Bourbon County Stout Original

BJCP Category 33B Wood Aged Imperial Stout

Instructed to serve the beer in a snifter, my assistant uses a large one from the cabinet and fills it vigorously about half full. It presents a deep brown-black color that is opaque when viewed through the glass, but holds hints of deep ruby when swirled to only a couple mil thick. The head is a medium brown color of mixed bubbles that while full at first, does not persist. The aroma is intensely sweet, roasty, woody, and boozy: coffee notes with raisin, vanilla, and an obvious oaky note, all powered out of the glass with the assist from ethanol. As it warms, the coffee angle smoothes out to a more light cocoa with raisin/prune sweetness and apparent whisky. It’s a massive nose.

The flavor is lush and thick with coffee, chocolate and dried, dark fruits; the bitterness is very tame through mid-palate: nothing is getting in the way of this big malty bomb of a beer. The late palate lingers very long with a balanced soy-roasty edge complimenting the fruity-sweet finish with strong solera-whisky flavors and heat. The finsh is full, thick and super sweet, with no astringency. The nose was not lying: this is a boozy beer. Overall, it shows both massive stout and wood-whiskey construction. While all the flavors marry, and it makes for an outstanding dessert beer now, I think some time in the cellar would improve the beer with more complexity and softening.