Chophouse Bourbon Stout

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

I had this beer at the District Chophouse in DC 28 April 2012. This beer was a bit disappointing. The bourbon was there and the vanilla was very apparent. My issue was the texture - way too thin for a Bourbon barrel stout. Nothing terrible, just thin. Texture is HUGE for me.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

My first thought was "this smells like cake batter, or maybe just vanilla extract." I guess that makes some kind of sense, since vanilla extract is made by soaking the beans in alcohol? But neither bourbon nor beer should smell that way. And it tasted, no lie, exactly like bourbon-scented aromatic pipe tobacco smells. I said to my dinner companion "this tastes like it's really just a meat glaze, not something you drink." After a few sips, the artificiality was overwhelming, and I just put it down.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 6

This one has better head retention than the others and either lacks the ashy arom of the Oatmeal or the ash is covered by the bourbon. The bourbon is pretty strong and I smell no beer underneath. The bourbon overwhelms the beer in the flavor of the beer and pretty much tastes like they’ve dropped a shot into the glass. Again, thin and watery.