Port Rexton Brewing Company Round Table Bourbon Barrel Aged (2018) Russian Imperial Stout at 8.8% ABV (C$9.00 at Port Rexton Brewing Company, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 20-Dec-2018, reviewed 30-Dec-2018)
Appearance: near opaque ruby brown with minimal relief in the margins, one finger of loose beige head diminishing rapidly (and loudly) to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: mild, bourbon, red berries, chocolate. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Medium-full body, soft carbonation, sweet lingering bitter warming finish. (4/5)
The bottle isn’t dated, but obviously it’s recently packaged, since I acquired it on the release date. I was literally first in line and picked up two bottles (one percent of the entire release!) – one to try fresh, and one to cellar for a year or two. Trying this, though, I wonder whether that’s likely to be a useful exercise: I find cellaring barrel-aged beers is an effective tool for mellowing out harsh bourbon or other alcoholic edges, but this is already pretty mild. At least, when it comes to the aroma – the finish is fairly boozy, and becomes more so the more you sip. The aroma, however, remains fairly mild even after warming. All in all, this is definitely tending towards the lighter end of the spectrum for this style. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
