Central Waters Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Belgian Quadruple Ale

The Stats
Style: Quadrupel
ABV: 10%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: 4.2/5
- Beer Advocate: 4.19/5
- RateBeer: 3.7/5

"Barrel aged Quad is brewed in the spirit of collaboration. We combine traditional techniques and ingredients like Belgian candi sugar with American innovation and experimentation by the use of bourbon barrels."

Pours out the darkest shade of ruby red with a relatively clean body. Head retention was minimal at best with less than a finger forming, but disappearing instantly.

Intense aromas of caramel and toffee with a significant malt presence. There's lots of brown sugar, figs, and raisins to be had. A refined alcohol scent is pleasant. A sweet, sticky note from the bourbon and some oak cap things off.

The nose was more of a sweeter, sugary experience that reminded me of a Wheatwine, but the taste is all dark fruit, all the time.

Cherries and red grape are most prominent with the plums and raisins relegated to a supporting role. The other star of the show is the alcohol itself. While it doesn't provide a stinging sensation, it leaves the palate warm after each sip. It's not a deterrent, but it is an exclamation point after each individual flavor. A big spice presence combined with the warming alcohol produces a flavor similar to spiced rum with just the smallest dab of coconut on the back. More red grape and noticeable vinous notes bring us back to dark fruit territory and there's even a small amount of citrus. There's not much in the way of a bourbon influence, but the barrel itself lends oak and slight char. The malts still carry a caramel flavor that is left over from the aroma.

The mouthfeel retains some stickiness after each sip and as mentioned before, the alcohol presence is big, but not distracting. While sticky in the mouth, the aftertaste tends to be relatively clean and the body itself is smooth for the most part sans for some residual graininess.

Central Waters has produced a Belgian Quad that can hang with many of the authentic examples from overseas. While actual bourbon flavor was lacking, the barrel itself kicked complexity up a few notches to enhance an already great base beer. Alcohol could have been dialed back a bit, but the overall product was tasty and enjoyable.

Rating
8.9/10

Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Stout (2016 Vintage)

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.18.5
- RateBeer: 3.91/5
- Untappd: 4.36/5

"The brewery's most sought after beer, this imperial stout is aged to perfection in oak bourbon barrels. Look for this tasty treat to contain hints of bourbon and vanilla with roasted overtones that is sure to please any connoisseur's palate. Serve this beer at cellar temperature from a snifter glass, and enjoy this expression of our passion for brewing."

Poured dark brown coming out of the glass and sits black in the glass with glowing red edges and less than half a finger of khaki-colored head.

That aroma is fantastic. Huge bourbon, oak, tobacco, cherries, some dark fruits, and coffee. Pretty much everything you want in a barrel aged stout.

The taste doesn't blow me away as much as the aroma, but it still holds strong. Bourbon is nice and sweet without being cloying, but it does contain some alcohol flavor (not too much). I get a lot of char and oak on this one which just further demonstrates the influence of the entire barrel. Pipe tobacco and smoke are also coming off of that char and the flavors work nicely even though it doesn't sound like it would. As for the sweeter, dessert flavors, there is a small hint of bitter dark chocolate, but not too much. Cherries remind me of a big Russian Imperial and underneath all of it is some molasses and brown sugar.

Mouthfeel doesn't come in as thick as I'd like (if I had a nickel), but it is still big enough to let you know it is worthy of being a BBA stout. I mentioned there was a minor alcohol flavor, but luckily it is short-lived and doesn't stick around. The carbonation moves this bad boy along.

Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Stout had a toe-curling aroma, but the taste, while complex, didn't match the nose. I feel like all the flavors on the taste were slightly muted, but I still managed to pick out so many of them. I wouldn't call it quantity over quality as I still enjoyed every sip, so don't go thinking this is a disappointing beer. It's a great BBA stout and I'm happy.

Rating
8.6/10