Magnum shared by Adam C on 7/25/15.
Deep, dark, porter-colored liquid (just coined that term) is of indeterminable clarity, though assumedly pretty clear, as Shawn’s non-IPAs usually drop bright. Tan head is good-sized and well-retained.
We had a pretty good discussion about barrel aging while we were all drinking this guy and my position was of this being right on the border of my tolerance (for bourbon apparency). On one hand, the bourbon notes are not harsh/boozey and the barrel itself isn’t heavily tannic, but it’s still quite dominant overall, pushing out a lot of potential beer character in the nose. Spicy bourbon, dry coconut and sweet vanilla are all prominent. Roast takes a backseat, but enough maltiness helps keep it balanced (balanced in the sweet vs. dry sense, not balanced in the bourbon vs. beer character sense). With warming, I did get a bit of fusel/glue-like heat.
Full, soft, luxurious body is definitely a strong point here. The milk chocolate-like flavors of Everett are here dried out by the barrel, producing a more reserved, dark chocolate-like character replete with vanilla from both barrel and malt. Spicy bourbon washes over the palate, as well, and char and coconut are felt, helping to balance the big malt profile. Pleasant enough bourbon flavor and again it’s not sharp or raw (though there’s a touch of heat here, for sure), but I just think it’s a bit too heavy-handed, overall, on the bourbon character. Would prefer significantly less, or better yet, none! Why change Everett, it’s nearly a perfect porter!

50cl bottle pours an oily, murky black with some spitty, off white head. Nose has a whole lot of barrel, char, smoke, some fusel alcohol, a little charcoal, some chocolate and some bready/dopple notes. Flavor has some chocolate sweetness, some burnt caramel, char, some mild vanilla, a little cola, some mild berry. Oily finish. A bit much for me and perhaps too much time in the barrel.

Bottle. Moderate character of bourbon in the flavor and aroma. Very heavy roast, and a thick, heavy palate. A good porter, but unfortunately ruined by bourbon.

13th August 2014
Tasting at Jack’s RAH Annexe! Thanks to Leighton for this one. Opaque dark brown beer, small pale tan head. Palate is light and dry with fine carbonation. Dry and fairly thin dark malts. Spicy alcohol and bourbon. Whisper of oak. Dry finish. This continues to be a curiousity, once again the barreling doesn’t appear to have done much for the lovely base beer. It’s not bad though.

500mL bottle, pours black with a small tan head. Aroma is hugely bourbony, with lots of roast and a touch of coffee. Flavour is complex as hell, with loads of heavily roasted malt and moderate bourbon that doesn't dominate. Excellent use of battles to amp up an already kickass beer. Carbonation is slightly more aggressive than the base beer. Excellent beer.

Bottle at Chateau Jackl, big thanks to to HF bro Leighton for yet another, 13/08/14. Black with a moderate tan swirl and edgeing. Nose is a big dark fruit charabang, bourbon infusion, red berry tang, dates, booze tunes, dark toffee notes. Taste comprises raisens, dates, molasses, very subtle spice, sweet jammy dark berry fructis, light cocoa wash. Full bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close with light roast and a touch of bourbonics. Solid.

Malzig alkoholischer Antrunk, in dem die Fasslagerung deutlich wird. Die Alkoholnoten bleiben ersichtlich, stören aber im Verlauf weniger. Vanille, zum Ende brennend. 11/10/8/10/10/9

Brought back from the brewery on a trip to Vermont. A lot of pleasure drinking this. But, a lack of complexity in aroma and flavors had it lost a few points. Alcool et Bourbon frappent d’abord le nez. Présence de chocolat, de cerises noires, un peu de bois. L’alcool est cependant dominant. Le nez est un peu moins complexe que ce à quoi je m’attendais. Le visuel est noir, opaque; comme une stout. Avec une petite mousse mince. L’alcool est également très présent en bouche avec encore une fois le chocolat et les cerises. C’est comme manger une Cherry Blossom alcoolisée. L’alcool n’est toutefois pas déplaisant malgré son intensité. On y retrouve un peu de café mais c’est encore le chocolat qui domine. La texture est très onctueuse et les saveurs restent longtemps en bouche. Beaucoup de plaisir à boire cette bière. Mais un peu plus de complexité en olfactif et en saveurs aurait fait plus honneur à leur réputation.

Bottle shared in London - procured in VT. Pours black-brown with a frothy beige head. The nose has charred wood, baking cocoa, alcohol, earth. Medium sweet flavor with some toasty toffee, burnt marshmallows, dark fruits, scorched earth, mild burnt wood. Medium to full bodied with average to lively carbonation. Warm to hot finish with lots of burnt toffee, earth, gooey charred marshmallows, milk chocolate. Good stuff.