No Sparge - Bourbon Barrel
Taxman Brewing Company in Bargersville, Indiana, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Strong Ale Rotating|
Score
7.63
|
|
Unlock the Vault, our series committed to the careful, prolonged conditioning of barrel-aged ales. Enjoy No Sparge, a specialty ale fermented from only the first (and best) runnings of a 1.5-ton malt bill, creating a uniquely smooth, rich, and robust malty body, complemented by farmhouse yeast esters and bourbon barrel character.
Sign up to add a tick or review
7.6/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
tap at brewpub in downtown Indianapolis - part of flight. big time flavor, compex - candylike
Tried
from Draft
on 02 Mar 2026
at 02:51
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Canned 8/4/25, drunk 10/21/25.
Mostly clear, though obviously not filtered. Deep amber with some strawberry tints. Medium-sized, butter/beige head steadily to spotty cover/ring.
Definite bourbon (rich spice, not very sweet, rather woody) with a bit of alcohol and lots of fruity, Belgian yeast adding peach, pear, nectarine-like notes. Very malty with sugar cookies and honey-like notes. The alcohol isn't quite hot, and dries out the rich malt.
Sweet and rich malt, of course. Honey, vanilla and rich toffee with spicy bourbon and light alcohol. To be fair, I forgot that this was only 2 months old and have no business opening it yet. But it's pretty tasty, despite the alcohol still needing some time to make its way out. A rich dessert sipper with a lovely stone fruit-like yeastiness and plentiful, rich bourbon.
Mostly clear, though obviously not filtered. Deep amber with some strawberry tints. Medium-sized, butter/beige head steadily to spotty cover/ring.
Definite bourbon (rich spice, not very sweet, rather woody) with a bit of alcohol and lots of fruity, Belgian yeast adding peach, pear, nectarine-like notes. Very malty with sugar cookies and honey-like notes. The alcohol isn't quite hot, and dries out the rich malt.
Sweet and rich malt, of course. Honey, vanilla and rich toffee with spicy bourbon and light alcohol. To be fair, I forgot that this was only 2 months old and have no business opening it yet. But it's pretty tasty, despite the alcohol still needing some time to make its way out. A rich dessert sipper with a lovely stone fruit-like yeastiness and plentiful, rich bourbon.
Tried
from Can
from Tavour
on 21 Oct 2025
at 19:44
8.5/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
Can from Tavour Aroma: caramel, bourbon, vanilla, wood Appearance: hazy light amber with a white head Taste: medium sweetness, light bitterness Mouthfeel: light carbonation, creamy feel, full body, long finish Tasty
Tried
from Can
on 06 Oct 2024
at 23:16
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
12 ounce can from Tavour. Canned on 5/26/23. Hazy, orange gold color. Large, fluffy beige head renders to a creamy cap. Aroma of sweet dried fruit and bourbon. Flavor is sweet dried apricot, orange peel, vanilla, bourbon and candi sugar. Some yeasty esters as well. Warming alcohol notes in midtaste through finish. A real sipper, this one is!
Tried
from Can
on 13 Jun 2024
at 03:31
7.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Pours hazy orange with suspended yeast flakes and a small head. It has a caramel, bourbon rich aroma with some spicy Belgian yeast esters. The flavor is very sweet and quite bourbon heavy. Caramel, vanilla. Full bodied. The high abv is mostly buried in caramely bourbon sweetness. Very good
Tried
on 01 Nov 2023
at 06:11
6/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Jan 2023
at 23:51
8.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8
12 oz can. Aroma is caramel, bourbon, vanilla and dried apricots. Flavor has long lasting vanilla from bourbon, toffee and toasted grain. Alcohol is not found any place in the flavor. Almost no warming. Quite a nice sipper!
Tried
from Can
on 12 Jun 2022
at 01:02
8.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Can (3/11/22) pour from trade with AirForceHops--thanks, Chris!! It's a hazy, dark amber with nice sparkle, finger-plus width khaki head with excellent retention and decent lacing. Aroma is strong caramel with milder brown sugar along with strong sweet and mildly tart fruit. Not getting bourbon in the nose. Taste is strong bourbon well balanced with everything in the aroma. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with smooth, thick texture, soft-to-average carbonation, pleasant alcohol esophageal heat and finish as taste. Overall, good strength and complexity. Very nice.
Tried
from Can
on 31 May 2022
at 00:50
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Can from Tavour. Pours darkish copper/amber with a beige head that did a Guinness pour. Then laced a bit. Aroma of vanilla, caramel and bourbon. Approaching full bodied. Flavor is not dry, but not sticky. Caramel, vanilla, bourbon with a touch of wood/oak astringency. Actually seems bitter. Heat is pleasant. Good flavor.
Tried
from Can
on 05 May 2022
at 03:06
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 10
Overall 8
Can. Pours slightly hazy orange, medium off white head, decent lacing. Aroma is malty, bourbon, oak, vanilla, caramel. Flavor is merlin sweet, medium bitter. Merlin body, bit of heat.
Tried
from Can
on 03 May 2022
at 04:07