When it comes to warming, winter beers, there’s no beating the appeal of a well-made whiskey (usually bourbon) barrel-aged stout. They’ve been a cold weather staple ever since Goose Island’s brewmaster Greg Hall decided to mature a stout in an ex-Jim Beam barrel way back in 1992. They are usually fairly high in alcohol (11-14% ABV) and loaded with flavors like coffee, caramel, chocolate, and warming, oaky, boozy whiskey. What’s not to love on a chilly winter night?
In the decades since it was first created, many breweries have tried their hand and emulating the aromas and flavors of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. While that beer is still extremely popular, there are also myriad other well-made, flavorful whiskey barrel-aged stouts available today.
We found eight of the best options available at beer stores and markets today. Most are available all over the place and many are from some of the most well-known breweries in the country. We ranked them on overall flavor and warming ability. Keep scrolling to see if your favorite bourbon barrel-aged stouts made the cut.
8.) Rogue Rolling Thunder
ABV: 13.6%
Average Price: $15 for a 500ml bottle
The Beer:
While many well-known barrel-aged stouts are matured in ex-bourbon barrels, Rogue Ales Rolling Thunder is aged for a full nine months in Rolling Thunder Barrel Works barrels that once held Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey. It’s brewed with 2-row malts, Munich malts, black malt, rolled oats, naked oats, chocolate malts, roasted barley, C-75 malts, cacao nibs, rice hulls, brown sugar, dark Belgian candi syrup, Pacman yeast, and Cascade hops.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a ton of whiskey on the nose as well as chocolate fudge, roasted malts, dried fruits, oak, and caramel. The palate is loaded with toasted vanilla beans, cocoa powder, coffee beans, caramel, and warming, boozy whiskey at the finish.
Bottom Line:
If you want to try barrel-aged stout that was matured in a whiskey besides bourbon, this is the beer for you.
7.) New Holland Dragon’s Milk
ABV: 11%
Average Price: $17 for a four-pack
The Beer:
We don’t know what actual dragon’s milk tastes like, but we assume it must be something like this beer. This 11% ABV stout was matured for at least three months in former bourbon casks. It’s known for its roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee-filled flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll find notes of dark chocolate, roasted malts, freshly baked bread, vanilla beans, coffee, and boozy-aromatic bourbon on the nose. Sipping it reveals notes of chocolate, toasted vanilla beans, roasted malts, espresso beans, raisins, oaky wood, and whiskey, The finish is sweet, warming, and boozy.
Bottom Line:
In a genre of incredibly high ABV barrel-aged stouts, Dragon’s Milk is full-flavored, but a much more manageable 11% ABV.
6.) Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
ABV: 12%
Average Price: $20 for a four-pack
The Beer:
While Goose Island Bourbon County Stout is the most well-known barrel-aged stout, Founders KBS is a close second. This popular 12% ABV banger is a bourbon barrel-aged chocolate coffee stout (hence the ‘Breakfast’ in the name). It’s known for its boozy, coffee, vanilla, and chocolate flavors.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a mixture of roasted malts, caramel, freshly brewed coffee, oaky wood, vanilla beans, and sweet bourbon. There’s more of the same on the palate with notes of dark chocolate, toffee, vanilla beans, espresso, charred wood, and warming, boozy, sweet bourbon at the very finish.
Bottom Line:
This is one for the caffeine fans. While aging in bourbon would be enough to make this a memorable beer, adding coffee takes it to new heights.
5.) Brooklyn Black Ops
ABV: 11.5%
Average Price: $18 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
While many breweries don’t make a habit of revealing the distilleries where they got their former whiskey barrels, Brooklyn touts this beer as a collaboration with renowned distillery Four Roses. This 11.5% ABV stout was matured for months in casks that previously held Four Roses Small Batch barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of dark chocolate, roasted malts, coffee beans, vanilla, dried cherries, and aromatic whisky start this beer off on the right note. The palate is filled with roasted malts, caramel candy, freshly brewed coffee, charred oak, vanilla beans, chocolate, raisins, and lightly, warming, boozy whiskey.
Bottom Line:
This is a surprisingly complex barrel-aged stout. It has a ton of rich, chocolate and coffee flavors as well as dried fruits. The finish is less boozy than many of the others on this list.
4. ) Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal
ABV: 11.9%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
There might be no cooler sea creature than the unicorn-like narwhal. That’s why it should come as no surprise that Sierra Nevada named its imperial stout and this barrel-aged version after the majestic, arctic mammal. This 11.9% imperial stout spends almost a full year maturing in ex-bourbon barrels.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this stout’s nose. There are scents of dark chocolate, roasted malts, toasted coconut, raisins, butterscotch, toasted vanilla beans, and sweet oaky bourbon. Drinking it brings forth notes of cocoa powder, maple syrup, caramel candy, dried fruits, vanilla beans, oak, and whiskey. The finish is warming, lingering, and filled with boozy whiskey.
Bottom Line:
Sierra Nevada Narwhal is already a complex imperial stout. It’d be even better when it’s matured in ex-bourbon casks.
3. ) Goose Island Bourbon County Original Stout
ABV: 14.1%
Average Price: $14 for a 16.9-ounce bottle
The Beer:
Goose Island Bourbon County Original Stout is the OG whiskey barrel-aged stout. It’s also still the most sought-after. While there are different variants, Bourbon County Original Stout is matured for around twelve full months in recently emptied bourbon casks from Heaven Hill, Four Roses, Buffalo Trace, and even Wild Turkey.
Tasting Notes:
A memorable nose of chocolate syrup, vanilla beans, oak, toffee, dried fruits, and bourbon greets you before your first sip. An indulgent palate of candied nuts, raisins, caramelized sugar, charred wood, sweet bourbon, coffee, and dark chocolate make this a truly memorable beer.
Bottom Line:
If you’ve never tried Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, now is the time to try it. This is the first and one of (if not the) best examples of the style available today.
2.) Firestone Walker Parabolita
ABV: 9.2%
Average Price: $7 for a 16-ounce can
The Beer:
This is not your average whiskey barrel-aged stout. Parabolita is listed as a bourbon barrel-aged stout with vanilla, cocoa nibs, and sea salt. It’s made by aging the brewery’s popular Parabola for a full year in ex-bourbon barrels before blending it with Velvet Merlin milk stout. After that, it’s infused with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans from Madagascar, and sea salt.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of freshly brewed coffee, toasted vanilla beans, butterscotch, chocolate fudge, molasses candy, dried fruits, and sea salt. The palate is a mixture of milk chocolate, oaky wood, toffee, dried fruits, vanilla beans, boozy whiskey, and salted caramel.
Bottom Line:
The sea salt gives this a unique, lightly salty flavor that works perfectly with the rest of the complex flavors in this epic beer.
1.) North Coast Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Rasputin
ABV: 11.3%
Average Price: $20 for a 500ml bottle
The Beer:
North Coast Old Rasputin is already one of our favorite imperial stouts, so naturally we also love the barrel-aged version. The time in the whiskey barrel only heightens the aromas and flavors of dark chocolate, vanilla beans, dried fruits, and caramelized sugar.
Tasting Notes:
Butterscotch, caramelized sugar, dark chocolate, toasted coconut, pipe tobacco, vanilla, and sweet, corny bourbon are prevalent on the nose. The palate is a symphony of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, brown sugar, charred oak, vanilla, dried fruits, and boozy, lightly spicy whiskey at the finish.
Bottom Line:
North Coast Old Rasputin is already an exceptional beer. The barrel-aged version is like you turned it up to eleven (or even twelve). It’s indulgent, intense, and highly complex.
Source: https://uproxx.com/life/best-whiskey-barrel-aged-stouts-ranked-2024/
