Beer Review: Remy's Pappy

Reviewing the Remy's Pappy from TAPS Fish House & Brewery out of Corona, California. This beer is their award-winning Imperial Russian Stout aged in 23 year old Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels.

Score: 97

2013 vintage bottle served in a snifter glass and enjoyed on 04/21/14. Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Pours an inky black color with a thin layer of khaki head that settles to a ring around the glass. No lacing or retention. Good oily legs. 4/5

Smell: Bourbony chocolate and milk chocolate. Vanilla, coconut, graham crackers, and molasses. Bold bourbon notes present, but not in a boozy/fusel way. Ample dark fruit too. Light caramel and toffee notes. What an appetizing aroma! Bold and well-integrated. 5/5

Taste: Big vanilla-forward bourbon flavor and milk chocolate, with a bold and lasting bourbony finish. Lovely coconut and graham cracker flavor towards back half. Dark fruit comes out in the finish more and more as the brew warms up and breathes. Really, it tastes an awful lot like it smells. Not boozy or fusel at all. The flavors meld nicely! I love how much milk chocolate comes across despite the bourbon-forward characteristics. 5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel, just a touch dry on the finish. 4.25/5

Overall: My only knock on this beer is that the mouthfeel was lacking relative to its big bold nose and flavor, but it was not a "thin" beer by any means. The bold coconut/vanilla/graham cracker flavors are magnificent. I think I slightly prefer to Trace of Remy due to the relatively better mouthfeel, but both are excellent twists on the normally Heaven Hills-aged Remy (a delicious brew in all its own right). The guys at TAPS really know how to get the most out of a bourbon barrel! Seek this one out with confidence.

Cost: $35 for a 750 ml beer.