Bitching ‘Bout Bourbon Flavored Beer

Flavors yes. But, it should still taste like the base beer primarily, the barrel and booz should be supporting flavors. If I can't taste the beer in a beer, it's a complete, total, failure.

 

Barrel aging seems to be the rage. Just as there are many mediocre big stouts or IPAs produced, there are mediocre barrel aged beers too.

For me, the base beer needs to be solid and the barrel should provide an additional accent, not take over the flavor profile.

Avery WAS great at this. Their barrel-aged portfolio was legendary. Sadly, that no longer holds true. Founders and Three Floyds are still pretty solid, but both have misses in their respective barrel aged portfolios.

 

Thanksgiving collab

 

BT is allocated where I live and is $45 minimum for a 750.

 

A lot of new breweries are cold steeping specialty grains (so less tannic, bitter toast/roast characteristics that normally offset sweetness), using less bittering hops, and boiling wort longer to concentrate sweetness. It’s crap (imo) but it’s what the kids want.

 

french toast bastard is great.

the maple is definitely prominent, the barrel presence is excellence.

the base beer gets a little lost in the mix which is to say you can tell the difference between this & backwoods bastard which i'm pretty sure is the objective.

founders rulez.

 

Yeah, the base beer is the story. If it’s not so good to start, it’ll be bad no matter how it’s treated.

 

Oh yeah, not surprised it's not selling out quickly anymore. BBT last year was the same story. But it's still one of the best, if not the best, barrel aged imperial stouts. No extra additives, just heavy malts and barrel. Unfortunately, more of a special occasion thing due to pricing. I'd rather have that once than bad BA beer though.

 

From what I understand this year's has added maple as opposed to aging in BLIS barrels. I expected that would change the taste some.

 

Man... that's a heavy statement.

 

Best thread ever
BBT is also a super overhyped and lackluster beer .

So is Private Press stuff .

Is what the Poster said about Cold Steeping stuff true?
I don't know shit about brewing, but if it is so let's please end that.

 

I agree mostly, but I do understand the poster's concerns. I've had some lovely Bourbon barrel-aged beers that drink like Port, slow and easy. Mostly though I've encountered that corn mash essence of Whisky.I remember so well from Frat day/nights at Richmond as a youngster. It can be gag-worthy for me.......A subtle use of oak in wine, beer, and cider is an art......