7.3/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
12 oz. bottle
8.2% ABV
Enjoy by: 15JAN2026
$15.99 4-pk @ Winter Springs Liquors
Just to clarify the true style of this beer, according to the brewer's website, this beer is actually a blend of 2 different styles of beer. 40% of it is an Imperial barrel-aged Stout, with the remaining 60% being fresh beer that is just a simple Porter.
AROMA: Strong scents of bourbon followed by mild scents of chocolate and vanilla.
APPEARANCE: Pours an opaque black, with a 2-finger, medium frothy, tan head that dissipates somewhat quickly, with no lacing. It looked good for a few seconds and then the head was gone and there was no lacing, so it just looked like a glass of cola.
TASTE: Mildly sweet with medium flavors of vanilla and bourbon, followed by mild flavors of chocolate and caramel. The finish is slightly dry with a little bourbon "tang" at the very end. I found that as the beer warmed the vanilla became even more prevalent. Although, at no time did I find it to be overpowering.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a slightly creamy texture. Carbonation is average. To me the body seems a little on the thin side for such an, otherwise, luxurious feeling beer.
OVERALL: After reading the description of the beer, I was excited to try it. After drinking the beer, I am not so excited. But that's mostly due to the high expectations that my brain manifested just from the description.
The beer itself is fairly high quality and has some pleasing characteristics. However, for me, I'm just not quite "feeling it". The body seems a little thin for this type of beer, the flavors (while enjoyable) don't seem to fully mesh with each other, and the head disappears way too quickly. Which leaves me a bit perplexed because I kinda like it, but then every time I take a sip I think "close but no cigar".
Even if I don't ever buy this particular brew again, I have been very happy with several other beers from this brewer. So I will definitely continue investigating their other offerings.