Almanac Barrel Noir
This oak-aged ale is our love letter to bourbon barrels. Barrel Noir is a sumptuous, inky ale that celebrates the velvety texture and subtle heat that only Kentucky charred oak can impart. Born from a blend of American imperial stout and Belgian-inspired dark ale aged in bourbon barrels, this rich brew can be paired with braised beef dishes and dark chocolates. Enjoyed best in front of a warm fireplace.
3.7
176 reviews
Alameda, United States
Community reviews
Tasted on3/24/15 from a capped 375mL bottle purchased at Ales Unlimited. Pours very dark, opaque dark brown with a very thick tan head that slowly recedes to thick, rocky lace. The nose is a nice blend of some typical coffee and dark chocolate stout, interesting, almost fruity Belgian yeast, and some lightly smokey bourbon barrel char and toffee/maple. The flavor is a touch of milk chocolate and maple sweetness up front, moving to the somewhat spicy yeast, just a touch of lightly smoked char, with some vanilla and coffee throughout. The body is full with just a touch above average carbonation, and a long nicely oaky, touch of bitter, coffee and dark chocolate, and lightly fruity yeast finish.
375ml bottle. Bourbon caramel deep aroma. Brown-black body. Creamy beige head. Almost some deep prune. I get more Belgian Dark than Imperial Stout. Pretty smooth and easy, the initial aroma had me thinking otherwise. Smooth brown chocolate, bourbon candy. Good.
pours unclear medium dark brown mahogany with a small light beige head, minimal retention and lacing. burnt caramel, almost rotten raisins, fermented black tea, roasted pumpkin meat, booze, wood, spices, pepper. average carbonation, light body - oily; semi-sweet and grassy-woodsy-spicy finish. nah.
Bottle 375ml.
Pours very dark brown with low beige head. Very nice lacing. Aroma is of iode, wort, roasted malt, coffee. Taste is of wort, some raisins, roasted malt, alcohol. Palate: Full bodied. Soft carbonation. Overall: OK, but nothing stellar. Weird.
Bottle (375 ml). From Marcus, thanks!
Appearance: Reddish brown with a medium beige/brown head and little lacing.
Aroma: Dominated by raisins along burnt caramel, floral notes, coffee and light vanilla.
Taste: It doesn’t get much better here with a ton of raisins again, burnt caramel, floral/tea presence and light coffee.
Palate: Medium body. Moderate carbonation. A bit creamy mouthfeel. Raisins and cumin finish.
Overall: Alcohol is well hidden, but another than that I have no praise to sing about this beer. Unbalanced. Off-putting raisins. Almanac seems to be hit or miss and this falls in the latter category.
Pours a dark brown with a small light beige head that leaves good lacing. Nose is of coffee, grapes and vanilla. Taste is of spices, coffee, some green pepper and chile. Body is medium-full, carbonation low and mouthfeel really smooth. No real hot peppers in there but I swear I really felt like there was some. Overall a good but not great kind of brew.
Pours a deep black hue with a frothy, light brown head. Smells toasty with notes of roasted malt. Caramel, roasted malt, plum and cassis, lead into a pleasant sweetness on the back end. Thick with medium-low carbonation. Really nice brew that has come into its own with age. Drinking perfect right now
Bottle to pint glass (2013, I think)
Loads of caramel, molasses, cocoa, oak, candied fruit, roasted malt. Oily black with a thin tan head. Taste is bourbon, chocolate, light coffee, and dark rum to start. Then it moves to a middling sweetness, reminiscent of caramel, but not so sweet accompanied with vanilla. Then I get some malt, bitterness, spice, and pepper. This is a touch boozy, but not not bad.
Bottle @ Home. Bottled Winter 2012. Dark Brown pour. Great head with lots of carbonation for something at 10%. Sweet oak, vanilla, and bourbon aroma. Big hints of caramel, oak, figs, and chocolate. Interesting brew.
Pours a very dark brown color with khaki colored head. Nice barrel notes on the nose, some oak and vanilla, dark fruits, and roasted malt as well; follows onto the palate. Extremely complex, very nice. Finishes with more dark chocolate covered dark fruit notes.
Dark leathery brown in color. Sweet aroma of dates, figs and other dried fruits. Followed by a hint of coffee and a alcohol esters. Nice flavor of more dried fruit with an assertive mocha aftertaste. Overall, a tasty brew. I’d like to have sampled a full bottle but the sample I recieved was good enough. Thanks BarZigKin for sharing!
Very solid imperial stout offering. Delicious, aged well also, very balanced and drinkable, lots of flavors show up as it warms, worth a try if you come across it for sure.
Bottle via unknown via Joe. Aroma spice, booze, wood. Body medium, acetic and woody tartness. Very nice. Acetic woodiness.
"Intrigued by this blend, and based on my tastes, figured this would be the favorite. While still quite good, it was flawed. The belgian part of the blend is far more prevalent than the stout. The resulting 10% beer is a touch too sweet, but has multiple layers which do work well together. My main problem was the thinner feel, which means at 10%, it comes off a bit hot without the body to support the abv. Solid brew, though."
From notes, consumed on 7/29/2013. 375 ml bottle into a Belgian snifter. Black with a finger of tan head, great lacing. Aromas of coffee, roast, chocolate, slight bourbon. Tastes of medium bourbon, caramel, dark chocolate, roast. Medium-full body with a dry and warm finish.
375ml bottle thanks to bytemesis! Pours dark rich brown, opaque in glass, with a finger of head. Nose is earthy dark fruits, raisin, plum, light woody bourbon spice, some subtle dark cocoa. Taste is earthy dark fruit and dark bread, light bourbon, raisin. Finish is multi-textured mix of earthy dark whole grain breads, wood, and roasty bourbon cocoa fruits. Interesting.
Black pour tan thin head with no lacing .... Aroma of dark fruits, Chocolate malts and molasses with light candi sugar ..... Taste is of bitter roasted malts, chocolate malts and dry oak with a vanilla, bourbon notes and a dark fruit candi sugar ... Has a nice thick Belgian dark fruity yeast to it and vinous notes ... Finish is dry sugary oaky and has a lingering sweetness .... Solid and enjoyable
Bottle thanks to my local group for sharing. Pours opaque dark brown with a small foamy head. Aroma is mostly roasted malt with some very light barrel notes and chocolate. Tastes roasty. Slightly astringent. Weak barrel character. High carbonation doesn’t fit right either. Not bad but just very boring.
375 ml. bottle. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma of chocolate, bourbon, fruit, and wood. Taste is chocolate, bourbon, dark fruit, and barrel. Very nice.
Sample at Kurtkeller 014: Almanac-tastic 01 on 06/27/2014. The beer pours a dark brown color with a medium foamy tan head that diminishes steadily. Partial rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of roast malt. oak and dark fruit. Full-bodied with flavors of roasted malt, oaky bourbon and dark fruits. The finish is oaky with a mildly tart fruit aftertaste. Pretty good overall.
375 ml bottle from bytemesis - thanks again! Pours a deep brown color with amber edges and a moderate off-white head that leaves spots of lace in the glass. Aroma of chocolate, earth, figs, vanilla, candi sugar, boozy cake, raisin, brown sugar, and oak. The flavor is the same slate of notes, but smoother and boozier. Medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation and a warm mouthfeel. Nice barrel blend.
Poured from bottle from a trade some while ago, time to drink some of these sitting around I suppose, pours black with a thin light brown head, aroma has a nice bourbon and oak touch with some dark chocolate and vanilla mixed in, the flavor has a light amount of roast on the front end with some of the oak and vanilla in the finish, abv is pretty well hidden, smooth mouthfeel, pretty good.
Bottle - Pours black with a thin tan ring of head. Nose is whisky, dark roast, and brown sugar. Pretty mellow and not too sweet. Taste is mellow boozy bread, whiskey, marshmallow, butterscotch, and a medium roast/sweet booze finish. Thick and softly carbonated. Tasty, especially for a style I don’t like all that much.
Pours a dark black pour with a small rather fast dissipating head. Nose is sweet, fruity, with notes of dark chocolate coconut... very pleasant. Taste is sweet, fruity with vanilla, bourbon and coconut. Finishes on the same tasting notes with a sweet, fruity whiskey ending. Nice. Quaff Score 8 / 10
Bottle. Pours black with a brown head and nice aroma of bourbon and vanilla. Taste is delicious, tons of bourbon and oak with vanilla, liquorice, dark fruits, and chocolate leading to warming finish. Great oak aged bourbon brew
12.7oz bottle, thanks to phaleslu for sharing. Very dark brown red color. Thin khaki head. Leaves good reaches and ropes of lace. Chocolate, raisin in the aroma. Some coffee. Awesome dark fruit coffee roast aromas on this in the flavor. Some very light tart taste, moderate bitter, light sweet. Smooth, lighter carbonation. Medium to bigger body. Kind of a good chewy texture to it. Hides alcohol reasonably well, just a light warmth to it. Cool stuff to try. Is this actually sour or tart at all? That may be because I was expecting this to be sour, because everything I’ve ever had from this brewery up to this point has been sour. Alden and Peter picked up little to no sour, but I still feel like I may be getting a hint of tartness from this. They get mostly chocolate, which I get too. A very nice amount of big chocolate, that’s for sure. Awesome big strong chewy dark thing, here.
375ml bottle, thanks kmweaver. Small tan head atop cola dark brown body. Aroma is moderately sweet, Bourbon, chococaramel, light vanilla, vinous, prune. Taste is moderately sweet, vinous/Bourbon, some milk chocolate, prune/fig. Medium-full body, fairly sticky, light effervescence.
Bottle... Dark brown pour with a small, wispy, off-white head. The nose is a plush blend of fudge and vanilla accompanied by cinnamon and an assortment of other spice-rack goodies. Medium to full-bodied with laid-back carbonation. The flavor and finish present bittersweet interminglings of cocoa, charcoal, vanilla and caramel. Bottle courtesy of newcigarz!
Bottle courtesy of rlgk. Pours reddish blackish brown with a rather small frothy blackish beige head that leaves some spotty trace on the glass while dissipating. Smell is sweet and malty with toasted malts, toasted oatmeal flakes, caramel, bakers chocolate, charred wood, burnt raisins, hay, coconut shavings, bourbon spiked whipped cream, toffee, alcohol, roasted hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and vanilla fudge. Taste is sweet, bitter and malty with toasted malts, charred wood, vanilla fudge, alcohol, toffee, caramel, bourbon, caramelized almonds, Brazil nuts, soil, liquorice fudge and bourbon spices black coffee. Mouthfeel is soft, round, slightly boozy and medium to full bodied. Finish is slightly sweet, bitter and malty with toasted malts, caramel, toffee, vanilla fudge, shredded coconut,charred wood, Christmas fruit cake, Brazil nuts, caramelized almonds, hay and bourbon. Very pleasant prominently barrel aged malty goodness. Gets a bit old after a couple of sips beings pretty 1-dimensional but we split this 3-ways which provided a very enjoyable experience.
Bottle at Foeder Teaser Tasting. Deep red/brown beer with a rich lasting beige head. Woody aroma, malty caramel, oak notes, roasted, vanilla, raisins, chocolate, hazelnuts, almonds, licorice, some citrus. Chocolate flavor, leather, oak, vanilla, woody, caramel, hazelnuts, licorice, warming alcohol, raisins, woody, licorice, biscuits, almonds, roasted peanuts, some cocoa powder. Very well balanced and with alcohol well hidden.