Adding bourbon to stout

Makers fits a price point and volume vs quality just like Coors does.

 

In many cases it would be illegal to simply add bourbon to a beer. My personal opinion is that if it were legal there would be a fair amount of breweries doing so and avoiding some of the risk involved with barrel aging.

In most cases the bourbon flavor is more prominent than the oak. You can come close to replicating the bourbon flavor present in a -bal beer by adding a few drops, Highbrow said it and I will reinforce the point that a few drops are all that should be added. The oak is more of a supplemental flavor but one that will not be replicated in a homemade concoction.

 

Get some whole coffee beans, ferment in bourbon for about 4 hours, place whole beans in french press and pour an RIS into said press. You will not be disappointed.

 

2oz is a ton of bourbon to try this, I've done it a couple times and have only added 1/2tsp per 12oz and the bourbon definitely had an influence in the aroma and taste.

 

I am a big fan of bourbon so I'd say don't add it to anything, just drink it as it is meant to be drank. With that said, I had some homebrewed (extract) oatmeal stout that just wasn't tickling my fancy one night. Hit it with a small dash of Knob Creek and it worked out well.

 

I kind of want to try this myself. I'd imagine putting a very small amount in would be good with some beers. Adding 2 ounces to a 12 ounce beer sounds like WAY too much.

As for the ice and bourbon thing, drink how you want. I personally like 1 ice cube to have the effect of a couple drops of water, but I prefer it a little cooler.

 

I do this sometimes, but i generally find that i would just prefer to drink the bourbon served neat.

 

This. I've added a few drops of 4 Roses to a FBS before and it was pretty darn tasty. 2 oz in a 12 oz beer is WAAAAAAY too much.

 

I would say Makers is more like a Sam Adams. Jim Beam and Jack Daniels (I know its not bourbon) are the BMC

 

I typically pour about 1/2 shot in with my FBS, but I also like a little bit of bourbon with my coffee..

 

Well they are owned by Beam.

 

-Its the barrel 99%. The "bourbon" is really a pretty flavorless clear alcohol concoction that becomes bourbon because of its' time in the wood barrel and the flavors therein departed upon it. But after they have been used to make bourbon, there is a bit of alcohol flavor the "bourbon" leaves behind, so it may add a little punch to a beer.

 

Ive done it, but as has been mentioned a teaspoon is probably the appropriate amount, not 2oz. I would also say a complimentary whiskey as well. I personally do not think an overly smokey whiskey would be a good idea (nb I hate rauchbiers). Something smooth with some sweetness would probably be ideal. I would also get a bourbon youd be happy drinking on its own, but that does not break the bank.
Don't go chasing after pappy van winkle for starters, go with something along the lines of Elijah Craig, Blanton's, Booker's... great bourbons that will not break the bank.

enjoy!

cheers

 

first of all ice... water... in bourbon?
second...Bourbon and the barrel are both adding their own flavors, and its not a simple question of what flavors. Time in the barrel is a very important factor, as is the toast on the barrel, the aging conditions (seasonal or consistent temp) and a plethora of other factors. It is correct (to my knowledge) to say a majority of the flavors in a barrel aged beer come from the barrel, but there are plenty from the liquor as well. There are people that spend their entire lives learning how to make/age bourbon, thats why all the good bourbon comes from guys that are like 80 years old or follow a family recipe.
To the OP, depends on the beer, and the bourbon. I've tried it a few times and I think one time I actually was like oh, thats pretty good... but that was with a very vanilla and buttery bourbon so that probably had something to do with it.

 

yes, it is rather common to add a few drops of water to whiskey. I was surprised myself the first time I learned about this in Scotland. The bartender gave us a small (.2l pitcher) of water with our whiskey and explained that it is common to add a few drops to "open up" the whiskey.
I found this at almost any bar where I ordered a whiskey in Scotland, and I am not one to question Scotchmen whilst drinking, or their years of experience in making delicious and beautifully crafted whiskey

 

I am mainly replying to say that I love the name Cop Puncher for a beer.

Bourbon: ice or water are fine, especially with shit like Bookers and other barrel strength monsters. I wouldn't add anything to an 80-90 proof bourbon, but once it gets hotter, some water opens up the booze and improves it quite a bit. Ice vs. water = do you like your beverage cold? In the summer, I am adding ice. In the winter, I am adding water.

Bourbon & Beer: 2 ounces neat. Your Left Hand Milk Stout in another glass. Sip each. Don't blend them. Nothing wrong with two fisting, ladies & gents.

 

doesn't mean i disagree but i would point out a few things:

1. of course the flavor from an emptied barrel comes from the barrel.
   
   
2. since you mentioned the cycling aspects under aging conditions - i'd go it a step further to bet the state of the barrel when it's re-filled with ale makes a difference too as well as how the barrel is then maintained by the brewer til it's dumped for bottling.
   
   
3. over the years, as a group, we've actually purchased several barrels from some of the distilleries most often discussed in the BA game - if you know anything about the term "sweating" a barrel, you know there generally is a lot of left over whiskey/liquid tucked away in the walls, floor, ceiling, & bunghole plug of a spent barrel.
   
   knowing that, it remains arguable whether it's truly all barrel influence at play once filled with beer. i'm not too familiar with how each brewer treats its BA products, i'm guessing it's probably a cool(er) process with no or limited cycling involved - however, if there is a cycling factor in play, i'd guess the hidden bourbon would be forced out of the wood & the abv probably would rise. how worn the wood is also would play a part - so the point is, at least in my view, in the end it's very difficult to peg whether a beer actually picked up more barrel or whiskey influence.
   
   
4. on 80 year olds - Julian P. Van Winkle III would probably figuratively slap you on that one.
   what's more important & something that most of us don't seem to realize is those family recipes & that lore you mention is dying. and not solely because of "old timers" falling off, but realize many of the whiskeys you can experience right now, were not planned. since they weren't planned, they weren't backed up with replacement supplies. there was a glut of unsold American whiskey in the 1980s. that's the real reason you can buy so many 15-25 year old whiskeys over the last 12 or so years. that glut & the residual traffic jam it caused are just about exhausted now. to stay on topic - that's exactly why things like GI's Rare was a once in a lifetime opp. there's more to the lesson but it's not really directly related to the actual topic & it's not like i haven't bored the average reader enough already. i tell you this much though - now would be a good time to buy some spare bottles of your favorite bourbons & ryes - especially if they currently are bottled with decent age or are over-proof.

 

High you and I need to sit down and have a pint and a dram! I still think the old guys have it on the younger guys Parker Beam is in my opinion the best Whiskey guy in the biz currently. I looked around and the home brewers are using between a cup to a cup and a half added to wood chips in there bourbon stouts. That would be about a tsp per 12 oz

 

my favorite thing to do with friends. opportunities are almost non existent lately though. lol

me too, but consider what i said previously. the old guys, in a lot of cases, are also still playing with old supply that's about to disappear off the face of the earth.

quiet as it's kept, Old Weller iterations are losing their age statements & higher proofs. there's a rumor that Weller Antique which went from 7 years old to NAS is about to be discontinued altogether. Wild Turkey is killing it's 101 proof rye and instead trying to market a 81 proof rye in it's place. the Van Winkle line, except for maybe the 20 & 23 are now Buffalo Trace distillate. as i bet 6 or 7 years back, quite a margin of solid followers agree the new product is no seamless replacement or continuance of the old, particularly with the Pappy 12 & 15.

Parker is a cool character, met him a couple of times. curious, why do you feel he's currently the best in the biz?