North Carolina Bourbon Barrel Stout Tasting

Discussion in 'South Atlantic' started by starrdogg, Jan 23, 2013.

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  1. starrdogg

    starrdogg Initiate (0) Jun 21, 2010 District of Columbia

    I opened up a bunch of NC BA Stouts recently with a number of non-BAs. This was the consensus opinion (or at least my opinion, haha):

    1) Olde Rabbit's Foot (2011) - Wow, this beer was just tasting phenomenal. I loved it fresh and it might've been even better with 1.5 years of age on it. It was still pretty bourbon-forward, but the sweetness had mellowed out a bit making it super drinkable. Definitely the winner of the night.

    2) Olde Hickory Event Horizon (2012) - Just a really damn solid BA stout. Probably had the most roast of all of the stouts tasted, but with great bourbon flavor as well. It all comes together really well. It didn't stand out as truly epic like the ORF did, but it was impressive nonetheless.

    3) Olde Hickory Lindley Park (2012) - Notably different from the rest due to the raspberries, Lindley Park isn't nearly as bourbon-heavy as the first two beers on this list, but it's still quite good. It tasted like perhaps this one didn't spend as much time in the barrels as the Event Horizon, but I might be wrong. It was a little more harsh on the palate.

    4) Mother Earth Silent Night (2012) - First off, this beer tastes very different than the 2010 version of the beer I had 2 years ago. You could barely tell that the earlier batch had spent any time in barrels, while this beer definitely had that vanilla-oak thing going on. There was very little bourbon, but the coffee is a nice addition here. Very smooth and drinkable, but it doesn't really stand out. It's good, but probably not worth re-visiting given the price tag.

    5) Barrel Aged Sexual Chocolate (2011) - Yes, the famed Pappy version. I never had this beer fresh, so I have no basis for comparison, but it just wasn't very good with a year+ on it. It was thin and the base beer flavor seemed almost nonexistent and couldn't support the bourbon. I really enjoyed the 2010 incarnation of the beer, but man, this just wasn't good at all. The weakest of the night by a longshot.
     
    #1 starrdogg, Jan 23, 2013
  2. chefkevlar

    chefkevlar Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2010 South Carolina

    IIRC Lindley goes into the previous year's Event Horizon barrels, which is why the bourbon is less noticeable.
     
    #2 chefkevlar, Jan 24, 2013
  3. fehrminator

    fehrminator Maven (1,301) Jan 26, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    I loved the '11 vintage of ORF. This beer gets slept on a little even in NC. Glad to hear that it's still drinking well. I've heard mixed things about the '12 ORF but expect to open a bottle during the Super Bowl while I cheer against Ray Lewis.
     
    #3 fehrminator, Jan 24, 2013
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  4. chefkevlar

    chefkevlar Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2010 South Carolina

    Cheers to the enjoyment of ORF and the pending retirement of Ray
     
    #4 chefkevlar, Jan 24, 2013
  5. starrdogg

    starrdogg Initiate (0) Jun 21, 2010 District of Columbia

    Yeah, I honestly don't understand why ORF doesn't get more love. Admittedly, I've only had the 2011, but it's truly one of the best stouts I've ever had. Perhaps that vintage just shined much brighter than the rest?
     
    #5 starrdogg, Jan 24, 2013
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