Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel-aged
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company
- From:
- Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company
- Wisconsin, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 12%
- Score:
- 89
- Avg:
- 4.02 | pDev: 7.46%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Feb 22, 2025
- Added:
- May 22, 2012
- Wants:
- 7
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
89
Very Good
89
Very Good
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota
4/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap. Guessing this is the 2024 Big eddy barrel aged.
A full-bodied imperial stout aged for just over 6 months in a bourbon barrel that previously contained Central Standard Craft Distillery’s Cabin Strength Bourbon aged for 7 years in 2 different new American White Oak barrels. Notes of vanilla, chocolate and of course bourbon are apparent.
————
Black color. Tan head. Lace. On tap at the brewery.
Heavy char, oak, tobacco. Roasted. Burnt coffee. Molasses, fudge, caramel, vanilla.
Pretty solid and fun to try. Have had many versions of Big Eddy and this is enjoyable.
Nov 16, 2024A full-bodied imperial stout aged for just over 6 months in a bourbon barrel that previously contained Central Standard Craft Distillery’s Cabin Strength Bourbon aged for 7 years in 2 different new American White Oak barrels. Notes of vanilla, chocolate and of course bourbon are apparent.
————
Black color. Tan head. Lace. On tap at the brewery.
Heavy char, oak, tobacco. Roasted. Burnt coffee. Molasses, fudge, caramel, vanilla.
Pretty solid and fun to try. Have had many versions of Big Eddy and this is enjoyable.
Reviewed by Azdirtmover from Arizona
4.25/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
One of the best out there.Molson/Coors made a big mistake discontinuing this brew,so they could make the soda pop beers for the hipsters.Disgusted and disappointing
Nov 18, 2018
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland
3.7/5 rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.7/5 rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #60 (Jan 2012):
LOOK: Pitch black, thin lace
SMELL: Barrel juice, wood, vanilla, charcoal, espresso, burnt raisins, molasses, booze
TASTE: Creamy, full bodied, charred wood, coffee, unsweetened chocolate, vanilla, fusel oil, burnt sugar, bourbon-soaked raisins, dark cherries, honey, wood dryness, roasty finish
Big Eddy has stepped up to the big leagues of barrel aging, with 18 year-old Heaven Hill barrels used for this batch. The faint carbonation just gets by, but goes mostly unnoticed amongst the 12-percent ABV and massive body that makes this drink more along the lines of a robust cordial.
Jul 24, 2012LOOK: Pitch black, thin lace
SMELL: Barrel juice, wood, vanilla, charcoal, espresso, burnt raisins, molasses, booze
TASTE: Creamy, full bodied, charred wood, coffee, unsweetened chocolate, vanilla, fusel oil, burnt sugar, bourbon-soaked raisins, dark cherries, honey, wood dryness, roasty finish
Big Eddy has stepped up to the big leagues of barrel aging, with 18 year-old Heaven Hill barrels used for this batch. The faint carbonation just gets by, but goes mostly unnoticed amongst the 12-percent ABV and massive body that makes this drink more along the lines of a robust cordial.
Reviewed by jegross2 from Illinois
4.15/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.15/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Reviewing the Bourbon Barrel-Aged Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company. Thank you Derek for giving me the chance to sample this hard-to-find brew!
Score: 93
Aged one year in 18-year old Heaven Hill barrels. Bottled 8/26/11. Served in a taster glass and enjoyed on 05/11/12. Review is from iPhone notes.
Appearance: It's dark here and beer is black. There is a thin layer of what I think is tan-colored head atop the beer initially. 4/5
Smell: Light black licorice, bourbon, chocolate-covered raisin, caramel, pepper, raw chocolate and sweet brown sugar. 4.25/5
Taste: Taste largely follows the nose. Cocoa, non-sweet brown sugar. Smooth bourbon and rich vanilla flavors too. No licorice, however. Very balanced. Not boozy at all. 4.25/5
Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, minimal carbonation. Very creamy mouthfeel -- much more so than the rye barrel-aged Big Eddy. Slightly sweet finish. 4.5/5
Overall: A delicious improvement over a solid base beer. I liked the bourbon and rye barrel-aged Big Eddy's equally much, and if they were regularly released I would certainly buy them both. Kudos to Leiney's for an excellent foray into the craft beer market.
Recommendation: This beer's first release was incredibly limited, but I'd recommend trying to hunt down a bottle to try.
Pairings: Ice cream sundae.
Cost: Unknown.
May 24, 2012Score: 93
Aged one year in 18-year old Heaven Hill barrels. Bottled 8/26/11. Served in a taster glass and enjoyed on 05/11/12. Review is from iPhone notes.
Appearance: It's dark here and beer is black. There is a thin layer of what I think is tan-colored head atop the beer initially. 4/5
Smell: Light black licorice, bourbon, chocolate-covered raisin, caramel, pepper, raw chocolate and sweet brown sugar. 4.25/5
Taste: Taste largely follows the nose. Cocoa, non-sweet brown sugar. Smooth bourbon and rich vanilla flavors too. No licorice, however. Very balanced. Not boozy at all. 4.25/5
Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, minimal carbonation. Very creamy mouthfeel -- much more so than the rye barrel-aged Big Eddy. Slightly sweet finish. 4.5/5
Overall: A delicious improvement over a solid base beer. I liked the bourbon and rye barrel-aged Big Eddy's equally much, and if they were regularly released I would certainly buy them both. Kudos to Leiney's for an excellent foray into the craft beer market.
Recommendation: This beer's first release was incredibly limited, but I'd recommend trying to hunt down a bottle to try.
Pairings: Ice cream sundae.
Cost: Unknown.
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota
4.67/5 rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.67/5 rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company. Dark and complex with 11 malts and grains balanced by 3 different and distinct hops. Aged for a year in an 18-year old Bourbon barrel from Heaven Hill Distillery. Batch #342, Brewed 8/26/10, bottled 8/26/11, OG 26 deg Plato, Alc./Vol. 12 %, !BU 59. 7 fluid ounces. Not for resale.
This one was set aside, as well as the rye barrel-aged version I'll get to later, as a gift for managers and operators who have supported the Big Eddy beers. I received it a few weeks ago, and after Joe Falkowski left the bar, I showed it to a regular, loyal customer. He asked if it could be purchased anywhere. "No, I'm sorry, you can't", I told. He looked at me in all seriousness, as if I'd just shot his dog, and said: "You really shouldn't have done that to me." Well, sorry, Joe (a different Joe), you shouldn't have asked what I had there. Or did I show it to him?
Solid blackness, rich, lasting cocoa/tan head.
Vast bourbon notes in the nose, gargantuan chocolate flavor, and immense alcohol phenols erupting. Wow. This is instantly one of the most impressive and amazing bourbon barrel aromas I've encountered. Vanilla is here, caramel, nougat, chocolate covered raisins. Figs. Dark rum, cognac. Sweet, complex, enormous, divine. Love it.
Taste: More of the same, more chocolate, more bourbon, more licorice, more depth, more feeling.
Increasingly rich, thick, impenetrable. A slight chore to push down the throat, but ever rewarding once that task is done. Coats the palate, clobbers the senses, and the alcohol content is loosed and invading the braincase. But so, so tasty. Mmm, I love it. And I love that it's a 7 ounce bottle.
Long, long finish. Domination of the palate. Thick, big, and delicious.
May 22, 2012This one was set aside, as well as the rye barrel-aged version I'll get to later, as a gift for managers and operators who have supported the Big Eddy beers. I received it a few weeks ago, and after Joe Falkowski left the bar, I showed it to a regular, loyal customer. He asked if it could be purchased anywhere. "No, I'm sorry, you can't", I told. He looked at me in all seriousness, as if I'd just shot his dog, and said: "You really shouldn't have done that to me." Well, sorry, Joe (a different Joe), you shouldn't have asked what I had there. Or did I show it to him?
Solid blackness, rich, lasting cocoa/tan head.
Vast bourbon notes in the nose, gargantuan chocolate flavor, and immense alcohol phenols erupting. Wow. This is instantly one of the most impressive and amazing bourbon barrel aromas I've encountered. Vanilla is here, caramel, nougat, chocolate covered raisins. Figs. Dark rum, cognac. Sweet, complex, enormous, divine. Love it.
Taste: More of the same, more chocolate, more bourbon, more licorice, more depth, more feeling.
Increasingly rich, thick, impenetrable. A slight chore to push down the throat, but ever rewarding once that task is done. Coats the palate, clobbers the senses, and the alcohol content is loosed and invading the braincase. But so, so tasty. Mmm, I love it. And I love that it's a 7 ounce bottle.
Long, long finish. Domination of the palate. Thick, big, and delicious.
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