Sprecher Czar Brew Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout
Imperial Stout has been complemented by a generous bourbon flavor after aging five extra weeks in white oak bourbon barrels. Already saturated with dark roasted malt flavor, bourbon and oak highlights perfect the balance in this enormously rich ale.
3.5
156 reviews
Glendale, United States
Community reviews
12 oz bottle, pours nearly black, nice brown head, but fades quickly. Bourbon aroma, roast coffee, cocoa. Medium sweetness. This beer is not as thick and chewy as some of the others of this style, soft carbonation, and long finish.
Another solid RIS, give it a try.
Bottle:
Nearly black, with a minimal tan cap.
Vinous, dark fruit, chocolate aroma.
Taste is tart, dark fruit, nearly sour, lactic chocolate.
Dark grape juice.
Light, sweet bourbon.....very light body....thin.
Bottle..Pour is dark black with tan head..Nose is chocolate, soft roast, spice, dry..Taste is dry, roast, chocolate, sweet,
Draft. Fairly slight aroma for the style, some vanilla, Tootsie Roll, bourbon and roast. Black in color, some brown showing around the edges with a very slight, fading head. Flavor is pretty bitter, with coffee ground, bourbon, cherry and oak, the bourbon being the dominant character here, the finish is fruity and somewhat hot with alcohol. Malt is here but is very thin and roasty, not much of a factor which for an Imperial Stout makes no sense. The main impressions are bourbon and bitter roast, though, not a lot of complexity. More wood on the finish. Very low carbonation, mouthfeel is thin and sticky with a big body. Didn’t like this much.
The new 12oz bottle to snifter. Dark black pour. Slightly viscous. Very nice barrel character. Lots of vanilla and burnt marshmallow crust.
It poured a black color with a tan head. The aroma was of roasted malts with chocolate, licorice and hints of bourbon. The taste was of malted roasted chocolate and some licorice with a roasted malty chocolate finish and hints of bourbon in the aftertaste. Not bad.
Bottle from Ray’s in Tosa. Pours black (yes - as night) (as coal) with a brown head leaving streaky lacing. Aroma is big heavy vanilla-y bourbon. Later in the glass, there is caramel and chocolate. Taste has vanilla, bourbon, some chocolate, light roast, a hint of cherry and a - late showing under the bourbon - decent caramel malt presence. Full bodied and alcoholly. Finishes sweetly bourbon caramelly, with a slight touch of roast. Some brews have bourbon and show it, some have bourbon and blast it. Blast here, without the complementary components to aid for top quality. Not bad, but disappointing in that this could be so much more with a better base. 14.2
Bottle purchased at Elevated. Dark black with little head. Smell is heavily bourbon with raisin coming through as well. Very warming like a shot of bourbon. Taste has plenty of alcohol presence. Plums. Some hints of chocolate. Agree with others that it’s a little thin. Almost reminiscent of a quadrupel but the chocolate notes and warmth bring it back to imperial stout. This czar can be conquered.
Bottle, pours an opaque black body with a thin cola head. Boozy aroma of bourbon, chocolate, and vanilla with faint oak. Taste is chocolate and sugars with some bourbon, oak, and vanilla notes. The body is a little thin for the style, and the finish is somewhat watery/weak.
Little thin but still good taste. VanI’ll chocolate nice barrel characteristics. Black pour thin tan head. Moder ate body light carbonation. Nice oak hints and some coffee.
Poured from a 22oz bomber. This is one of my favorite RIS’s. Very well balanced and not acidic or cloying. I get hints of vanilla, whiskey, and chocolate.
Poured from a bomber into a snifter brown black with a tan head that left quickly.
Aroma is roasted malts vanilla some cocoa faint bourbon
Flavor is unique-a bitter finish. Trying to understand the acidity of this brew. It ithe hops? Or how it was aged in the white oak barrels? Whatever it is it actually works. Definite chocolate bourbon. Only complaint is that it is thin to the mouth compared to how I prefer my Russian Imperial stouts. Better than average. Would like to crack open a bottle again down the road to compare.
Poured from a bottle into a snifter. Aroma is chocolate and vanilla with a slight booziness to it. Appearance is dark brown like old engine oil but poured with no head. After swirling it developed a one finger tan head that dissipated almost immediately. Taste is smooth milk chocolate vanilla bourbon with a slight acidic property to it, almost citrus.i found the flavor very enjoyable. Palate is slightly viscous with good carbonation. Overall I really enjoyed this beer and will pick up a few more tp drink and age. Cheers!
Poured from bomber into snifter. Dark brown/ black with light brown head thay diminishes quickly. Smell is lots os sugar, syrup, and toasted malt with a little bourbon (my brother: "I can smell the barrel"). Taste is very sweet, with some chocolate and faint bourbon flavors, and some roasted coffee in the finish. Feel is a little thin for the style/ abv, but by no means unpleasant. Overall, its not bad. Definitely not the best, but solid.
Black pour. Tan head. Little lacing. Aroma of chocolate and whiskey. Taste is sweet bourbon and chocolate.
bottle. black pour with a small tan head. robust aroma of raison, toast, smoke, light bourbon, tobacco. surprisingly smooth. flavors of toast, vanilla, wood, raisin, char, marshmallow. a hint of misplaced sourness. a bit highly carbonated. nice flavors though. i found this beer to be delectable, however, it does carry a hefty price tag.
22oz bottle 5/22/14 (Discount Liquor-Waukesha 2 for $6)-42° in Snifter-Pours black with a small ring for a head. Aroma of bourbon, dried fruit, oak, and vanilla. Taste of malt, oak, bourbon, dried fruit, and vanilla. This medium bodied brew is a little not balanced but still rather tasty.
opaque, inky black with a thin mocha head. the smell is quite powerful as soon as the cap was off. very vinous, but also roasty. smells sweet. tastes very creamy and sweet. nougat, chocolate, irish cream, cherry cordial. madeira. this is pretty yummy! especially considering that it was $5.99 per bomber at Country fresh. Right on!
Shared bomber, poured to snifters, showing a black/brown hue, with a modest layer of tan head foam, and waves & spots of lacing. The aroma was roasted, with a nice, malty creaminess, chocolate, and some dark caramel sweetness. Medium+ bodied, the taste was similar to the nose, plus notes of dark fruit as prune, and barrel notes as bourbon, a touch of vanilla, and some subtle, tannic astringency. Had just previously sampled the RIS, and found this to be more complex, richer, and fuller bodied. Shared another bomber with some cellar time to it,(maybe a year & 1/2) and poured to snifters noting an added barrel induced note as coconut, some treacle sweetness, syrupy texture, with a touch of soy on the edge, and a little tartness to the finish.
No legible date on bottle. Aged at least a year. Pours black. Small light brown ring of head. Smooth bourbon. Oak. Vanilla. Dark chocolate. Rich caramel. Hint of dark fruitiness. No hops anymore. Sweet. In my opinion, its aged nicely. Medium body, a touch thin. Finish is lightly sour, light roasty, semi-sweet. Alcohol isn’t noticeable, has faded. Underrated. I’m glad I let this sit.
Aged for over a year. Strong coercion, dark fruit, sweet, roast, caramel, juicy aroma. Taste is similar. Very smooth, medium body. Malty, bourbon, dark fruit. Not much of an alcohol burn in the finish. Fairly pleasant
Ale Alpharetta December Meeting. Black pour with tan head. Aroma is largely bourbon with wood and bits of vanilla, roasted malts. Taste is very bourbon dominate as well with a bit of a bitter/tart finish. This is a middle of the road/below average bourbon stout. The bourbon with base beer combo, while not bad, was not a great combo.
Bottle share at craft ale house. Pours pitch black with minimal white head. The aroma has a bit of marshmallow, some coconut, light bourbon. The taste has a light roast, some coconut, and some sweet sugary aspects.
22oz bottle, etched label. Jet black pour, brown ring. Aroma of charred grains, vanilla oak, bourbon barrel, licorice, dark fruit. Tastes of coffee & chocolate, warm alcohol, roasted /burnt malts, vanilla, oak, and loads of burnt sugars. Finishes with loads of burnt flavors, oak, and an odd acidic finish, and licorice. Roast & burn.
(3666)
Poured from bomber into brandy glass. Aroma: Bourbon, molasses, and soy sauce hit the nose in the bottle. When poured into glass, could only smell hot alcohol and fruity esters. Appearance: dark brown but translucent coffee color. Thick, foamy, and tan colored head, but terrible head retention (all but disappeared after a minute in the glass with no sipping). Haphazard lacing. Taste: overpowering diacetyl and yeasty flavors (did this batch get infected???) with only the faintest whisper of bourbon barrel or stouty malts. And the Palate: was definitely not stout worthy, either-- thin and watery. This bottle was god awful. After suffering through this brew, I had to crack open an Old Rasputin just to remind and reassure myself that there is a beer god.
Alcohol says 10%abv on my bottle. Nose islight bourbon. Taste is vanilla oak into a thin dry finish. In my mind, this one needs more time in the barrels to really come together.
Pours black with ruby edges. Little head and lacing. Aroma of chocolate and roasted malt with a bit of booze. Some chocolate with charred roastiness and some smoke with hint of coffee and chocolate finish. Medium bodied with higher carbonation than I like for style. Finishes too dry with not enough sweetness.
---Jeremy H
2012 bottle to snifter. Pours a very dark brown with decent lacing. Aroma is very light chocolate and coffee with a boozy malt being predominant. Taste is the same with a large charred malt taste and some oak. Medium mouthfeel. Not sweet and not well balanced.
Dark, but not pitch black, very little head. A smoked, oak, vanilla smell. The smoky oak comes through predominantly on the taste, salty, sweet doesn't come out till the very end with some chocolate and coffee, but its faint. Not very balanced, and the oak character is poor.
Black with a thick tan head. Dull oaky vanilla nose. Malty bourbon flavors. Less smooth than I would have figured not bitter. More sweet and soy