Bourbon Barrel Aged Beer Flavors

Have you personally ever tasted Bourbon?

 

Vanilla is usually the biggest note I get from a BBA beer.

 

Oak, Vanilla, Caramel, Marshmallow, Peat, Smoke, Tobacco, Cigarette, Charred Wood, Honey, etc.

You could also pull out many other flavors that are unique to individual beers: fruit, spice, etc.

 

Depends on the type of Bourbon used. High end bourbons like Pappy will have different characteristics that cheaper ones. What I have found to be true about most bourbon aged beers you will find the following flavors/aromas.

Woody notes
Vanilla notes
sweet/ molasses
Tobacco/smokey
Hot/Boozy/Alcohol smells and taste (depending on vintage this will change)

Other nuances will come out depending on style, barrel and vintage

 

Please be original and start using something other than bourbon for your barrels brewers. There's plenty of other options.

 

A lot of the above: oak, vanilla, smoke. Maybe also that warmth you get in the mouthfeel.

 

pickel barrel?

 

Tabasco barrels.

 

Sick of BBA beers. All I get is bourbon, and well, I'd rather 2-4oz. of bourbon vs. 12 oz. of lightly carbonated bourbon.

 

Anyone ever get a toasted coconut/almond flavor especially on the finish...got it big time with the reg '13 BCBS...mmmmm

 

did you have CABCO's tobasco barrel aged (porter, I think)? It was smoked and I also believe there may have been bacon in it or some kind of meat.

 

Yeah, I would have described it more as hazelnut, but I'm with you on '13 BCBS. Delish.

 

I've had just a few beers that were aged in barrels other than bourbon, but I don't enjoy them nearly as much. So I hope any brewers who might read your plea will graciously ignore it.

 

Yea, I always get Coconut, and a slight nutty hint.

 

The most common flavors are burnt sugar, charred wood/smoke (but not like rauchbier smoke), caramel and raw ethanol (alcohol warmth/burn). Next most common would be vanilla/marshmallow. Coconut flavors, in my experience, are very rare in bourbon-barrel-aged beers. Delicious, but rare.

 

add to that, toffee... sort of a buttery, caramel-y, nutty vibe.

 

I get coconut and pineapple from some of the barrel aged IPAs I've had.

 

With BBA beers, assuming the bourbon/oak are not overpowering (sadly, they are more often than not), for me the most most common notes are coconut, pineapple, and vanilla extract. The BBA beers that have chocolate/toffee/roasted notes are less preferable to me than the coconut/pineapple/vanilla extra notes.

Now, here's the sacrilege: New Holland Dragon's Milk give an incredible amount of coconut, and even though it's not at all rare, hyped, or good trade bait, I love me a Dragon's Milk from time to time.