a strong boozy undertone. Lingering- Finish is dark and sweet.

Potent Bourbon Barrel Boozer.

Brewers notes: American-style stout aged for 1 year in used 12 year bourbon barrels.

The brewery's most highly sought after beer, this imperial stout is aged to perfection in oak bourbon barrels. Look for this tasty teat to contain hints of bourbon and vanilla with roasted overtones that is [sic] sure to please any connoisseur's palate. Serve at cellar temperature from a snifter glass and enjoy this expression of out passion for brewing.

Chilled bottle received in a bif from @bishop poured into a snifter

Three finger thick fluffy taupe foam crown reigns over a black liquid

Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, coffee, roasted malts

Settles to a thin layer , scant lacings

Taste is sweet , bourbon, cola, coffee

Sudsy mouthfeel , slick , smooth

Good beer

Pours jet black with a quickly-dissipating head that turns into an off-white ring of bubbles. Smells of oak, bourbon, hints of vanilla, and brown sugar. Taste is barrel-forward, vanilla, coffee, and charred wood. Mouthfeel is thin, like many of CW's stouts, with moderate-to-high carbonation. I want more body but it's still very good. Finish somewhat bitter, char, and bourbon.

 

 

Might need to revisit this once I have a recent bottle, this one is 7 or 8 years old.
The pour looked like strong earl grey tea, it was definitely a different color than coffee.
The taste was bourbon forward stout, all the coffee and leather and cacao, just seemed, well, thinner than expected.
The feel is also a bit thinner than expected for a BA Stout.
Good, but might be better when fresh.

 

Near black pour with a light tan head, covering the surface for a while before becoming a thick collar. Pretty good lacing.

Nose is a chocolate crème candy with some coffee and sarsaparilla. Feel is light on its feet for the ABV, but with a bit of stickiness that I would think would make the thicker than it is.

The flavors are similar, though the spice is a bit more obvious as being the results of barrel aging. The finish, while hanging onto a bit of the sweetness that opened the taste, does get to the base beer with some roasted bitterness.

 

"Always excellent" - my Untappd, Aug 14, 2017