Year of New Beer: Rum Barrel Experimental Stout #291, Country Boy Brewing (Lexington)

Written By: Dion on 11/28/2014

As the line was building outside the brewery for the Double Barrel Shotgun Wedding bottle release, I was lucky enough to find myself inside the warm taproom, sampling this gem. Initially used in an IPA, the #291 hop soon found its way into a stout, which, in my opinion, was a better beer. Now this stout has been aged in rum barrels and the results are quite good. Sweet and spicy rum hits the nose as secondary notes of chocolate, coffee bean and oak linger behind. On the tongue, the rum is noticeable, but doesn't dominate, giving just enough spice to add another dimension to the roasted malts and earthy hop bitterness. A fairly light bodied stout overall, but still full of flavor, this is one I hope the Boys brew again.