Prefer Stouts NOT Barrel Aged

More recently I have been preferring plain non-BA stout. While some BA-stouts are outstanding (Black Note, BCBS, etc) I appreciate stouts as it is. Ten-fidy, Old Rasputin, FBS, Founder's Imperial Stout are all amazing!

 

If I could get both in equal levels of price and availability, there's no doubt I'd drink traditional stouts more. BA's just aren't very drinkable in larger amounts. I love them, I just don't go back to them as frequently as regular stouts.

 

It depends if you are talking about bourbon barrels or oak barrels. I can do oak barrels. Most bourbon barreled stouts just taste like thick shitty bourbon to me.

 

Well, I do strongly prefer FBS to KBS so there's that. But I prefer CBS to FBS. So, I guess I'm confused.

 

I don't like anything alcohol barreled aged. If I want to taste bourbon/whiskey/tequila with my beer, then I'll do a shot.

 

Prefer non. Narwhal slayed me most recently

 

I think God gave us the exact same taste buds.

 

I like both.

 

Prefer BA stouts but for me it's largely because I enjoy the bourbon flavor cutting through the roasted malt and coffee flavors of most non-BA stouts. Not a big coffee/dark chocolate guy so the bourbon gives me just what I need to balance it out.

 

Bourbon barrels=oak barrels. By law. It can't be sold as bourbon otherwise.

 

I believe he was talking about virgin oak barrels.

 

I like both, but probably prefer BA.

 

Yeah you'd think but I've seen exactly one beer aged in virgin oak and it was $40 and nobody liked it. The cost of getting new barrels made just for you is pretty high. I could see a blend of fresh and virgin oaked beer being about the same cost as your typical barrel aged beer, but if it was 100% fresh oak it would be pretty expensive.

 

Get off my lawn.

 

Wow. Glad to see there are others who prefer regular old stouts here. I had been hiding out for fear that it was heresy to not be all about BA stuff.

 

I'm an equal opportunity stout drinker. Although I could drink a non-BA stout anytime and almost anywhere I kind of have to be in the mood for a Barrel Aged stout.

 

Yes, generally I prefer non-BA stouts. I like them both, but BA versions are more of a special occasion thing because a little bit of bourbon flavor goes a long way for me. My absolute favorite stout is Founders Imperial Stout. My 2nd favorite if probably Dark Horse Plead the 5th. I really like KBS, BCBS, etc, but I couldn't drink them anywhere near as often as the non-BA imperial stouts. Having said that I'll probaly break out some barrel aged varieties for Thanksgiving.

 

Bourbon barrels = oak barrels, but oak barrels do not equal bourbon barrels.

I realize that bourbon barrels are oak barrels that have previously been used to make bourbon. I don't know if you knew this, but beer can be placed in oak barrels that haven't been used for bourbon.

I'm not an idiot...

 

yeah well you also live in Antarctica, so who knows what kind of breweries with barrel programs exist there.

 

I've tried BCBS, Bramble Rye, and Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Stout, and have found out that I don't particularly care for bourbon barrel-aged beers. I drain-poured the BR, drank one each of BCBS and CW, and ended up giving away three remaining beers in each four-pack. Apparently, I'm just not a true "beer-advocate" and must not like stouts (as some one has suggested here before).