Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Bourbon Barrel Wood Burner

Brewed By: Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Athens, Ohio  

Purchased: 375ml/12.7oz single bottle bought at And Beer in Athens, Ohio; 2014 

Style/ABV: American Bourbon Barrel Stout/Smoked Beer, 11.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I don't know if I have had a Bourbon Barrel aged smoked beer before. About Jackie O's Pub & Brewery:

Jackie O's is a brewery and brewpub based out of Athens, Ohio. The brewery was founded in 2007 by Art Oestrike and his friend, and brew master, Brad Clark. In 2012 when the production facility expanded, brew master Sean White joined the company. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

The Bourbon Barrel Wood Burner is so OG it doesn't have a website entry. The bottle reads: "Over the years we have brewed a plethora of big stouts and porters, and the idea of brewing an imperial smoked stout was something we had been kicking around for awhile. When an open brew day presented itself, we knew exactly what to do. The base stout focuses on rich caramel and chocolate notes with a deep savory/smokey backbone. The entire batch found its way into bourbon barrels where it rested for over a year. An enticing combination of sweet and savory, with waves of dark chocolate and vanilla that wash over the palate. Cheers to stoking the creative flame in all of us!"

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Bourbon Barrel Wood Burner

As you can imagine, this pours into some dark, inky body, with a finger of brown head. There is some lacing and alcohol legs...usual stuff from the Stout assembly line. 

The aroma has mad bourbon appeal, with luscious Bourbon County-like chocolate, brownie, coconut, macaroons, and raisins-cherry sweetness. There's some alcohol jumping around in here, but nothing you wouldn't get in the spirit itself. The barrel isn't overtly pronounced, and I'm not getting the smoke on the aroma. 

Wow, this is really good. Like, Bourbon County good. Like holy shit, I was not expecting this banger after the other Jackie O's bottle offerings I have had. This has giant chocolate, brownie, vanilla, complex coconut and macaroon notes, intense oak/bourbon/barrel, and lots of alcohol spiciness. The smoke is more of an afterthought here, and the beer is all the better for it. Between the fruity whiskey notes, the cherry-raisins hints, and the sugary sweetness, this dips into alcohol and smokey spice. This stays away from the intense smoke...this isn't a Rauchbier, there is no bacon...and I'm not even mad. 

This is full-bodied, but the intense bourbon sweetness balances out the alcohol heat. It appropriately feels like an 11% beer, without any baggage. Palate depth is good, with lengthy duration. Complexity is high. I'm not gonna wax poetic, this drops Bourbon County chocolate, macaroons and coconut up front; whiskey sweetness, dark fruits, rum, alcohol spice, and smoke show up in the mids; the back end drives home nuanced barrel, bourbon, and smokey notes. This is fan-fucking-tastic and totally caught me off guard.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. I would need another bottle or two to convince myself that this deserve the 5.0/5.0, but it feels like it is basically there. It's like Bourbon County with that spicy, smoke wrinkle. This would pair well with a cigar, or just as a sipper like I am sipping now. Fantastic stuff...and just what I was looking for to round out the evening. 

Random Thought: There are many things about craft beer that suck, but one of the top annoyances are all the misconceptions about aging beer. 

4 Hands Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout

Brewed By: 4 Hands Brewing Co. in Saint Louis, Missouri

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Milk Stout, 5.5% 

Reported IBUs: ?

A low ABV Milk Stout with shit tons of flavor? Alright. About 4 Hands Brewing Co.: 

4 Hands Brewing Co. are a brewery based out of Saint Louis, Missouri. The brewery was founded in 2011 by owner/president Kevin Lemp. The brewery features a number of brewers, including ex-Goose Island guru, Will Johnston. 4 Hands is all about hand-crafted beers, and they feature a barrel-aging program that uses wine and spirit barrels. Exciting stuff. Definitely check out their website or Facebook page.

4 Hands Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout

The Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout is a twist on 4 Hands regular Milk Stout...which doesn't have much in the way of descriptions. Speaking of that, this pours into your typical Milk Stout appearance, with a black, not-quite-oily, opaque body, and a creamy head. 

On the aroma: tons of sweet lactose, peanut butter sweetness, milk sugars, malt, milk shake like sweetness, some coffee, chocolate, and a little sweet toast. 

This is a sweet beer, but it's really well done. You get a lot of lactose-peanut butter up front, with a nice segue into tons of cocoa, sweet toast, some milky sugars, hints of coffee, and even some hints of dark fruits.

I'm impressed with how dense this is at 5.5%. This has a medium-full mouthfeel, with carbonation that is lively and present, contributing to the beer's drinkability. I imagine this has a fair amount of sugar/calories, but that's okay. Palate depth is good, and this has good duration. This isn't very complex, and the peanut butter isn't as present or pronounced as I was hoping it would be. While you get that peanut butter and lactose punch up front, with some cocoa and toast in the mids, and some coffee in the back...I just want more peanut butter.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Average on this. It's a solid Milk Stout, and does everything I expect. I wish the peanut butter was a bit more prominent, but otherwise, this is both cheap and enjoyable. I like this enough that I would pick it up again as a local Milk Stout. 

Random Thought: Back to homework. At least there is beer. Mmm. 

Penrose Fractal

Brewed By: Penrose Brewing Company in Geneva, IL  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled 12/10/2014)

Style/ABV: Belgian India Pale Ale, 6.8%

Reported IBUs: 65

It's been a while since I have had anything from Penrose, and now they are bottling their beer, sooo.....about Penrose:

Penrose was founded by owner Eric Hobbs and partner/Brewmaster Tom Korder in early 2014. The duo are both former Goose Island employees, and they want to focus on brewing Belgian-inspired session ales, oak barrel-aged beer, beers that use alternative fermentation. Located in the lovely town of Geneva, Illinois, the brewery has a local element that is quaint and inviting. For more info, check out the brewery's website or their Facebook page. 

The Fractal is a Belgian IPA brewed with Columbus, Cascade, and Amarillo hops, 2-Row and Carapils malts, and Bastogne yeast.

Penrose Fractal

This is an orange-amber affair, kicking up a finger of candy orange-tinged head that leaves impressive lacing. This one doesn't look to hazy, but it's hard to say if it is filtered.

The aroma is a nice blend of citrus hops, pine, some mild onion/garlic, and lots of Belgian funk. I'm getting clove, yeasty esters, peppercorns, and some biscuity notes. It definitely smells like a Belgian IPA, fusing Belgian yeast with floral American hops. I am excite.

This is pretty solid for the style. I'm not sure where the onion/garlic hop notes are coming from. Maybe my palate is just shot for the night, but yeah. I'm getting a lot of garlic/onion. There are no Summit hops in here either, as far as I know. The good news is I love garlic and onion, and there is also a fair amount of citrus, pine, crisp hop goodness, and some Belgian clove and black pepper/pink peppercorns to go along for the ride. This has some yeasty esters, and enough funk to square it away as a Belgian IPA. It is also fairly easy-going, which I appreciate.

At 6.8%, I'm not getting any alcohol here. Palate depth is good, and this is pretty crisp and refreshing with a medium-light mouthfeel. This has good duration for the style, and has good complexity. As it warms up, it gets a little more Belgian-y, which is nice. Up front: citrus hops, onions/garlic, some burgeoning clove; the mids hit the clove and peppercorns hard, with some biscuit; the back end drives the biscuit and hops home. I actually really like this, but I'm having a hard time finding the nuances that elevate it above other stylistic examples. 

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this beer. This is very solid, and I could see it being something I stock in my fridge semi-regularly. It's not blowing me away, however. Having said that, I think this has serious food potential. I could pair this with some buffalo wings, or maybe some pork tacos. Pretty solid stuff, all things considered, and you can't beat the price.

Random Thought: I am balls to the walls nuts. Yarrr.