Beer Review: Devil Over A Barrel

Reviewing the Devil Over A Barrel from Tyranena Brewing Company out of Lake Mills, Wisconsin. This beer is an imperial oatmeal porter brewed with coffee, 60% of which is barrel aged and then blended.

Score: 93

2014 vintage screw cap bottle served in a Schramm's Mead snifter and enjoyed on 05/07/14. Thank you Eric for the hookup!

Appearance: Pours a black coffee color with a thin layer of tan head that quickly settles to a ring around the glass. Good lacing and retention. 4/5

Smell: Big roastiness, plus coffee and chocolate and a light amount of vanilla. The nose is more defined by a roastiness than a coffee character. 4.5/5

Taste: Roasted coffee, followed by a bourbon flavored finish that is flavorful, but not intense. No booziness here. Has a lovely residual chocolate flavor with a kiss of brown sugar. Good balance between the coffee bitterness and bourbon flavored sweetness. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: I get that this is a porter, but the body is still pretty thin relative to the robust flavor profile present here. This bottle was a touch overcarbonated, but that was easily solved by some swirling and patience. Watery mouthfeel, with a bitter leaning balance. Again, I get that this is a porter, but a more viscous body would have done this beer wonders. 3/5

Overall: Although not 100% barrel aged, this beer tastes a lot like how KBS used to taste several years back -- albeit with a touch less bourbon character and a substantially thinner body. The coffee and bourbon characters are nicely present on the taste -- the barrel does not outshine the chocolate, the coffee does not overpower the bourbon, and everything mixes together in a nice harmony that has a lovely kiss of vanilla underlying it. The mouthfeel is sadly watery, though, and this somewhat undermines an otherwise delicious brew. Seek this one out fresh, while the coffee character is still robustly present!

Cost: $10 for a four pack of 12 oz bottles.