Bourbon Barrel Aged Towpath Imperial Stout by Big Ditch Brewing Co.

Brewery: Big Ditch Brewing Co
Beer Style:  Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
ABV:  10.8%

Beer God’s Notes

Original Tasting Notes: I’m REALLY glad I grabbed one of these today – lots of oak, the bourbon was really mild with not too much burn.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of burn.  When I hear someone say that something “tastes like bourbon” I think of the bourbon burn.  This had almost none of that.  It was warm but warm like its non-barrel-aged brother.  It had little-to-no liquor burn.

What it did have was a lot of oak flavors and characteristics.  The barrel’s char came out and I got a lot of vanilla, and the barrel itself shined with a good amount of oak characteristics finding their way into BBA Towpath. The original Towpath has a good amount of chocolate and roasted flavors — the barrel aged version just accentuates these.

I had mine days after it was bottled.  Probably close enough to hours instead of days.  So I’d be curious how this will hold up after a year or two. (Friends, save one and invite me over to share?!)

Description

Bourbon Barrel Aged Towpath Imperial Stout (10.8 percent ABV). This is a special version of the Towpath Imperial Stout that was aged in bourbon barrels for the past 10 months with added notes of vanilla and chocolate (and bourbon) to the massive imperial stout.