Short's Bourbon Barrel Soaked Sustenance Black Beer
Bourbon Barrel Soaked Sustenance Beer is our spring Schwarzbier (black lager) aged in bourbon barrels for 10 months. It features rich roasted malt qualities with bold flavors of vanilla, charred oak, and even a slight nuttiness. The light, crisp finish makes this bourbon soaked beer light in flavor, which is wonderful because it highlights the complexities of the bourbon aging process. The light body also makes it an ideal beer for a springtime refreshment.
3.6
262 reviews
Bellaire, United States
Community reviews
Smooth bourbon balanced with unsweetened chocolate. Dark fruits, light tartness. Caramelized candy and slightly boozy finish. Awesome and unique brew.
Bottle: Dark brown, looks a little thin with a head that forms seconds after I’m finished pouring; big-bubbled, creamy, & tan. Lovely, robust aroma with a huge barrel presence. Bourbon, heavy sweet vanilla, wood, toasted nuts, roasted malts, hints of dry chocolate, dark & bittersweet. Lots of bourbon on the palate, too, reminds me a bit of whiskey. Mix of cola, wood, roast, & a vanilla presence that’s much lighter than it was in the aroma. Mid-palate brings semisweet chocolate that lingers into the aftertaste with the bourbon. Definitely a tasty little bourbon beer.
tap. near black with small head. bourbon aged beers don’t always work for me, but in this case, it really works well. very tasty and smooth with considerable depth.
Not used to the barrel ages thing on just black ales. Nice, adds another dimension to the beer.
Bottle sampled at ’t Klooster, Delft, thanks to sic1314, Pours kinda black with a lacy brown head. Aroma is bourbon, malts, caramel, some grass and booze. Taste is moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter. Medium bodied with thin texture. Very pleasant, bourbon works well on this one. Still quite light and easy to drink.
Poured dark brown. Aroma of vanilla, roast malt, coffee. Medium body, tastes stronger than the ABV, flavour of the aroma, dark chocolate,
Bottled, large sample. Dark color, short brown head. Aroma of bourbon, biscuit and vanilla, some roasted malt, hint of coffee, red fruit. Biscuity sweetness and bitter roasted malts in taste, hint of alcohol from the bourbon. Bit thin, but aroma is wonderful.
Bottle. Clear black no head. Malt and faint bourbon aroma. Vanilla malt grass. Very light.
-- rated with beerbasher
Sugary bourbon smell. Raisin and peanut flavors. Dark black and brown ale. No head
03.10.2013, 0,35l bottle @ home:
Nice slightly brown creamy longlasting head. Aroma is sweet bourbon-ish, vanilla, coconut, toffee, dark sugar, dark malts, hints of oak and dark fruits. Taste is slightly sour-ish, dark malts, oak, grass, almond essence, dark sour fruits, sour coffee, hints of ashtray, vanilla and alcohol. Medium bitterness, very thin body. Better than the regular one, but still crap!
355ml bottle. Black, as expected, with a brown head that settles to nothing much at all. Great aroma of chocolate and bourbon. Something fruity lurking at the edges. Oily, slightly syrupy mouthfeel with dark maltiness. Something umami, almost BBQ sauce-like too. Pretty good.
Pours opaque black/red with a small tan head and decent lacing. Aroma is bourbon, roast, molasses. Flavor is medium sweet and light bitter. Medium body, somewhat creamy. Nice effort.
A - pours opaque black/brown with orange ring. No head with some legs but no lacing. S - nice rich aromas. Bourbon, coffee, chocolate, molasses, toasted coconut, brown sugar, vanilla, graham crackers, marshmallows. Dried husky cereal grains. Surprisingly rich. M - amazingly light. Average carb. Weak palate for such a strong rich nose. Lingering fake grainy chocolate. Lightly sticky end. T - burnt sugar water. Wow, bland. Fake chocolate, sweet toasted caramel, toasted coconut. Toasted malts. Some cereal grains. Strong cola. Earthy damp oak. O - great nose, weak execution. Bourbon barrel aged malty water 3.1
Bottle. Pours opaque black with a small bubbly head that fades to a ring. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. Aromas are bourbon, lots of vanilla, oak, dark roast and ash. Taste is very smooth, mostly vanilla with some light bourbon and roast. I wish I could taste the base beer more because I love it. But I guess that’s what happens when you barrel age a fairly thin black lager. It’s still pretty good though, surprisingly smooth. If you want a BB beer without the booziness, this is it.
12 ounce bottle. Pours a pure black color with a small beige head. A big boozy nose with dark fruit and ash. The flavor is quite hot, boozy bourbon, sour mash, toffee, some ash dry flavors. Decent.
Bottle to snifter (shared with the Mrs.). Looks solid; cola with razor-thin light beige lacing. Smells solid; dark malt and bourbon with a nice vanilla presence. Tastes like it smells with a nice, smooth mouthfeel. Good beer.
12oz bottle, thanks to Mikem409. Very dark black color. Thin brown head. No lace really sticks. Medium-plus body. Smooth, lighter carbonation. More dry in the finish. Love the bourbon barrel aroma, here. Good wood, vanilla. Works well with the big roast malt flavor of the schwarzbier. Not as big or chewy as an BA imperial stout, or even a BA stout of normal strength... The schwarzbier base is good for this, especially since I wasn’t looking for anything thick right now. Just looking for that good big bourbon flavor, which this delivers on. Good moderate sweet taste, light bitter. Nice very light alcohol warmth that you’d get from a much bigger barrel aged beer (but with a much lighter body). Light bit of spice. Really impressive, interesting, tasty beer.
Bottle received via trade with FlandersNed. Pours clear black with a small, creamy tan head,short retention with light lacing. Aroma is bourbon, sour oak, prunes, figs, and chocolate malt. Flavor is lightly soured oak. And dark fruits with vanilla, bourbon, and dark malt with a dry finish. Medium body and carbonation.
Bottle from Kris Wines. Pours black with a small, light tan head which quickly disappears. Nose is very bourbon forward. Light spice and vanilla with dark fruit hints - cherry, plum. Taste of pepper, currants, raisin and heavy, salty chocolatey bourbon. Thin mouth feel with sharp bitterness and a touch of heat. Average
Bottle. Opaque black pour with brown head. Very bourbony aroma, lots of vanilla, and I mean tons, very light roasted malt. Taste is sweet but light, quite bourbony, light roasted finish. Silky palate, light carbonation.
Bottle from trade. Pours black with light Brown head. Aroma is bourbon. Taste is lots of vanilla and bourbon. Flavor fades
Bottle shared by oRos. Pours dark brown with a decent tan head and a heavy treacle aroma. There is a full-bodied dark molasses flavor with a lot of bourbon and an oaky finish A nice sipping beer.
12oz bottle via trade. Poured a medium black body with lots of clinging bubbles, average sized foamy beige head. Aroma is on the fruity side with notes of juicy oranges and chocolate along with some vanilla extract. The body is a bit too thin and slightly watery with average to stronger carbonation and some alcohol heat. Flavor is earthy, chocolate pudding, vanilla extract, burnt toast and some bourbon. Overall a nice beer but needs more body.
On tap at Shakespere’s Pub, Kalamazoo, MI. Dark brown to black pour, some light brown suds along the meniscus. Faint scent of bourbon-y malted chocolate, kind of minty. Not the greatest smell but getting there. Average carbonation, foamy/oily mouthfeel, decent finish. Taste is malt balls, bourbon, medium roast coffee and possibly grape soda or root beer. Interesting beer, not great, not horrible. Kind of tastes like tootsie rolls and whiskey.
bottle. pours black with faint ring of a head. big licorice and booze/bourbon aroma. taste is very nice chewy vanilla bourbon
On tap at Short’s Summer Kickoff Party. Pours black with a thin tan head. Bourbon and booze in the aroma. Taste is the same with a bit of sweetness in the finish. Pretty spectacular.
In short: A fruity oaky black beer of some kind. Decent.
How: Bottle 12oz. Not sure about the age, probably not old, dan’t remember if I bought it or received it as a bonus in a trade. Possible thank-you to… someone.
The look: Black body topped by a medium dark beige head with good retention of leaving lots of lacings on the glass.
In long: Nose is oaky and somewhat fruity bringing almost a red wine barrel sensation more than bourbon oak. Taste is very toasted, a bit nutty, husky malt shells sensation, rather fruity (red and white grapes, berries of all kinds), mild bourbon notes, oak well integrated and very cohesive with all the flavor elements. A overall vinous sensation. Inexplicable alcohol bite .finish, is this really only 6.5% abv? Plenty of oak tannins, astringent sharp finish with a fruity-vinous sourness. Kind of a weird blend of flavors but overall quite tasty and enjoyable. Yet another beer, all the empties lying around my living room say I’m a badass rebel that will never be tamed but the Star Trek TNG marathon on my television tells another story.
Bottle at CGarvie tasting. It pours dark brown with a small light tan head. The nose is bourbon, vanilla, oily, coconut and mellow roast. The taste is tangy dark fruit, berry, bourbon, wood, mellow roast, brown sugar, earth, cherryade and light alcohol with a dry finish. Medium+body and moderate carbonation. Smooth, well-balanced and pretty tasty.
Tap. As a craft beer head turned bourbon drinker, im a huge barell aged fan. Not being the biggest fan of Shorts, I have to admit this beer does not disappoint. Strong alcohol scent on the nose with a smooth vanilla finish
Bottle. Black with tan head. Aroma of sour fruits, dark fruits, berries. Taste of oak, sour berries. Quite tangy, little sour. Not a fan