Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale
Central Waters Brewing Co.

Pours dark chocolate brown with a frothy, vigorous two finger head. Aroma is dark fruit (raisins, dark cherries) and malt. Taste is in the middle of the spectrum, with wood characters and that dark fruit again. Carbonation is moderately low. Nothing too complicated here -- just straightforward Scotch ale.

Look: Black with a thick mocca colored head

Aroma: caramel, plum, bourbon

Flavor: sweet caramel, molasses, some dark fruit, plum I think and significant bourbon. Not very boozy and easy drinking.

Body/Overall: full bodied. Top notch world class.

12oz bottle at share. Almost clear brown pour, short lived beige foamy head. Aroma is malty, caramel, bourbon notes. Taste brings more earthy malts flavors, nutty, a little vanilla, toffee. What it doesn't have is any sign of peated malts. Seems a little dull due to age.

 

 

 

 

Rating based on the beer I had and I am sure it doesn't reflect it when it is fresh. Somebody who will remain nameless sent this to me as a blind beer. 2016 bottle received and drank September 2021. Old oxidized and flat. There are enough ratings here that this rating for a 5 year old beer will not affect the overall score. If I get a fresh one at some point I will update.

12 ounce bottle, 2021 vintage. Thanks to Brutaltruth for this! Served in a thistle glass, the beer pours a dark brown color with about a half inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. Aroma is nice and malty, the brew smells like caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, oak and bourbon. I think the taste pretty much follows the aroma, but with the addition of some raisin and light earthy and peaty flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and easy enough to drink with a moderate amount of carbonation. Doesn't drink like it's 12% ABV. I think this is a pretty good barrel aged Scotch Ale, certainly worth buying if you come across some!

Vintage 2017 bottle:
Decent head for an old BBA beer, although the beer has a near flat feel to it. Nose is bourbon-soaked dessert bread with dates, dark brown sugar, and a little raisin. There’s a shrouded robust red wine tannin aspect as well. Feel somehow dampens taste, but there’s spiced bread, bourbon, and brown sugar coming through. Lingering charred sugar brings sweetness and a hint of bitterness. A nice BBA beer that I really want to have with a little more carbonation.

 

Poured a dark chocolate color with a 2F head in a Gordon scotch ale glass.
Mild aroma of oak.
Moderate MF.
Bourbon barrel taste, oak with a sharp bitterness in the finish.
This is one of my favorite styles.
Central Waters is an excellent brewer, but this offering falls short of their usual big beers.
There should be more fruit, and more carbonation as usual in the style.
I possibly opened it too soon.
Excellent beer worthy of cellaring.

 

 

Dark brown in color with a murky complexion. There's a fingernail of brown around the rim. The aroma is of sweet, caramelized malt and bourbon. I'm tasting sweet dark malt, bourbon, and some smoke. The mouth is sticky, boozy, and chewy.

Bottle purchased at historic Casanova liquors for $4.69/bottle, poured into a snifter

Pencil thick fizzy taupe layer immediately evaporates to a ring over a dark cola like liquid

Aroma is bourbon,brown sugar, dark fruits, raisin

Taste is bourbon, dark fruits, raisin, fig, toffee, vanilla, caramel, hint of nuttiness, hint of smoke.as it warms more dark fruits appear

Mouthfeel is lighter than other bourbon barrel aged beers, fizzy The Bourbon taste lingers . Booziness becomes more apparent as it warms

Good beer

From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter. This stunner pours a dark red tinged
brown color with a decent head of off white foam that settles to a thick ring
with faint lacing. Nose of smoked malts, rich bourbon, brown sugars, vanilla, and faint
oak notes with astringent booze. Flavors are rich and layered with cherry, oak, vanilla,
brown sugar, smoked peated malt touches, rich bourbon, and subtle floral notes as
well as light herbal hops. Excellent mouth feel; medium body, smooth as silk,
rich, warming, lightly coating, light carbonation, and a warming, sweet bourbon
finish.

Overall, my favorite scotch since Smuttynose scotch which I dearly miss
in this area. Excellent!

Cheers

Pours mahogany with a 1/4 inch tan head, which fades. Minimal lacing.

Aroma of molasses, caramel, bourbon.

Taste is molasses, toffee, caramel, maple, oak, bourbon.

Full bodied, light carbonation. Sweet finish.

A very good Scotch ale. Lack of a head is disappointing.

 

poured from a 12oz brown bottle – label is notched 2018

Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale – Brewers Reserve formed a slim tan head. The head sat atop of a very dark brown body that has a slight red cast when held up to the light. The head dissipated quickly leaving “hit and miss” lacing. The nose picked up light aromas of caramel, toffee and bourbon. The taste follows the nose only stronger. A nice bourbon flavor made its appearance at the finish and lingered as well. The high-medium to full bodied ale had lighter carbonation with a smooth mouth feel.

Overall, a very flavorful and easy drinker for its high ABV. I am a fan of Central Waters barrel ageing brews.