Barley Island Beastie Barrel Stout
Our Oatmeal Stout is aged in bourbon whiskey barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. 6% ABV
3.5
202 reviews
Noblesville, United States
Community reviews
On tap at the brewpub (Indianapolis, IN). Pours a pitch black with thin tan head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of chocolate, nuts, bourbon, vanilla, cherry, ripe dark fruit, oak, some hints of brown sugar and toffee. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of chocolate, vanilla, smoke, brown sugar, toffee, light bourbon, caramely sweetness. Medium to full body with a pleasing malty finish.
Nice bit of bourbon on the nose, along with some chocolate. Flavor is surprisingly subtle for a barrel aged stout, but very well integrated, nuanced, and balanced.
bottle thanks to sigma23. poured black with a tan/copper head that stays for the life of the beer. aroma was chocolate, slight bourbon, some faint coffee, seemed to have a slight presence of vanilla. flavor was bitter coffee, dark roasts, some bourbon but not much. body was about medium with high carbonation. not bad at all. thanks for the bonus tim!!
( 12oz bottle) Pours black, light tan head. Nose is chocolate syrup, crackers. Taste is coffee, oats. Finishes like unsweetened chocolate with a nice thick body.
Dark pour with a tan head. Aroma has bourbon and roasted malts. Simple but has nice flavor. Not too complex, good level of roast and some bourbon.
Bottle from Crown#6. Pours pitch black with negligible head. Nose has some decent bourbon, not very strong, accompanied by roasted malts. Taste is pretty bitter with lots of roasted malt and a touch of bourbon flavor. Flavors seem a little off, but it might be the lingering taste of the G.I. BCS I had two days ago (tough act to follow).
Bottle thanks to thirdeye11. The look is brown to black in color with an off white head. The smell is coffee, malts, alcohol, and bourbon. The taste is coffee, bourbon, malts, chocolate, and good.
Bottle thanks to thirdeye11. Black with a khaki head. Nose is coffee and roasted malts. Definite flavor of wood and roasted malts with vanilla in the finish.
Bottle thanks to thirdeye11. Pours with a black body and a fading brown head. Aroma of barrel, alcohol, chocolate and vanilla icing. Taste is coffee, chocolate, wet wood and a bit of dark fruit. Light bubbles, thin body for a barrel aged stout.
Bottle courtesy of bu11zeye. Thick brown pour. Smells of chocolate malts and spicy coffee. Taste has some sharp chocolate and coffee malts. Not bad and leaves the drinker with a solid remembrance.
From the Jug at the GABF Colorado Convention Center, Denver 10/10/2008
Fruit and whisky aromas. Small beige head. Black and rich on the palate with some alcohol present. Creamy and slightly bitter coffee roast finish.
22oz bottle from someone in my fantasy football league..payout from LAST year. Pours black with a huge head..a bit too lively indeed. Nice aroma of chocolate and bourbon. Smooth, nutty bourbon come on pretty strong with just a little roast. Lightly sweet dark fruits. Kind of all over the place. Too thin.
12-oz. Thanks, um...Sprinkle? Pantanap? Man, I gotta start writing this stuff down. Anyway, my gratitude is sincere, and I love ya both, even if my memory is a little foggy. Nearly jet black with a decent, surging, creamy dark tan head. Roasty, dark nose. Creamy medium body with a very small complement of slightly prickly carb. Mild, understated mid-palate of chocolate and roast, with a fairly neutral finish.
Mobile rating. Malt forward, smooth, creamy like butter, but tastes like butter as well. Weak and flabby body, lactic nose, butterscotch. No thanks.
Bottle - thanks sigma23. Pours a dark brown with a large, creamy brown head. Nose is rich with heavy roast, light cocoa, vanilla, and a light bourbon note. Tastes deep in roast, mocha, espresso, vanilla, and very faint bourbon. Creamy and rich, but the heavy roast and espresso really dominate the entire experience.
From a 12 oz bottle courtesy of a trade with Erik in Indiana, this poured a rich black with a big foamy tan head with lots of thick lacing. Nose is very strongly chocolate, some coffee, and just a hint of the bourbon barrel. Medium and slightly creamy mouthfeel. Flavor is roasted malts. Finish is dry and very mild. Nice stout.
Bottle 35,5 cl. Courtesy of KimJohansen. Pours black and opaque with a small light brown head. Burned malty aroma with a little vanilla and wood. Medium body with hard roasted malts, vanilla and oak. Malt bitter finish. 270509
12oz. Bottles: Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, oats, and some cream. No hint of whiskey barrel aging. Poured black in color with a small brown head that diminished but lasted around the edges. Opaque. Slightly sparkling. Flavor is light to medium sweet and slightly bitter. Tastes of coffee, roasted malts, chocolate, slight sugar, light lactose, and a hint of vanilla. Again, NO bourbon whiskey flavor. Medium body. Lightly chalky texture is a bit thin. Coffee, roasted malt, and lactose finish is slightly dry.
Bottle courtesy of sigma23...THANKS TIM!!! Really enjoyed this one...poured a deep dark brown with a creamy latte head that left spotty lacing. Cocoa, roasted marshmellow, and toasted malt on the nose. Flavor is extremely well balanced and exhibits strong chocolate, oak, and just a hint of bourbon. A tad thin but highly drinkable.
12 fl oz bottle. Pours dark brown to black with a solid chocolate brown head. Roasted malt aroma, light hoppy note. Roasted malt flavoured, chocolate and smooth caramel too. Medium bitter and roasted malt flavoured finish.
Dark brown pour with a small creamy tan head. Aroma is mostly roasted grain and coffee, with a hint of chocolate and bourbon. Flavor is roasty with a bit of bourbon on the finish. Enjoyable, but not too much going on here.
12oz bottle from shawnm213, thanks Shawn. Pitch black pour with a small tan head. Slight roasty aroma, some light chocolate too. Very light flavor, smooth,some wood, not a whole lot else really. Kind of underwhelming.
pours dark brown with a foamy tan head. notes of chocolate, coffee, subtle bourbon. bittersweet with a Very smooth,sticky, slightly creamy mouthfeel. Overall a pretty tasty, easy drinkin, stout. I would get this again.
Bottle shared at local BA gathering.
Poured a clear dark brown color with a moderate frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate roast coffee, chocolate and alcohol aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. Medium to heavy roasted flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate duration.
Another good smooth brew.
Earlier Rating: 4/29/2006 Total Score: 3.4
Bottle at Barley Island. Poured black with a moderate light brown head that diminished slowly. Heavy sweet bourbon aroma. Medium to full body. Full sweet roasted malt with a smooth bourbon finish that lasted at the finish. Heavy sweet drinkable brew.
Black. Medium palate. Tall, lacing foam. Light bourbon in the flavor and aroma. No so much that it ruins the beer. Sort of delicate, and subdued flavors. Enjoyable.
Pours a brown/black color with a small tan head. Nose is heavily roasted malt, smoke, and some chocolate...overpowering at first but becomes enjoyable over time. Flavor is roasted/burnt malt, sweet chocolate, toffee and a dash of both vanilla and smoke. Bourbon may have mellowed this one out, but does not come on strong, even at the end. Palate is smooth and borderline thin, but makes it a bit easier to drink than some other stouts. Pretty good offering...
pours a deep dark brown. aroma is bourbon, vanilla, burnt malts, chocolate, and toffee. drinks hot with bourbon but has sweet caramel, vanilla, toffee, and malt. finishes hot with bourbon as well. will be great with age
nice subtle aromas, of burnt sugary oatmeal and light bourbon barrel .. . good lacing, decent head and all that .. a simple brew, easy to drink.. nice stuff.. but an average bourbon version brew, as weird as that sounds... You don’t win friends with salad ..
Dark dark brown to black with a quickly diminishing tan head. The nose is vanilla, chocolate and roast. A bit sweet, but that might be the bourbon barrel vanilla as much as the beer. Full creamy mouth, slightly higher than average carbonation. Creamy and malty sweet. Noticeable, but not dominating vanilla, ala bourbon. Chocolate and roast backfill. Fruity acidity in the finish. Long lingering charcoal roast. Perhaps the slightest hint of bourobn after the aftertaste. Not bad.
Earlier Rating: 4/17/2007 Total Score: 3.2
Pours a dark dark brown with a thin tan head, thinning to nothing but a glass hugging brown foam. The nose is very boozy. I know it’s just the barrel, but the nose makes me think alcohol. Whiskey, a little wood, a little chocolate malt, floral hops, something green seems a bit off. The mouthfeel is about average for the style, low carbonation and a hint of thickness, but not too chewy, not too fizzy. The flavors are in line with the aroma, but the alcohol seems to come out a bit more. I have a hard time believing the ABV is < 5. Chocolate malt character over the whiskey slightly woody flavor. The alcohol whiskey element is so sweet, a little hoppy, not much roast, but a little acidic. Boozy finish, whiskey aftertaste. The whiskey flavors balance the sweetness, but I find this to be a bit much.
Tasted at GABF 2008. Black pour with tan head. Nose of roasted malts with chocolate and vanilla. Flavor is the same, with bourbon and wood added for good measure.