Arcadia Shipwreck Porter - Bourbon Barrel (-2008)
Balls Porter aged for six months in 10 year-old bourbon barrels.
3.5
196 reviews
, United States
Community reviews
Bomber poured a clear brown with a lingering ring of tan foam. Aromas of bourbon, oak, vanilla, cocoa and fruittiness. Palate was medium bodied and smooth with a dry finish. Flavors of bourbon, vanilla, oak, cocoa and light carmel with a smooth dry lingering bourbon finish.
220z bomb, 2007 Vintage - I was really surprised by this one because I was worried this beer would not stand up to three years of aging--I was wrong. The previous rater below me just reviewed a 2006 Vintage with good results. The bourbon comes through quite strongly and blends nicely with the malt and hops. Very happy with how this one aged. Extremely drinkable and enjoyable.
22 oz. bomber, bought at Arcadia, 2006. Four years old–this one’s ready to go out into the world. No gusher like the same-vintage Cereal Killer I had. I fruity strawberry-cherry smell in the bottle. Pours a solid black with a stiff, thick tan head. Now lets loose some chocolate and coffee smell, still pretty sweet. Taste does have some bourbon, but not much alcohol… at first. It’s like bourbon liqueur in chocolate bon-bons one minute, then a straight shot of Hennessey the next. A bit of astringency from roasted malt that should have been smoothed out after all this time in my cellar. But still a fine, big beer. It keeps on opening up new tastes, now milk chocolate, now cherry cider. Well worth waiting to try.
22oz bottle from the Wine and Cheese place. Mostly clear deep amber with a frothy beige head, nice sheeting lacing. Great nose of subtle bourbon, vanilla and roasted malts. Nicely balanced, medium dense on the palate.
Nice tasting beer. The oak age flavor comes through. Thunder would have gone a little lower on the ratings, but he allowed it. Me and Vlad like it a lot. One complaint though - the flotsam was good but where was the jetsom?
good porter, caramel hints, smokey, the bourbon came through well. Give it a go
2008 Vintage. Pour has a bit more red than is typical. A cloudiness to it. Flavor leads with the oak vanilla that is so nice. Some coffee and chocolate. I don’t really taste bourbon but, again, plenty of wood. A smidge of smoke. Fairly robust. Finish finally brought out some bourbon combined with vanilla. A sticky and sugary mouth feel. Very well done.
Black body. Kind of gross aroma that’s sweet and oaky with something just not quite right. Kind of the same thing in the flavor. This bottle’s kind of old. So, it may just require a re-rate later.
Bottle shared by a friend - Pours deep brown with a small tan head. Smells caramelly sweet, with bourbon notes, a bit of heat, and some sweet malt. Taste is chocolate, oak, coffee, and cinnamon--and that little touch of bourbon. Coffee grounds round out the finish. This is smooth, medium-bodied, and velvety in the mouth. Ridiculously easy-to-drink, I would seek this out if I make it to Michigan anytime soon.
2008 vintage bottle shared by footy at atlas 12/4/2009.
pours in typical porter fashion.... burgundy brown with a soft tan head.
the nose is full of vanilla and wood but i don’t get bourbon. matter of fact, i probably wouldn’t have known it was there if i hadn’t read the bottle... other aromas of faint smoke, roasty grain, plums, caramel, lactose and a light porter-like sourness.
again, the flavor is lacking a bourbon kick... i’m not sure if that is a good thing or not... control-vs-mistake?... but it’s pretty damn good. notes of toasted nuttiness near coffee, caramel, grass, raisins/tart fruit, light smoke, cream/milky, wood/oaky vanilla, chocolate and a nice little spicy kick on the end which finally makes me think of bourbon. the finish is smooth and clean before leaving an aftertaste similar to coffee.
the body is on the light side of medium, crisp, oddly refreshing and terribly easy to drink... a bomber. which, i just did. 7/3.5/8/4/15/3.75
Bottled at Monks Café Wallingatan, Stockholm. Pours out in a clear dark brown colour with a small off-white head. Clean sweet and straightforward aroma of bourbon, oak and vanilla with wee hint of roasted malts. Medium-bodied with notes of oak, coconut and vanilla. Clean mouthfeel. Medium-bitter finish of oak, cocoa, vanilla and toasted almonds. The barrel-ageing has taken over the beer completely leaving no room the other flavours to come out. And I’m not a huge fan of Bourbon.
Bottle, by trade with beachbum25, black color with tan foam, oily mouthfeel with predominant bourbon and coffee flavors, nice lasting finish
Dark brown beer with a tan head, a nice alcohol and hop aroma. Can easily pick out the whiskey/bourbon flavor. but its not too overwhelming. Some vanilla in there. Alcohol and whiskey finish. Leaves some very nice lacing.
22 oz. bottle - thanks after4ever; clear, dark brown with faint white head; rich and quite boozy; oaky, vanilla and roasty, though much of the porter has been covered by the bourbon; kind of blah as the bourbon leaves an overly thin texture
Bottled at Monk’s Café Wallingatan, Stockholm. Very dark brown, coarse beige head. Oaky vanilla aroma. Oaky vanilla flavour. Sweet and medium bodied with rounded mouthfeel. Oaky vanilla finish. Well, one nice flavour does not equal a good beer. What seems so promising at first is a one way street.
Bottle thanks to Daknole! Has all the aspects of a damn good porter, but a little too overdone on the bourbon for my tastes. I’m sure I would like the regular, non bourbon aged version much better.
Very dark brown almost black with a tan head. Aroma is fruity and sweet. Flavor is quite nice with a smoky, chocolate, woody, and whiskey in there. Nice and dry. Very good.
Bottle with thanks to Dave. Pours a dark brown with a fairly large tan head and fruity, fruity aromas. Plums, prunes,raisins, red wine... And a little bit of brandy. Given that, the flavor is little surprise. It’s almost like a port mixed with a bit of chocolate and a nip of moonshine. There was a bit of smoke/peat on the first sip, but it didn’t ever return.
From bottle. Black in colour with a great frothy tan head. Chocolate aroma, a little musky with hint of damp wood and whisky. Smooth texture, strong chocolate influence with coffee beans helping with the bitterness. Almost like and alcoholic milkshake or a Baileys. Pretty tasty porter, however close to a Oatmeal stout of some sort. Lovely.
Bottle. Dark brown colour, tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate and vanilla. Flavour is similar, with coffee cream and dark fruits. Nice porter.
A black pour with a slick contrasting white head. The aroma was a wonderful roasted, sweet hops. In the mouth it was a full-bodied flavor, solid, and thick. My only complaint was that the finish slightly thin on flavor and lacked something that can only be described as ’gumption’. A decent beer, but not incredibly memorable. Cheers.
Bottle from foppa. Bourbon heaven! Hell yeah!!! Pours a dark brown with a light tan head. Aroma is bourbon and chocolate with some light roasted malt notes. Flavor is bourbon and bourbon. Did I mention bourbon?
Pours super dark with a small tan head. Aroma is of chocolate, vanillla, coffee, etc. Flavor is divine. Very silky and thick palate. Another wonderful beer from Michigan! Possibly one of my favorites of this miraculous style.
Poured brown with a fluffy off white head. Aroma of bourbon and vanilla. Mostly a bourbon bomb. Some vanilla and chocolate if then finish.
22oz bottle. Pours a dark black color with a rich brown head. Head stays well throughout. A very nice roasty nose with some big chocolatey notes. Palate is foamy and rich. flavors of roasted malts and some dark fruits and nuts, very roasty with a hint of bourbon in the finish.
on tap At Coles Buffalo NY. Roasty, bourbon, woody aroma. Taste is immediately bourbon. Bourbon really dominates the taste rather than adding to it. The porter seems rather lost here. Nice mouth feel but IMO the bourbon should compliment the base beer not over whelm. But still pretty tasty
22. Thanks, BeachBum25! Murky dark brown with caramel highlights. Headless. Laceless. Super sweet boozy bourbony nose. Intense shaking only dissipates the overwhelming bourbon aroma a little bit. Flat, thickish, somewhat sticky body. Bourbon, chocolate, and vanilla mid-palate. Long sticky sweet bourbon finish.
It’s worth noting that an hour later, the bourbon volatiles had decanted, and, while the beer was even flatter, there was coffee, chocolate, and roast intermingling with the oak and bourbon on the mid-palate, and it was a completely different beer. The bourbon is still overwhelming here, but the base beer tasted good in the decanted stage, and there might be some potential here.
Pours a three finger light tan head that leaves a good lace. Totally black color, no highlights. Oak nose. Good carbonation and heavy bodied. Flavor is smooth, some sweetness, with a good oak sharpness. Decent porter. 2008 vintage, $10.20 for a 22 oz bottle from Tully’s Beer & Wine Wells, Me.
500ml bomber bottle. $9.99 pricetag, ouch. Thick black color. A little bonus sweetness shines through thanks to the barrels. Wow. This one really manages to balance the bourbon barrel nuances with the roasty porter sweetness. Exceptional beer, so robust and full that I’d believe it if you if you told me it was 9 percent. Sort of a back-handed complement I suppose. Some light sandy hops come in mid-sip and then are quickly gone again, covered in the smooth chocolate roastyness. Exceptional beer.
(bottle - 22 oz) Dark brown pour with a puffy tan head. Aroma is very roasted with a good amount of coffee, burnt malts, wood, cream, and some caramel. Flavor is very rich and roasty with a lot of wood and bourbon flavors, coffee, roasted and toasted malts, and some dark chocolate at the very end. Rich, creamy, and really nice.