Innis & Gunn Bourbon Cask Dark Ale
This very special dark ale has been brewed in small batches and then matured in hand-selected, first-fill bourbon casks to give it its rich, rounded character.
Notes of brown sugar, orange oil and coconut are complemented by an earthy freshness from the hops, and the 30 days the beer’s spent in oak have ensured a satisfyingly smooth finish.
We spend a lot of time at Innis & Gunn finding the perfect casks to home the new beers that we make. So many factors can influence the reaction between the wood and the beer, that we like to give the casks the best possible chance of success, by considering things like their age, their previous occupants, their finish, their char level...
We’ve selected relatively new bourbon casks for this recipe in order to complement the rich, heady flavours of the beer with a light touch of vanilla and spice from the wood. The casks have also helped to smooth the finish of the beer, making it velvety and very long.
Notes of brown sugar, orange oil and coconut are complemented by an earthy freshness from the hops, and the 30 days the beer’s spent in oak have ensured a satisfyingly smooth finish.
We spend a lot of time at Innis & Gunn finding the perfect casks to home the new beers that we make. So many factors can influence the reaction between the wood and the beer, that we like to give the casks the best possible chance of success, by considering things like their age, their previous occupants, their finish, their char level...
We’ve selected relatively new bourbon casks for this recipe in order to complement the rich, heady flavours of the beer with a light touch of vanilla and spice from the wood. The casks have also helped to smooth the finish of the beer, making it velvety and very long.
3.2
219 reviews
Edinburgh, Scotland
Community reviews
Bottle from World Market. Deep ruby in color. Rich malty nose with a little watery bourbon and a bit of vanilla. Roasty up front. Some sweetness. A good amount of barrel, Some vanilla and a bit of woodiness. A little boozy. More bourbon in the finish. Pretty tasty.
Robe noire aux reflets rubis. Mousse blanche qui se dissipe. Pas très fort en bouche pour le style. Amertume de la torréfaction, vanille, pudding.
Lancée en 2003, la brasserie écossaise Innis & Gunn n'a cessé de se renforcer, produisant une gamme de bières bénéficiant du label de qualité spécial de la brasserie.
Adoratrice des techniques de vieillissement en fûts, elle possède plus d'un breuvage de la sorte dans sa gamme de bières régulières. Fière de faire partie du Beery Christmas de cette année, Innis & Gunn a pris sa passion et l'a transformé en un breuvage exclusif Barrel Aged juste pour vous!
La bière:
Riche, sombre et intrigante, la bière brune Bourbon Dark Ale d'Innis & Gunn est une somptueuse bière brune vieillie en barrique un mois, avec un corps brun séduisant et une jolie tête beige. Elle possède un bouquet aromatique imposant qui dégage des notes chaudes et boisées, avec de grosses touches de cassonade, d'orange, de vanille et de whisky Bourbon porté sans effort sur le palais.
Dans un corps plein, l'expérience de dégustation se poursuit avec plus de sucre demerara, de malts fruités et une note de whisky Bourbon chauffante, qui s'étend confortablement à travers le palais pour se refermer sur une note épicée persistante.
Le style :
La bière vieillie en barrique - ou BA pour les connaisseurs - est un thème populaire dans le cercle de la bière artisanale. La technique consiste à transférer la bière dans des tonneaux en bois une fois la fermentation terminée, ce qui permet à la bière d'absorber certains des composés aromatiques contenus dans le bois. Traditionnellement, les fûts sont fabriqués en chêne, ce qui donne un caractère riche, fruité et terreux à la bière. Un effet similaire peut être obtenu en ajoutant des copeaux de chêne à la bière dans un fût en métal.
Avant d'être utilisé pour les bières, les barils auront servi dans les distilleries et les vignobles. Le brasseur choisit différents fûts en fonction de l'effet souhaité: barils de whisky pour les tons fumés et tourbés ou fûts de rhum pour les riches notes de cassonade ou même le Madère pour un caractère vineux.
Température: 12-14 ° C
Accords mets / vins: Riche et fruitée avec une note de whisky Bourbon merveilleusement chaude, la Bourbon Dark Ale se prête parfaitement au gibier grillé avec des sauces. Elle se marie aussi bien avec une tarte tatin - la tarte aux pommes normande classique avec des saveurs de pomme exquises, compensées par un caramel doux.
Amertume 2/5
Douceur 2/5
33 cl. bottle @ Home.
Aroma: not very intense aromas of dark toasted malts, roasted malts, some very light hints of alcohol, wood, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, burnt caramel.
Appearance: dark brown color with light brown and very creamy head. Medium to high head thickness with medium to high retention. Too dark but it seems clear. Medium Brussels' lacing. Nice bottle.
Taste: medium sweetness, low bitterness, low sourness. Flavors of toasted malts, dark chocolate, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, burnt sugar. Some dark coffee overtones, some acidic nuances from the dark malts. Quite well balanced, sweet at first and a little more bitter toward the finish.
Palate: medium to full body, oily-watery texture, low to medium carbonation, not very long sweet finish with low to medium sweetness and the aforementioned flavors. Alcohol is quite well hidden, only noticeable through some alcohol sweetness and some throat warming effect.
Overall: the appearance is very good. The aromas and flavors are not very intense, not sensational but not bad. Not bad for a mass brewery, but not a beer to remember.
Keg at innis and gunn Glasgow. Pours deep ruby, nose is burnt caramel, vanilla, toffee, taste is sweet, chewy, caramel, cola.
Bottle. Pours black with fast dissipating tan head. Light barrel and peat aroma with malt. Flavour is very good, malt, vanilla, smoke, and roast. Doesn't taste as strong as it is. Medium roast and smoke finish.
keg at the kitchen... Dark black.. Thin tan lacing.. Soft dusty bourbon chocolate roast malts nose.. Little too fizzy again.. Odd fruits.. Soft toffee roast
Thin light beige head of fine bubbles. Smoked malts, light bourbon, roastyness and some biscuits. Color is a very dark brown with a hint if crimson in the background. Rather thin body with not a lot of flavor. Mild roasted grain, dark malts, light peat and some smoke and soy sauce. Light alcohol presence. Finished a bit dry and chalky with lingering dark malts and roastyness.
33cl Bouteille Beery Christmas #3
Mousse : Petite mousse beige
Couleur : Brune très sombre
Nez : Whisky vanille, caramel légèrement boisé
Bouche : Corps doux, boisé, sensation de rondeur et de légèreté, sucré. Saveur whisky vanillé, sucre brun, note caramel orangé et café. Final sec avec persistance saveur whisky et alcool chaleureux.
Avis : Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy douce et agréable, genre que je connais très peu, donc une belle découverte.
(Bottle) Dark brown colour with frothy, beige head. Malty, roasted nose with dried fruit, figs, wood, brown bread, toffee, chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, some bourbon and a touch of ginger. Malty, fruity taste with notes of caramel, chocolate, bourbon, oak wood, wort bread, raisins, toffee, some ginger, burnt sugar and a sweetish finish with a mild roasty bitterness. Medium body, quite sweet. On the sweet side, but fairly tasty. Quite enjoyable.
Bottle from Beery Christmas advent calendar. Pours dark brown , some light brown foam on top. Nose is soft, caramelly, light smoke and a touch of peat. Fruity caramel. Taste is creamy, soft, lots of caramel and sweetness also there. Not that complex and bourbon barrel is not really that visible, maybe a hint of vanilla and light coconut but only maybe. Drinkable but could be more.
Bière 33 cl obtenue dans le calendrier de l'avent Beery Christmas de Saveur Bière 2017, jour 3. La jolie étiquette est à la fois authentique et très écossaise.
Cette bière est brune plutôt foncée avec des nuances caramel qui rappellent le coca-cola. Col de mousse qui disparaît quasiment instantanément. Le nez est rond et plutôt caramel. Carbonation moyenne, sans agressivité.
La bouche est douce, ronde et modérément sucrée.Goûts de malt et de sucre modérés. En bouche, on reconnaît des arômes de café, de cacao, mais surtout de caramel, dans son côté brûlé plus que dans son côté trop sucré.
C'est une bière qui est assez courte en bouche et peu amère. Les arômes de bourbon sont subtils mais on reconnait ses propriétés par le côté rond, sucré, caramel et boisé. L'alcool est bien présent malgré le fait que la bière ne titre qu'à 7.4°. Au final, c'est une c'est une belle découverte, à retester avec plaisir.
330mml bottle as part of the Beery Christmas 2017. Tasted on the 04/12/2017 at home. Dark brown colour with a minimal beige head. Aroma of roasted malts, cola, wood and biscuits. Taste is malts, bourbon, bread and roasted bread. Sweet and woody finish. Next one please!
Light aroma for a soft to medium taste. The aftertaste is a mix of alcohol (bit not to heavy) and coffee. Not bad, but one bottle will be enough
Bien, bien, bien. Une très bonne bière brune dégustée en apéritif. Elle dégage des arômes assez sucrés.
(Innis & Gunn Bourbon Cask Dark Ale) Bottle 330ml from Saveur Biere's advent calendar, day 3.
Served into a snifter, ABV 7.4%
Dark brown to black colour on the body, tall and thick tan head, with very good retention.
Aroma of chocolate, cocoa, fruity notes.
Taste of caramel, chocolate, light orange indeed, a touch of vanilla towards the finish, light roasted malts.
Medium thin body, soft carbonation, smooth on the palate.
Quite good.
0.33 bottle from advent calendar, labeled as bourbon dark ale. Black with brown reflections, big compact tan head, short lasting. Black olives, wood and hints of whiskey aroma. Mouthfeel is a little more watery than expected. Some sweetness comes out while warming, with burnt wood and whiskey notes. Medium body, quite smooth.
Berry Christmas #3. Bière très foncée avec des nuances rouges. Nez rond et caramel. Bouche très douce, très ronde, presque sucrée. On y retrouve le café, le grain. Très bonne bière. Belle découverte.
Bottle #3 from Beery Xmas. Clear, very dark brown pour, with a small light-tan head, disappearing after a while. Aroma contains strong oak indeed, dark malts, licorice, some iodine, some choco; rich and very nice, but not really getting the bourbon. Taste is medium sweet, light bitter; oak again. Soft carbonation, but full-bodied, and even alcoholic feel (with only 7.4 ABV!). I think it's a great beer, but I do miss the sense of bourbon.
translucent deep red with tan head. sweet malty aroma. taste also fairly sweet like molasses perhaps with some dark fruits. not much sign of barrel aging. Ok, but simple.
Bottle from Beery Christmas. dark brown with a tiny tan head. Malty and woody tones. Malt, wood, vanilla and hops. Medium to full body with a malty / woody finish.
Bottle from Beery Christmas. Very dark colour, small and not very persistent head. The smell isn't very revealing, just a bit of vanilla. Very roasty taste, lot of vanilla, bot not much coffee. The beer gets better at higher temperatures. Very smooth beer, but lacks some punch.
bottle from beery Christmas. dark brown colour with white head that quickly disappeared. sweet malt aroma, caramel, vanilla. flavours of malt, wood (vanilla), caramel. medium body. This is not Innis & Gunn's most interesting beer.
Flaska från Beery Christmas. Svart/brun kulör med grå skumkrona. Doft av bourbon- fat, rostad malt, knäck och lite röda bär. Frisk, torr och mediumsöt munkänsla. Smak av rostad malt, bourbon, bröd, pumpa, salmiak och lite rök.
03-12-2017; 33cl bottle;( Saveur Bière, #3 of Beery Christmas 2017)
Appearance:A dark body, with a cream coloured head. Which has a not so good retention.
Aroma; some dark Malts, and a bit of vanilla and wood. But a bit weak.
Taste: A gentle sweetness, Malts, a bit of wood, and a hint of nuts with a leaves bitternes from the hops.
Medium body, smooth texture, and just below medium carbonation.
Ok.
Berry Christmas #3
Couleur ambre foncé. Au nez on t’retrouve de la noix de coco, de l’orange, marmelade et chocolat amer. En bouche elle est onctueuse avec des notes de fruits caramélisés et de pudding. La finale est longue et légèrement épicée.
Se déguste avec une viande rouge ou du gibier.
03-12-2017; bottle; at home (bought at Saveur Bière, #3 of Beery Christmas 2017).
The looks of the beer are lovely. The beer is very dark. The color is a lovely dark ruby red, but in the dark it is a nice dark almost black purple, that really enmities to drink. On top of the beer some rough brown foam is formed, with a low foam retention. Hardly anything is left after a minute or so.
The smell of the beer is a bit weak to be honest. I clearly smell some vanilla and coconut, some bourbon and oak, but not much more than that. Some earthy hops, but not much and hardly any malts. Wish it was stronger.
The taste of the beer is stronger. I like it a lot. The beer has some nice malt flavours, with give it a nice soft sweetness, with a hint of nuttiness and some toast. The hops give some nice earthy and leaf bitters...which goes well with the bourbon barrel. This gives some nice sweets, in the form of vanilla and coconut, but also some nice oak wood and a dash of chocolate. The beer is well balanced. but all flavours could have been a bit stronger for me.
The palate of the beer is good. Medium full body, smooth texture and medium carbonation. The finish of the beer is nice. It has some alcohol in it, some earthy hops and some bourbon. It is soft, and of average length. All in all, it is a nice beer, but not the best beer from Innes & Gunn. They have better, but still I'm glad to have been able to drink this one.
Beery Christmas 2017 #03. 33cl bottle at home. Appearance: deep mahogany with medium, off-white head. Aroma: grains, roasted malts. Taste: above medium sweetness and medium bitterness. Notes of grains, some roasted malts. Palate: medium bodied, watery texture and lively carbonation. Watery, a bit boring and no bourbon to be found. Meh.
Flaska från Beery Christmas #3. Mörkt rödsvart med ljusbrunt skum. Doft av rostad malt och lite bourbon. En del bourbon i smaken som slår igen.
Beery Christmas 2017#3
Dark color no head looks like cola.
Not the best Innis & Gunn
Can't really say its barrel aged. Not in aroma or taste