BB Aged Stouts NOT Aged in Heaven Hill

Here's a start.

 

you're more or less wrong, just about BB aged beer. the reason is just that the oak itself and the base beer are the primary influences on the resulting flavor.

even for the 50/50 series, it's pretty questionable whether the variation between different bourbons is just batch variation.

as for bourbon itself though, oh yeah, the variation within the brands/companies is enormous. the beer geek, used to judging a brewery by 1 or 2 products would be shocked to taste the high end product of the same people who make rubbing alcohol vomit bourbon/whiskey.

edit: p.s. if you're really interested in mixing bourbon and beer and paying attention to different bourbons, try out taking stuff like woodford reserve, eagle rare, elijah craig 12, maker's, etc, and spiking various beers with it. i do it all the time, with generally good results (and in that case, yes, type of bourbon always makes a difference... the ratio of bourbon to beer when you do this is much greater than from barrels).

 

This is correct. For more info on which distilleries whiskeys are made/aged this is a good resource http://recenteats.blogspot.com/p/the-complete-list-of-american-whiskey.html

 

Blue Mountain Barrel House did a porter in Makers barrels, allegedly they left a small bit of Makers in the Barrels.(no idea how much) Most of the bottles got recalled, but draft was OK. (carbonation issues) Still a little worried about the bottle exploding, I guess I'll just have to drink it. Taste like Cedar, cherries, and not much not much vanilla if I remember correctly. Oh yeah and BOOZE, with a surprisingly light body. Didn't expect to get that palate and that body in the same beer, but it was pleasant indeed.

I wonder how much Makers you have to leave in the barrels to impart the characteristics of the fluid into the sum of the parts?

 

yeah, just remember that you usually don't need to go overboard with the amount of bourbon, since a little goes a long way. even an 1oz bourbon to 12oz beer is a lot. just need a tiny splash.

sidenote, i'll yet again endorse my favorite "beer cocktail": sierra nevada celebration with a splash of woodford reserve. i love it!

 

I will have to try something similar this year, I will sub a 2006 BTAC Thomas Handy Rye though.

 

probably doesn't have to be woodford reserve, i just like how the kind of sharper spicy, almost piny/gin-like notes in that bourbon bring out the piny-ness of celebration's hops, while the vanilla oak undertones really bring out the malt backbone.

they're kind of like lock and key, since one is a bit of a simplistic whiskey, while the other is a simplistic IPA, but both very good.

p.s. i'm not a giant bourbon aficionado by any means, so don't mean to be posting like i'm captain mixologist. just speaking from my own trial and error.

p.p.s. also, as you'd expect, best results are usually from more brown sugar / vanilla oak type bourbons and stouts / porters. many a stout received love from my "oh hey, basil hayden's on sale for $30, let's pick it up," bottle.

 

Not a bourbon/whiskey guy myself but I do enjoy them every once in a while. The Thomas Handy is not simplistic as a cask strength whiskey, but as a beer guy I will see if it worth a shot. I would try the Woodford but my alcohol budget is 99.99% tied to beer so unless they have nips not likely.

 

may still be too much to splurge on instead of other things, but woodford reserve is definitely a value bourbon. usually a 750ml bottle costs between $25~30 and a 375ml bottle is around $15 here in CT.

in light of this thread (and my continued insomnia), dropped a splash of elijah craig 12 in the bottom of a glass, filled with SN beer camp oatmeal stout, added another splash. tastes good(:.

 

I have been chatting with an SNBC employee all night(old friend) so this is kind of funny tonight. I have just been drinking Torpedo, should have added a splash of the Handy to that. The night isn't over...

ETA: price isn't bad at all for Woodford, just a touch over Buffalo Trace.

 

We did a full horizontal (minus PVW & Old Fitz) and there was a huge flavor difference between each beer. I heard a *rumor* that Anderson Valley is going to get Wild Turkey barrels. I'd like to see what they can do as far as -bal beers. Their sours need a LOT of work.

 

mm, i don't doubt it, i just wonder how big a correlation there is between quality of bourbon and quality of bourbon barrel aged beer (or more accurately, i strongly suspect there is no correlation).

i've only had one eclipse so far (but i have 3 coming to me in the fall), which was the grand cru, and (despite the disses it seems to get from cali BAs on here) i thought it was really excellent. i was sold immediately on the brewery.

 

i bet you could do a tasting with 6 bottles of the same type and get a huge flavor difference between each bottle.

 

I've had plenty of 50/50's Eclipse variations and haven't had that much of bottle to bottle issues. There's been a few that I haven't been a fan off, but I've made that call after having it more than once, on tap & out of the bottle.

 

I have news that should make you happy. Anderson Valley has partnered with Campari America to start using Wild Turkey barrels. A Bal aged version of Barney Flats should be released soon in draft and packages in early 2013.

http://beerpulse.com/2012/08/anderson-valley-brewing-co-forms-partnership-with-wild-turkey-bourbon/

 

Not a rumor:

http://beerpulse.com/2012/08/anderson-valley-brewing-co-forms-partnership-with-wild-turkey-bourbon/