Best Barrel Aged Stout

The first bourbon barrel stout that really blew my mind was elijah craig 18 Eclipse by fiftyfifty. These days, my favorite has got to be BCBS due to reasonably good availability (even for a Canadian) and world-shattering flavor.

 

There are lots of great barrel-aged stouts... Many of the "top ones" I find to be a bit overrated... Personally, my favorites are Barrel Aged Plead the 5th (named numerous times) and Voodoo Black Magick (not yet mentioned which is a shame)...

 

I've only had a couple of the ones that have been mentioned here, but the best I've had yet is Abyss.

 

My short list (all 4.5 ratings and higher):

CBS
BCBS
KBS
Black Tuesday
Rare
BCBS Vanilla
Stone BA IRS

 

I'll weigh in with:

BA Ten Fidy
Firestone XVI anny
Pizza Port BA Stunna Shade Stout (a retired brew from Solana PP, pretty obscure I admit...)

 

Stone RIS. Really ?

 

CBS, KBS and Abyss, in that order. Need to try many more though!

 

Of that list I have only had Parabola and it is one of my favorite all-time stouts. I have a couple BTs but I haven't opened one yet. Was Bell's 9000 a stout? Cause it was awesome when I had it a few weeks ago on tap. But I'd probably say Parabola over almost anything.

I also has some Abyss to try (I have never had one... I may go crack it now...)

 

For me, BCBS by far.

I've had:

Parabola
The Abyss
CBS
KBS
CW
GL Blackout
Alesmith BASS

.... and honestly probably 20 other BA stouts I can't remember as I am wasted right now

BCBS by far, bar none. I am expecting some BBPt5 soon - hear it's awesome.

 

Old Raspy XII was a beast. and I'll give a nod to Dark Intrigue.

 

Mikkeller - Beer Geek Brunch Weasel (Calvados Edition)

 

Black Tuesday, Eclipse, and Black Xantus are my favorites. 2011 Parabola is on my list of must tries.

 

Among all the ones I've had:
Black Tuesday
The Abyss
Parabola
Black Xantus
BCBS

IIRC, Abyss is the one that truly blew me away. As soon as I get another bottle of Parabola, I'm gonna crack open all 4 plus a Pugachev's Cobra and Old Raspy XIV and XV and do a tasting with a few friends to see what everyone thinks

 

I had the Cognac edition. I am a little confused about the difference because it said "Cognac" in the white box but it also said "Calvados" in the description. Either way, I forgot about this one and it was an AMAZING beer. I loved the base beer, but I thought the Cognac barrels gave it an awesomely unique profile.

 

i'm currently acquiring enough bottles and participants to do a 10 bottle tasting without killing anyone/anyone's palate. it would be a shame to get to black tuesday and not be able to pick up anything!

my favorite right now of eclipse, parabola, berserker, abyss, black xantus is eclipse. i'm still a relative novice at BA varieties!

firestone's velvet merkin, which i suppose technically counts, is my favorite if we are not limiting this to imperial stouts. it is otherworldly smooth and complex, and i was incredibly excited to have the 16th anniversary one when i saw it would be a part.

 

All of the above, basically. I've pretty much loved all the BA stouts I've had so far:

- Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th
- Struise Cuvée Delphine
- Struise Double Black (because eisbocked Cuvée Delphine )
- Struise Black Mes
- Struise Black Messy (because eisbocked Black Mes!)
- Struise Mocha Bomb
- Struise Coffee Club
- Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th
- Black Tuesday
- Chocolate Rain
- De Molen Tsarina Esra Cognac
- Bourbon County (2009!)
- Bourbon County Vanilla
- Remy Taps (pretty subtle, but glorious)
- Parabola
- ... the list goes on and on.

I think the REAL question for most of us on here would be "what BA imperial stouts did you NOT like?". I hated the Evil Twin/De Molen Whisky BA Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room, served at the 2012 Borefts festival. It just tasted of mouth-numbing scotch. Something you could swig when you have a toothache, or when caught in an avalanche.

A special mention goes to the BrewDog Tokyo Rising Sun Highland Cask. It might be the stupidest, most overpriced bottle ever at $40 for a 33 cl, but it is probably one of the best beers I've ever had. Spent 4 years on the cask, and here more than in any other beer has the smokey wood flavor actually penetrated the beer. It's so deep and complex, it's truly incredible. Balance is thrown off completely, but I liked what was happening in my mouth. [/awkward]

 

9000 was called a Strong Ale, Bourbon Barrel 9000 was called a Barrel Aged Stout. So take that for what its worth.

 

Black Tuesday, BCBS and Olde Rabbit's Foot. Those are all that I have tried up to this point I do believe...def need more in my future!

 

Too much good ones too actually pick one each have their own thing/flavour that make them good and i can't compare any with eachother ...
Except for BAD beers since they're usually copies of the good ones but just done terribly wrong with wrong ingrediënts.

But to name a couple:
Struise Cuvee Deplhine
De Molen Hel&Verdoemenis 666
De Molen Black Isak
De Molen Hel&Verdoemenis Wild Turkey
Bourbon County Stout Regular and Vanilla
Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout
Mikkeller also has a good line with his Black Hole and Beergeek Breakfast/Brunch barrel aged versions

 

CCB Sweet Stout aged in cognac barrels
Parabola
KBS
BCBS
Big Bad Baptist
Cafe Royale

in that order