Despite similar-sounding names, Breckenridge Distillery and Breckenridge Brewery are two distinct enterprises. Based only a couple of miles apart in the ski-resort town of Breckenridge, Colo., the pairing seems like an obvious opportunity for collaboration.
The idea, of course, is that the stout will have traces of whiskey flavor and the whiskey will have traces of stout flavor.
For the uninitiated, “imperial stout” is stout beer with a double dose of grain and hops – and an abnormally high alcohol content. The Buddy Pass Imperial Oatmeal Stout weighs in at an impressive 11% alcohol by volume. A friend who writes about beer for The Oregonian and Oregonlive.com dropped by my house to help me decide if it’s as good as it is strong.
We decided the stout is “big and chunky,” which I definitely like. I don’t drink a lot of beer, but when I do I want it to have a forceful personality. Buddy Pass easily clears that bar. The downside of the powerhouse flavor is that it was hard to detect any whiskey/barrel influence.
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My beer-writer friend’s assessment: “That’s a decent imperial stout. Not off-the-charts spectacular, but solid and good.” He couldn’t discern the whiskey influence, either.
The more interesting question for readers of this website, of course, is whether the whiskey picked up any elements from the beer.
Tasting Notes: Breckenridge Buddy Pass: Imperial Stout Cask Finish Whiskey
Vital stats: Mash bill undisclosed; Breckenridge Bourbon finished an extra 13 months in Breckenridge Imperial Oatmeal Stout barrels; 114.7 proof/57.35% alcohol by volume; Batch no. 2 reviewed here; around $55 for a 750 ml bottle.
Appearance: The color of a penny. Leaves a watery line on the side of the glass.
Nose: Root beer, cream soda, honeysuckle, and milk chocolate. A little sweet and a little spicy.
Palate: Has a definite bourbon sweetness, edging toward brown sugar. There’s a thick, velvety mouthfeel, too. But there’s something tart underneath the bourbon sensibilities; unripe watermelon comes to mind. The finish is a little abrupt and metallic for my taste.
