High River

High River by Platform Beer Co. is being judged as a bourbon-barrel aged stout (Style 33B—Specialty Wood Aged). It poured very dark and very creamy into my glass. The head fell quick — reminiscent of a good barleywine — with substantial legs on the sides of the glass. Aromas included subtle wood tones and vanilla cake with the bourbon character taking a more assertive role as the beer opened up and warmed. Although weighing in at just over 10% ABV, the beer from beginning to end was extremely drinkable, and not as heavy as many other stouts in this range. For its intense color and bourbon component, it wasn’t extremely roasty, and offered a surprising amount of firm bitterness, which cut through some of the intense malty nature of the stout. While the overall beer was enjoyable, it seemed to me somewhat one-dimensional and low on the bourbon intensity scale. This beer would have benefited either from additional wood contact time or fresher barrels.