Ballast Point Bourbon Barrel Stout

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Ah yes, yet another wonderful beer, from the vastly under-rated Ballast Point Brewing Company. It's a shame that this isn't bottled, since I think it blows away the much more talked-about Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout (draught or bottle).

First had this at the July 24th gathering at O'Brien's...., and again last night in a much more sedate gathering of some the SD locals. While I thought it was a little unbalanced on my first taste or two ("...definatetly a sipping beer", I recall commenting), upon closer inspection this is both quite complex and quite quaffable.

Nice intricate lacing to go hand-in-hand with the dense rocky head of foam -- all atop a black-with-hints-of port-wine-redness body.

Sweet licorice-like aroma, with no small hints of liquor in the nose. Ties in nicely with the flavor profile -- both roasty and sturdy, but with enough complex nuances (from the bourbon ballel aging, presumably) to make this quite interesting. Perhaps could use a little more backend bitterness, to give this beer a bit more "roundness", but that's just quibbling over details, really.

Despite my earlier appraisal that this was more of a kick-back-and-sip-it type of beer, this is a nice drinking beer, too. And with the ABV% somewhere in the <6% range (guessing), it won't make it an early night for you.

A welcome addition to the already impressive Ballast Point lineup.
//TB