Atwater Brewery Bourbon Barrel-Aged Shaman's Porter

Bourbon Barrel-Aged Shaman's Porter

 

Atwater Brewery in Detroit, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸

  Porter - Baltic Rotating Out of Production
Score
6.81
ABV: 6.8% IBU: 32 Ticks: 11
A Porter traditionally brewed in the Baltic region. We use the finest ingredients including Munich, Chocolate, and Black Malts along with German Hops to create the smoothest Porter you ever tasted. This version was aged in bourbon barrels.
 

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7.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle. Dark brown almost black. Really small tan head. Aroma was chocolate, coffee and molasses.taste was sweet up front, with a nice malty finish with hints of coffee, chocolate, roasted grains and nuts.

Tried from Bottle on 21 Mar 2025 at 05:13


7
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Bottle. Pours dark brown with reddish tint, large spongy beige head, caramel aroma, medium carbonation, roasted malt taste with strong alcohol undertones, medium roasted bitter finish with alcohol aftertaste. The alcohol taste is dominant although not really high in ABV.

Tried from Bottle on 18 Sep 2015 at 17:53


7.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle pour to shaker. I was intrigued by this offering with a lower ABV and price than associated with bourbon barrel aged beers. I bought a single bottle but will buy more next trip to the store. It does not have whiskey or oak tones but is still a nice, smooth porter that I enjoyed.

Tried from Bottle on 07 Jan 2015 at 19:10



6.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

12 oz. bottle thanks going to fishmich on this one. Pitch black, thin lasting tan head. Aroma is mostly chocolate with some light vanilla.

The flavor is a decent Porter base but not much in the way of bourbon or oak. Deep chocolate notes, light traces of earthy malts, prunes, various dark fruits light caramel. Thinner body, with a chocolate sweet finish.

Tried from Bottle on 23 Nov 2014 at 16:38


7.3
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 10/2014. Pours clear nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, oak, bourbon, toast, dark bread, licorice, smoke, light vanilla, herbal, and roast/oak earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt, bourbon barrel, and earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, toast, dark bread, oak, bourbon, licorice, smoke, light vanilla, herbal, and roast/oak earthiness. Fair amount of herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, toast, dark bread, oak, bourbon, licorice, smoke, and roast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Good robustness and solid complexity of dark/roasted malt, bourbon barrel, and earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/barrel balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, and slightly bready/chalky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very solid barrel aged Baltic porter style. All around good robustness and solid complexity of dark/roasted malts, bourbon barrel, and earthy hop flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Tried from Bottle on 21 Nov 2014 at 17:19


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

12oz bottle. Deep brown-black with burgundy corners. Respectable beige head. Sweet and sugary, the barrel just adds to that, mixing in some vanilla and mild oak. A pretty decent brew, but quite sweet. Wouldn’t really have any desire to drink two of these in a row. Drinkable, no off tones, but the last thing a Baltic Porter needs is more sweetness. OK, maybe.

Tried from Bottle on 05 Apr 2014 at 21:48


7.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

12oz bottle (with a Sept 2011 date on the label, not sure if that’s a “bottled on” date or a “drink by” date) pours nice and dark with a mocha colored head of foam. The modest aroma offers up dark roasted malts, a dash of burnt malts and some toffee. OK, the taste hasn’t suffered with age as I’m sure I’ve had this for a few years. I get a nice dark roasted to burnt maltiness to start. Toward midway it picks up a pleasing sweet toffee note as a mild yet complimentary smooth vanilla and bourbon booziness also come to the surface. One of the better Barreled Aged Porters I’ve had as it is well balanced and not the slightest hint of infection despite the age of the bottle.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Jan 2013 at 20:43


6.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle. Pours a thin-looking brown with a decent head and roasts aromas that have a bit sugar and maybe some bourbon and oak or wood. Flavor is pretty sweet with lots of brown sugar, a little roasted malt and some bourbon and peat/earth. It is a little thin and a little sweet with very little bourbon showing through, but it’s decent enough.

Tried from Bottle on 28 Dec 2011 at 20:03


5.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle. Opaque dark brown body, medium tan head. Nose of roasted malts, chocolate wafers, chocolate liqueur, bourbon and buttery oak. Bitter, dry, tangy body, the bourbon aging a dull tool that does little to complement the dull charred malt backbone. The meaty, inky notes fade too quickly. Just not very good.

Tried from Bottle on 14 Oct 2011 at 17:10