Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

[Hazelwood Brewery]

OK, 4 weeks in the bottle/keg and a difference is starting to show between the carbonated (bottled) version and the nitrogenated (kegged) version. They look similar but the carbonated version has the bigger head this time.

Both are really nice. The carbonated version tastes more alcoholic so may need a little more time to condition out. It also seems just a touch fruity. The nitrogenated version is far more smooth, has a softer mouthfeel, and maybe the maltiness is more apparent. If asked I would say I prefer the nitrogenated version.

Next update in another two weeks.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

It’s that time again boys and girls. 2 more weeks (6 in total) since kegging(nitro)/bottling(CO2) the bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout. So how do they compare now…

Appearance is similar at first although the head on the nitro stout is looking a bit more compact. There is more of a difference though after 20 minutes with the carbonated head having collapsed and the nitro head persisting (in fact there was little difference even after 40 minutes).

The aroma of the carbonated version is mild alcohol and dark fruit. The nitro version has virtually no aroma of alcohol or fruit but does have a mild coffee/caramel vibe.

The taste of the carbonated version is much like the aroma with mild alcohol and fruit, and despite the head having fallen the carbonation is quite evident on the tongue. Malt flavours are in more of a support role coming through after the alcohol/fruit. The nitro version tastes a little less alcoholic and there is virtually no fruit. The mouthfeel is different with no carbonation. The malt comes through quite strongly as coffee and liquorice.

At this point my wife and I agree the carbonated version is more “zingy” and with the first sip or two that’s nice. The nitro version in contrast seems a bit dull at first but after a few sips I’d describe it as mellow. I think there is a place for both depending on your mood.

I have one more carbonated bottle to try in another two weeks.

In the meantime, in a week, I will try the bottled nitro version.

 

[YeastFace]

Do you use a carbonation stone in your nitrogen setup?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Do you use a carbonation stone in your nitrogen setup?

No it just goes in the gas post.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Further to post #118 I tried the 2 nitrogenated beers tonight. As a reminder this concerns my bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout that was kegged and “carbonated” with 30/70 mixed gas. I wanted to know how this beer would turn out when bottled.

I bottled two bottles; one was straight from the tap, the other had 1g of sugar added to referment in the bottle adding a little carbonation. Three weeks later these are the two beers…

You’ll see the glass on the right has a bigger head and as you’d expect this is the beer that was bottled with a gram of sugar. In terms of appearance this is the only difference. The head on that beer also outlasted the pure nitro beer.

The aroma is quite different. The nitro beer is malty with a little coffee and chocolate, and just a hint of alcohol. The refermented beer smells quite fruity and the alcohol is quite a lot stronger on the nose.

The flavour reflects the differences above. The nitro beer is very soft and smooth in the mouth with little fruit and low alcohol. The refermented beer is more fruity and the alcohol is quite heady. Remarkably these are very different beers thanks to 1g of sugar.

Which is better? Hard to say for sure because this may be a question of preference. I changed my mind more than once while tasting but on balance the one that’s more drinkable is the nitro beer. My wife also prefers the nitro beer because of the aroma being less “spirity”.

So I think the learning for me from this trivial exercise is that you can bottle a nitro beer and for best results don’t add any priming sugar.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Tonight we’re having that last bottle of the bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout and comparing it with the kegged version on nitro. We are just over 8 weeks since the beer was bottled/kegged. The beer on the left is the kegged version, the head on the bottled version dispersed quite quickly.

It’s fair to say is that both are beautiful and the level of bourbon, which I previously feared might be too dominant, has mellowed to become just right. The oakiness, which from American oak adds a vanilla component, is quite subtle and I think I would suggest leaving the base beer in the barrel for another month if you follow this recipe/approach.

The carbonation is still more zingy in the bottled version and is notably more fruity than the kegged version. Again, the nitro version is smooth and more malty. My wife and I prefer the nitro version on balance but both are very good.

I guess that’s the end of this particular odyssey. See you on the next adventure!

 

[Agentgonzo]

I guess that’s the end of this particular odyssey. See you on the next adventure!

It's been fascinating to watch. Thank you, and I look forward to the next adventure

 

[starseeker]

I have really enjoyed this little adventure ,thank you very much Hazelwood brewery

 

[SMP Brewery]

The best bit for me was your wife buying a 200ltr barrel

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

The best bit for me was your wife buying a 200ltr barrel

Yeah, I wish I’d filled that now!

 

[lindormonster]

I drew another sample of mine a couple of days ago as its been in the barrel for somewhere over 3 months now

The taste has changed ALOT since I checked it last time and the Bourbon is coming through a lot better now - The taste before it was barely noticeable

Heavy vanilla and a nice woody oak on the after taste - A massive difference and improvement on the last taste

it also smells superb now

I would guess its going to be at least another 6 weeks before I get it out and bottle it as I want to stick a barley wine in there when I empty it but have something else to brew before I get a chance to do that

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I said I would enter this beer in a competition and it went into the UK National Homebrew Competition. The beer didn’t get placed in the face of tough competition but did get a good score of 41/50. Feedback sheets from the two judges are linked below:

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/bourbon-imperial-feedback-1.966/
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/bourbon-imperial-feedback-2.967/

 

[YeastFace]

Appreciate they had a lot to get through, and maybe it's the use of fast sheets, but I think I'd be a bit píssed with the lack of feedback in the second sheet.

 

[Braumeister]

Appreciate they had a lot to get through, and maybe it's the use of fast sheets, but I thinm I'd be a bit píssed with the lack of feedback in the second sheet.

Yes I agree, it’s better to have some comments. Both of mine had a decent amount, probably similar to a normal scoring sheet so I was happy with mine.

 

[Braumeister]

I said I would enter this beer in a competition and it went into the UK National Homebrew Competition. The beer didn’t get placed in the face of tough competition but did get a good score of 41/50. Feedback sheets from the two judges are linked below:

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/bourbon-imperial-feedback-1.966/
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/bourbon-imperial-feedback-2.967/

Fantastic score really, I’d find it hard to improve much from that.

 

[phildo79]

I said I would enter this beer in a competition and it went into the UK National Homebrew Competition. The beer didn’t get placed in the face of tough competition but did get a good score of 41/50. Feedback sheets from the two judges are linked below:

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/bourbon-imperial-feedback-1.966/
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/media/bourbon-imperial-feedback-2.967/

So did you send in one nitro and one normal? Good score. Got to be happy with anything over 40.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Appreciate they had a lot to get through, and maybe it's the use of fast sheets, but I thinm I'd be a bit píssed with the lack of feedback in the second sheet.

Yeah it’s a bit sad there are no additional comments, you have to read between the lines on that one. The other chap gave done nice additional feedback commenting that nitro was a good idea and that a little more chocolate or coffee would maybe score me another point or two. Much more usable feedback.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Fantastic score really, I’d find it hard to improve much from that.

Thank you! I could try adding a little more chocolate and maybe add some flavour hops (I only used bittering). It is a case of diminishing returns though so I’m not sure how much better I can make it, at some point it’s down to the judges on the day. I’ve had very different feedback from different judges for the same beer, I imagine we’ve all had that experience.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

So did you send in one nitro and one normal? Good score. Got to be happy with anything over 40.

No, just nitro. Yes, the score is good and that’s what I’d say to anyone else getting a score of 41 but you’ll probably know yourself a win (or at least a placing) is what I hoped for so I am a bit disappointed.

 

[phildo79]

True enough. Especially after the effort you put in. I have a big B.A. stout in the pipeline and if it turns out well, I'll be entering it into a comp. Even though it will hurt to part with 1.5L