Schlafly Reserve Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 2007
I wonder how long it is before nearly every brewery has one or more barrel-aged beers as part of their portfolio. The trend seems to be heading in that direction, and certainly the craft-beer drinking public don’t hesitate to laud attention on these beers. Most times that a new barrel-aged imperial stout hits the market, it is preceded by announcements that generate plenty of hype and excitement. Before you know it, the beers are sold out before they hit the shelves.
For some reason, the Schlafly Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout didn’t follow this pattern at all. In fact, I don’t remember there being much, if any, advance notice of its impending release. Instead, this beer and it’s Barrel-Aged Barleywine compatriot quietly showed up on store shelves. Even now, a month or so after I picked up a bottle I’ve seen this at other shops around town.
I suppose that part of this can be attributed to St. Louis-based Schlafly’s name-recognition in the area. I cannot recall having seen any of their beers here before, which makes it all the more surprising that this bottling made it out this way. And so it’s reasonable to think that these beers sort of flew in under the radar.
But let’s be clear about one thing: if you enjoy bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stouts, and you have a chance to try this beer, don’t hesitate. Yes, I’ve seen this on shelves at a couple of places recently, but it is still a one-off release, and so will disappear eventually. And it’s a very good, very decadent beer.
This imperial stout was brewed to an original gravity of 1.099 and finished with a final gravity of 1.020, rolling in at 10.5%, along with 75 IBUs. After fermentation it was aged in Jim Beam bourbon barrels for just over one month prior to bottling. 60 barrels, about 600 cases, were produced overall.
The beer pours medium thick with a creamy tan head that leaves a fair amount of lacing all the way down the glass. The color is deep, opaque black, that reddens slightly at the edges. The nose has layers of dessert-like smells, with prominent, rich whiskey, vanilla, and caramel flavors all intertwined, underscored by a hint of red fruit. The palate has big flavors of oak, whiskey, and cocoa, backed up by the bite of bittersweet chocolate. The texture is soft and gentle, but not as velvety as some other good examples of this style. The carbonation is present, but not too strong, and serves to really highlight the flavors. The finish is a perfect compliment to the nose and palate, with delicious flavors of caramel wrapped in milk chocolate. The finish is a bit short-lived, but very rich and warming while it’s there.
I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. The flavors were so rich, and they melded together very well. The texture was not a perfect a compliment to the flavors, but as the beer warmed this element improved noticeably. The beer only comes in 750ml bottles, so I’d recommend partnering up with someone to drink it. Of course, this is so good that you may end up eyeing whatever’s left in their glass if you finish yours too soon.
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