I know, I'm late again. But hey, it's only 2 days. No big deal.
My April Beer of the Month is a new beer, or at least new to me, from Anderson Valley in Boonville, CA. This is their Bourbon Barrel Stout which comes in at 6.9% abv. According to the label this is a Malt beverage aged in Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels. So of course, it's aged in bourbon barrels meaning, we're incredibly interested in this beer. Let's get into it and see if this beer is worth checking out.
The Bourbon Barrel Stout poured out pretty damn dark. I don't really see any color coming through or any colors around the bottom of the glass. This looks pitch black. There was a fluffy two finger head that was light brown/tan in color. The head didn't stick around very long and once it dissipated it didn't leave behind much lacing. Maybe a little but it's minimal at best. Let's get the nose.
First thing I pick up is a sweet vanilla. It's very nice. I'm getting some milk chocolate and some sweet caramel/toffee. According to the website they only aged this for 3 months in the barrels. So the complexity of the barrel characters might not be as pronounced as say a beer that's been aged for a year (Dark Days by Iron Fist). I'm not picking up a lot of roasted notes or espresso. Maybe they will show up in the taste. Overall, this is pretty sweet smelling and very inviting. No alcohol on the nose whatsoever (6.9% would be shocking really). Let's see how the BBS tastes.
Wow. So right away I'm getting a nice hit of Wild Turkey. Very bourbon-like even with a subtle burn. Lots of vanilla and sweetness. There's a slight breadiness, almost like a fresh baked bread. More vanilla, more of that Wild Turkey. I'm picking up a little bit of a coconut character most likely from the barrel. There's a slight roastiness on the back end. Not quite like an espresso but maybe a medium roast coffee. It's subtle and definitely lingers a bit. I'm getting more of that milk chocolate as well. This is a creamy beer and the oats definitely play off the Wild Turkey nicely. The Wild Turkey really shines in this beer. As I let it warm a bit more I'm getting more roasted coffee throughout the back end. It's definitely a bit better as it warms up.
So overall, this is pretty good. When I first tasted it I wasn't overly impressed. I didn't get a lot of flavors. As I let it warm a little bit the beer definitely came to life. I definitely get a lot of the Wild Turkey bourbon which is nice. If you're going to advertise that, make it shine. For 6.9% this is very easy to drink. It's medium to light bodied probably closer to light but not Rogue ales light. I'd say give this a try if you can find it. It's not bad. I wouldn't go out of my way to find it and for the price ($11) I'd say it's a little pricey.
On a side note, Anderson Valley is an awesome brewery, completely solar powered. Any brewery that runs entirely off solar or wind gets a thumbs up in my book. And to be honest, the other AVBC beers are good too. Check those out if you get them in your area.
Rating: B
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