Marrying Beer With Kentucky Bourbon | Thornbridge Eldon Review
During my teenage years, I learned many valuable lessons about life - most of them the hard way. One thing that became obvious pretty early was that I should never mix hard liquors with beer regardless of how good the mixture could taste. Despite my previous experiences with blending alcohol, my eyes lit up with excitement when I saw Thornbridge's bourbon imperial stout in the beer shop the other day. "Adding a tiny bit of Kentucky bourbon to a stout would only improve the taste, right?" I asked myself. Rhetorically.
My ritual before drinking beer
Color and Aroma
Eldon pours tar black with a medium-sized, creamy beige head. Mmm! It has a sweet smell of roasted malt with slight hints of caramel and dark chocolate. Nice aroma, albeit nothing that I haven't smelled before.
Taste
Here's where things get more interesting - Eldon starts off vanilla sweet (moderately so), which then gives place to the Kentucky bourbon. Wow! Although I knew that whiskey and stout would go well together, I never considered that this combo would taste so damn good! The aftertaste is slightly bitter with pronounced notes of bourbon, roasted malt, and vanilla. The carbonation is on the weaker side, but I don't mind it. Overall, the taste is dope!
Verdict
Thornbridge Eldon earns my highest recommendation because every single sip of it was a pleasure! If you are someone like me who likes both beer and whiskey, you will most likely love it. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Cheers and have a delightful weekend!
Dan
Your beerytales are intriguing! Almost intriguing enough to make me want to go out and get a beer. And then I remember that I don't like beer 😄
The bourbon part is irresistible to me. I am currently obsessed with bourbon barrel aged maple syrup glazed walnuts.
Haha, maybe you'll like that one? Craft brews normally don't taste like those beers that you can find in the supermarket :)
The walnuts look irresistible! Do you think it'll work if regular maple syrup is mixed with bourbon?
And what do you take me for, a philistine?!? Supermarket beer...as if! 😂😂😂
The only beers I've ever liked at all are porters and stouts. For drinking anyhow. I do however love cooking with with beer!
Haha, there's nothing wrong with beer from the supermarket; as a matter of fact, you can often find me standing in front of the beer shelf in my local supermarket 😂 As for cooking, beer and wine are both great. I still remember how yummy my last lemon-sauvignon blanc risotto was...
I might try the walnut-bourbon thing for X-mas :)
I thought that was you! 😉
Wanna really pump it up a notch or two? Make the walnuts and then bake them into stuff. Holy craptastic waist expander, batman!
Waist expander, lol 😂
I bet it would! My suggestion is to roast it all in a heavy skillet or pan over a low-ish heat, stirring constantly until properly reduced.
The first photo finally convinced me of you being a beer master. Haha! While I imagine myself drinking beer before doing Yoga bc of that pose. Balance, what? :D
Another added one of my list eh? Bcoz beer and whiskey!!!
Did you have the chance to try any of the beers that are on your to-drink list? :)
Your photography is stellar as usual...(not as in Stella Artois). I like your mindfulness exercise prior to your beer tasting. Very Zen.
Glad you enjoyed this one - it soundstasty. But no, I'll pass. My pumpkin beer try sort of was it for a while :)
Thanks a lot, Deb! The mindfulness exercise is something I really should start doing because it boosts creativity (and helps with other things too).
You know, I was kind of surprised to read that you had a pumpkin beer :) Did it have a bitter aftertaste?
Yes, the pumpkin beer had a very bitter after taste, Although there were notes of what I thought were bitter chocolate and nutmeg. Meh.
My son is a very persuasive young man. I always try what he offers....even sushi w raw salmon.
Mindfulness exercises are really just breathing exercises while you notice all the thoughts that speed through your brain - it's a great way to quiet yourself and focus on one thing at a time. Go to Headspace.com. I'm pretty sure you can try there app for free - I subscribed for a year and found it very helpful. They don't bug you with a ton of emails and junk mail either. You can listen to the guy on youtube first. Hey, maybe I should do a post about this. I think I will. :) (Type in Headspace youtube on google and you can choose which video to watch).
I just downloaded the app and listened to the first couple of lessons, and although I "know" how to meditate, it's good to have a guided sessions. Besides, the voice of this guy is super relaxing :) I am going to try meditating on a daily basis for the next month or so - let's see if I can make it part of my routine.
You should definitely do a post about it.
Oh good!! I'm so glad you like him. I find his voice relaxing too. And the guided meditation helps keep my thoughts in check.
Thanks for letting me know!
Ahah, so funny! The best zen attitude so far!
Haha 😅 Beer and zen go hand in hand!
True. I get more zen as soon as I drink a beer! And if I drink more than one, then....
Then you either become sleepy or hyperactive? :)
Neither one... I enter the Nirvana. I'm zen by nature and then I get even more accepting and conciliating and... silent, ehehe. I'm a good listener.
That's such a good quality to have :)
I guess it is :)))).
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