Innis & Gunn Irish Whiskey Cask Oak Aged Scottish Stout

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:55 pm

This hits all the right bases for me, it's a historical strength for stout (7.4% ABV), aged in oak (2 months in ex-whiskey casks), has good roasty malt character, and some evident hops: everything needed really to replicate a 1700's stout, which I doubt the producer intended, but there you go! Excellent flavors which are not IMO quite like a craft stout, the palate is more restrained than that. I would think this may result from the beer being pasteurised at some point, probably before casking, but I don't know. Anyway it's an excellent, traditional-tasting porter and if a session porter can exist at 7.4% and you limit it to two beers, this is it!

Gary

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 2:40 pm

I had this a week or so ago and was very disappointed. Found it thin and watery and also found that the base beer contributed little to the flavour profile despite a decent ABV.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 3:58 pm

It's interesting to ponder whether porter stored in an ex-whiskey cask - 300 casks were used to make up this batch - would reflect the wood and oxidative character of the huge porter vats used from the mid-1700's until about 1850. I would think the oak and oxidation effect would be lesser in the largest vats, in that the ratio of beer to oak would be less than in a small cask.

Certainly the I&G stout shows some quite significant vanilla and "maturation" notes that you find, not just in their other beers, but in any modern barrel-aged beer. It doesn't matter whether a whiskey cask is used or not, obviously the spirit lingering in the wood frame will affect the taste somewhat but in my experience, the wood flavour from the barrel and oxidative effect time produces do far more. I remember at a local festival tasting a local porter aged in a Jack Daniels barrel and the effects were very similar to what I notice in this I&G.

I think I might prefer a touch less wood and wood-aging taste than I get in these beers matured in a typical whiskey cask. Blending a porter not aged in wood with one that is, but which otherwise share similar in characteristics, might be a way to move in that direction. (I mean, this can be tried at home).

The taste of the I&G stout is definitely on the light side in relation to many craft porters but I think they've struck a balance that will please many.

Gary

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:45 pm

Some past Innis & Gunn oaked beers have made people (I think) justifiably cautious. But I liked the last one (was it Canada Day?) so I think I will try this one - maybe grab a Black Creek Porter with it...

Gary has a lot of patience with re-creating the 'kinks' of historic styles using blends and his notes are interesting.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:53 pm

I think the I&G beers are getting better, the Canada Day one was very nice and I liked the one aged in a rum cask too.

I had what I think was the regular one on draft at beer bistro the other day and it was excellent, with more nuance and style than I remembered from the bottled. It's fun to do the blending thing, I know it's of limited or no interest to some, and that's fine of course, but I appreciate any interest shown in what I'm up to. In fact I blended in about 20% of the Stout to a Russian Gun mainly to get in some, but not too much, of that oak flavour and maturation. I corked it tight and will try it in a week or so..

Gary

Guybrush · Post by **Guybrush** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 9:38 am

Gary,

So you blended 20% Innis & Gunn, with 80% Russian Gun? That's a Gunn & Gun. You've invented a "Double Gun(n)"!

And, to take it one step further....

Grand River should age their Russian Gun in one type of wooden-barrel, and blend it with Innis & Gunn beer, which is aged in a different type of wooden-barrel. They should package this blended beer in little sampler's the size of a one-ounce shot..... then you'd have..... [drum roll]

"Double Barreled Shot Gun(n)s"! Copyright to infinity, Registered Trademark, etc.

ba-dump-bump *chh*

I'm here all night folks; try the fish....

matt7215 · Post by **matt7215** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 12:15 pm

330ml bottle from the LCBO. deep brown with a tan head that laces. nice roasty nose with some barrel. light bodied with the stout not holding up to the barrel treatment. pretty well rounded but not overly drinkable. fine.

not even close to worth $5/bottle

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 3:22 pm

matt7215 wrote:not even close to worth $5/bottle

We seem to be on the same wavelength lately.

JeffPorter · Post by **JeffPorter** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:27 pm

I would have passed by this without giving it a second thought, but noticed "Scottish stout" on the box, so was intrigued.

It's definitely better than other I and G beers I've had, but Matt's review sums it up nicely. For 7.4%, and for a beer with that much barrel treatment on it, it's way too light. I find it difficult to pick up any roasty maltiness. Nice "Irish Whiskey" aroma though.

studious · Post by **studious** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:36 pm

Guybrush wrote:Gary,

So you blended 20% Innis & Gunn, with 80% Russian Gun? That's a Gunn & Gun. You've invented a "Double Gun(n)"!

And, to take it one step further....

Grand River should age their Russian Gun in one type of wooden-barrel, and blend it with Innis & Gunn beer, which is aged in a different type of wooden-barrel. They should package this blended beer in little sampler's the size of a one-ounce shot..... then you'd have..... [drum roll]

"Double Barreled Shot Gun(n)s"! Copyright to infinity, Registered Trademark, etc.

ba-dump-bump *chh*

I'm here all night folks; try the fish....

double

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Fri May 04, 2012 4:31 pm

Now I've tried another mingling, the I&G with Fuller's Double Stout (the 1890's recreation released here some months ago). 3:2 respectively.

The Fuller's fills out the body of the other. The I&G gives some oaky maturity to the Fuller's, however the oak effect is more moderate than in the I&G stout itself, a plus IMO.

An awesome "three threads".

Gary