What Our Panel Thought
Aroma: “A forward barrel character that is melded with some nice dark malt characters and light esters. Vanilla, coconut, oak, light roast, caramel, and dark cherry. Sweet chocolate malt carries through the nose. Touch of red wine notes, moderate bourbon. Lots of chocolate.”
Flavor: “Like an imperial stout, but with less roast barley character. Big bourbon, rich dark chocolate. Apparent bitterness is only there to support the malt. The strong vanilla and roasted coconut work perfectly with the sweet biscuit and rich caramel. The alcohol warmth is nice and not overpowering.”
Overall: “An incredibly smooth, bourbon-barrel-dominated strong ale that could easily pass for an imperial stout. Coconut and vanilla are excellent expressions of the barrel and complement the rich roast and chocolate backbone delightfully.”
What the Brewers Say
“This bourbon-barrel–aged edition of our winter ale has a warming spicy aroma and rich caramel notes of bourbon, wood, and vanilla added to dark roasty chocolatey malt avors and subtle hopping.”
