I had my first Imperial Bourbon Stout…well sort of I guess. I was @ Oskar Blues today and the crew brought out some of their Ten Fidy Imperial Stout which they had aging in an oak barrel from Jim Beam for us to try. I asked how much bourbon they added to it and they said none, the bourbon flavor was actually coming from the barrel. This was my first beer w/ any bourbon flavor in it and it was freakin’ awesome! This was a small batch that they do not package and sell. So, what are some good bourbon beers that are out there that I should try, or should I just attempt to make my own? I may have to give Denny’s Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter a try! I haven’t brewed a beer that I’ve aged so this may be a good one to start with.
Brew your own!! ;D
I brewed up a Bourbon Stout a few months ago. The base beer was my normal dry stout, 6% abv. I added 16 oz of Makers Mark when I kegged it. Let it age/mellow on the gas for three to four weeks. The bourbon flavor was great.
Unless you can get your hands on a bourbon barrel.
Not sure what I was thinking asking should I brew my own…of course I should brew my own!
If you decide to brew my recipe, I’d advise you not to age it much. I prefer it when it’s not much more than a couple months old.
I do recommend Denny’s recipe. It makes an awesome fall/winter beer. As far as how long you let it go is a matter of personal taste. I have had it at one year and although the flavors may have mellowed, it is still one damn fine brew.
Thanks Denny. I saw that you mentioned it didn’t benefit from extended aging in Zymurgy, which is good because I’m not the most patient person! What would you say is a minimum amount of time for when the beer is ready? I let most of my ales ferment 3-4 weeks before I keg. I set the keg to serving psi and let it sit for about a week before I start enjoying them, so a total of 4-5 wks w/ my ales. This will be the first big gravity beer that I will be brewing. Thanks!
Denny mentions this in the article, but I can’t stress it enough: Bourbon will accentuate sweetness. I’d recommend brewing the beer to be less-sweet than usual. I’ve only made one bourbon beer that was spot-on, the other ended up being slightly too sweet once I added the bourbon.
That should be in the ballpark. Let your own tastes be your guide.