Barrel Aging: Bourbon or Rum?

I drank a fresh one and it wasn't too hot. But I can only imagine how much better it would be after a year or so. Damn fine beer, damn fine.

 

Forget bourbon and rum, I love me some brandy barrel! Actually I take that back bourbon is my favorite for stouts but brandy battles and barleywine go together like drunk and disorderly.

 

From my limited experience, I agree that rum barrel aging tends to result in a sweeter beer, but I've loved the ones that I've had. Besides Rumpkin, Avery has two other rum barrel-aged beers that come to mind, and both are incredible. Momi Hiwa was brewed a couple years ago, and it was a coconut porter aged in dark rum barrels. Last fall, Avery also released Black Eye, an imperial stout aged in rum barrels. Both are among my all-time favorite beers.

Just the other week, I also tried a rum barrel-aged quad from Mountain Sun in Boulder, and it was delightful. Boozy and delicious. As much as I love bourbon barrel aging, I'd love to see more rum offerings.

 

So, you've never had a bad bourbon barrel beer either then? All bourbon is whiskey.

 

Agreed.. I remember not picking up much of the rum barrel characteristics with that one..

 

Generally gravitate to the Bourbon barrel aged. But as we speak, I'm really enjoying a bottle of CS Extremely Angry Beast which includes both. Nice!

 

I thought it was great. But, I also thought the bourbon was great. Regular was a let down to me.. But, the bourbon and rum once they warmed up lived up to the hype imo. To each his own!

 

One fling with Aphrodite should never be postponed.

 

Lakefront ages an imperial pumpkin beer in brandy barrels. I've only had one brown ale that was aged in rum barrels and it was meh.

 

I have had a few rum barrel aged beers I liked them but not as much as a good bourbon barrel aged beer. There is a depth that comes with bourbon. Its more intense to begin with and the nature of bourbon aging vs. rum aging in the barrel are different. Rum does not have the same cycling that bourbon does while resting in the barrels. Kentucky or wherever the bourbon comes from has a much different climate (warm and cold, bourbon breathes in and out of the wood based on the temperature differences) the climate rum is aged in is warmer and very little of the same interaction found in bourbon aging and therefore a different depth of flavors found in the wood. Most rum barrel beers, except Pirate Bomb, that I have had were very rum dominant and some have even called them infected because of this (and they might have been) but I will say as someone who likes a good rum and bourbon that I tend to prefer bourbon with stouts. I think Pirate Bomb is the exception because the base is already so potent that the rum doesn't dominate the flavors. I guess long story short it depends on the base being used as much as anything but there are a lot of factors involved in that question.

 

Both! I typically prefer bourbon, but a good rum barrel aged beer is amazing (Avery's Blackeye and Rumpkin come to mind).

 

Rum is the new bourbon. Barrel aged wise.

 

Either rum or bourbon barrel aged is fine with me, but I like scotch whisky barrel aged brews too. I liked most of the BrewDog Paradox ones that I've tried.

 

Pirate Bomb! and Nooner 8 are great examples of well done Rum barrel aged beers. I think good bourbon barrel beers are easier to find but there is so much variation (type of bourbon, age of barrels, etc)

 

Innis
Gunn

 

I think rum barrel beers really start to shine as they warm. In my experience, bourbon barrel beers tends to be a little less fickle when it comes to serving temps. Once a quality rum barrel beer (Caffe Americano, Nooner 8, Pirate Bomb, etc.) warms a little I think they are just incredible. Anything colder than 60 degrees and I feel like the rum characteristics quickly recede.

That said, I love both and there are good and mediocre ones in each class.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot how good Black Eye is/was. It's a monster, but a delicious one.

 

Bourbon and rum are my two favorite liquors to drink so I am always happy to try a beer aged in either type of barrel.

Hammer of the Holy from Clown Shoes is a VERY enjoyable rum barrel-aged stout. Check it out if you haven't already.

 

I've had better luck with rum barrel aged strong ales than stouts.

 

Agreed, the strong ales usually work really well