redzim's Bourbon Barrel Porter
Pour/appearance:
Dense cream colored head that lingers and laces nicely. Color is brown, but appears as a deep red when held up to the light. The beer is crystal clear, I couldn't get pics of this but despite how dark it is details can easily be seen through it.
Aroma:
The most apparent aroma is that of the bourbon, followed closely by that oaky smell characteristic to me of wood aged beers. There isn't enough of this to overpower a roasty steel though, and there are some hops detectable as well.
Flavor:
Again, the bourbon and wood are the most prominent players here. These give way to a smooth roasty/caramel/toffee malt backbone. This toffee flavor is certainly not diacetyl, as I don't detect any slickness in the mouthfeel. The beer however is very smooth, with a firm but soft bitterness. Again there are flits of hops, but not enough to hone in on what they might be.
Remarks:
This beer is excellent. I really enjoy barrel aged beers, but more and more breweries seem to be overdoing the aging these days. This leads to beers that are overwhelmed by the barrel flavors, and these beers suffer for that. redzim has managed to keep everything balanced though, and this beer shines because of that. My wife really enjoyed this beer as well.