Beer Review: Barrel Aged Fantastic Voyage

Reviewing the Barrel Aged Fantastic Voyage from Perennial Artisan Ales out of St. Louis, Missouri. This bourbon barrel aged coconut milk stout is a blend of Knob Creek 9 year and Blanton's barrels, using the first (i.e., the uninfected) commercial batch of Fantastic Voyage as the base beer.

Score: 94

January 2014 vintage bottle served in a Mikkeller tulip taster and enjoyed on 05/10/14. Thank you Jim for the chance to sample this one.

Appearance: Pours an inky black color with a thin layer of tan head that settles to a ring around the glass. Good lacing and retention. 4.5/5

Smell: Coconut milk, chocolate and light vanilla. Primarily coconut, and amply so, but not quite the utter smack-you-across-the-face-with-coconut coconut bomb that the good bottles of Proprietor's Bourbon County Brand Stout were. Not super complex, but well integrated and appetizing. 4.5/5

Taste: Creamy coconut/coconut milk and milk chocolate, with a splash of whiskey flavor to the finish. Nice lasting flavors. The barrel is very subtle here, adding a nice complexity rather than taking the center stage. Not complex, but again, well done and tasty. Very similar to the nose, but with more barrel character apparent. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-ish bodied. A bit over carbonated straight out of the bottle, but that breathes out with some patience and swirling. Creamy mouthfeel. Good balance. 4/5

Overall: Another delicious barrel aged stout release from Perennial, albeit without as much fanfare as the other. Fantastic Voyage (when not infected) is just good as Sump and 17. Seek this one out with confidence. It's pretty good and you will not be disappointed (unless you are expecting a Proprietor's clone).

Cost: $25 for a 750 ml bottle.