Best Barrel-Aged Stouts for $10 or less
You’re drinking barrel-aged stouts…in this economy?! Why yes good sir, and you can too! Tisthe season for big bold beers and it’s hard to top the experience of sipping on a stout that has been given a long nap in whiskey barrels. Besides their higher alcohol content, these beers offer complexity, intrigue, decadence and warmth. Many of them also cost a pretty penny and stocking your cellar or even grabbing something for a bottle share can set you back. In some cases (looking at you Great Notion), barrel-aged offerings are creeping into the $30-50 range for a 500ml. Sure, one can always make the argument that wine can be incredibly expensive, and in comparison to that, even the spendiest beers are something of a deal. Regardless, if you are a regular beer drinker who appreciates all stouts, there is a limit to what feels reasonable versus the occasional splurge. Luckily, you can satiate your urge for these barrel-aged beauties without breaking the bank. Here is a round-up of ten barrel-aged stouts to be scored for under $10.
Note: many of these beers are available in six packs that often cost less than a 22oz barrel-aged stout from a hyped-up brewery. Both have their place. In this case, most of the beers featured here are readily available, an excellent value whether you are buying a single, four- or six-pack, and you also don’t need to commit to drinking as much high-octane liquid if you are just enjoying one. Beers are listed from cheapest to most expensive.
($5 per 12oz bottle, $20 4-pack)
In recent years, Deschutes has made their legendary barrel-aged Abyss available in 12 ounce bottles. While the entire Reserve Series is impressive, this extremely affordable offering is one of the OGs of barrel-aged stouts and still holds its own. Flavors of cocoa, licorice and molasses all shine through in a beer that is surprisingly light in body despite its boldness. This is definitely one of those beers that is perfect if you are introducing someone to barrel-aged stouts for the first time. Do yourself a favor and spring for the coconut variant if you can find it for a real treat.
Lagunitas Willettized
($3-5 per 12oz bottle)
For my money, this annual offering from Lagunitas is one of the best barrel-aged stouts on the market and its annual release is one that I look forward to perhaps more than any other. Aged gracefully in rye and bourbon barrels from the legendary Willett distillery, this monster coffee stout carries the perfect harmony of spice, bitterness, sweet, smokiness, and a welcome boozy burn. This year’s edition was made with Metropolis Coffee Co’s Spice Island Blend, which never overpowers all of the attributes that make this such a well-rounded beast of a beer. The silky mouthfeel and long finished bursting with chocolate, rye spice, and bourbon will have you swooning. Even with its whopping 13.1% ABV, this beer is sinfully drinkable and a true pillar of the style that is one of the few aged stouts that leaves you wanting more. Lucky for you, at $3.50 a bottle this might be the best barrel-aged bargain on the market. The boss move is grabbing a six-pack and stashing a few of these in your cellar to see how they age.
Oskar Blues Barrel-aged Ten Fidy
($4-6 per 12oz can)
Ten Fidy, Oskar Blues’ imperial stout, is a fine beer in its own right. But bourbon makes everything better, right? The barrel-aged version punches up the ABV from 10.5% to 12.5%, and while that signature caramel and chocolate malt flavor stays fully in-tact, the bourbon barrel version amplifies all of the flavors while adding layers of complexity to this beer. You might as well try and score both so you can put this to the test with a side-by-side comparison.
Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout
($4-6 per 12oz can)
Is there such a thing as a crushable BBA? Probably not, but Anderson Valley comes damn close with this staple that clocks in at just under 7% ABV. usually aged for 3-6 months, you get an essence of the barrel but it’s still on the lighter side as far as body goes. You still get that oaky, vanilla flavor to work in harmony with the roasted and chocolate malts. Those this beer might lack the wow factor of more robust offerings and doesn’t carry any of that syrupy thickness that can make this style so appealing, its approachability makes it a proper introduction beer for the barrel-aged-curious.
Epic Big Bad Baptist
($5-6 per 12oz can)
Sure, the seemingly endless array of Baptist variants can be hard to resist, but at the end of the day it’s hard to top the classic. Coming in at around $6 per 12oz. can, this pioneering stout is the kind of straightforward, no bullshit beer that will bring a smile to your face in its simplicity. Yes, there are adjuncts, but they function more as a compliment than a star. Coffee and cocoa nibs work harmoniously with the big chocolate malt profile and the enticing pull of the whiskey barrels. If ever there was a starting point for diving into whiskey barrel-aged stouts, Epic’s Big Bad Baptist is a worthy contender.
pFriem Family Brewers Bourbon Barrel-aged Stout
($10 per 375ml bottle)
Hood River, Oregon’s pFriem is widely known and loved for their lagers and IPAs, but their barrel program is impressive in both scale, quality and value. Case in point is the regular barrel-aged stout. Though I can’t speak highly enough of their wild ales, Belgian-inspired offerings, and fruited beers, the best entry point is their basic stout that is far from basic. Rich layers of chocolate, caramel, coffee, vanilla and even berries shine through in a beer that is remarkably complex without any other adjunct than lactose, which gives it a creamy mouthfeel that complements all of the elements and manages to smooth out the bourbon flavors in a food way.
Sierra Nevada Barrel-aged Narwhal
($5-7 per 16oz can)
If you want a break from glugging Sierra Nevada’s other annual offering Celebration, you can never go wrong with Narwhal. Like several other beers on this list, this is the BBA version of the legendary brewery’s imperial stout. Once upon a time, this beer was harder to get and only available in 22oz bombers. These days, it comes in a pint can and is certainly easier to track down than the creature it gets its name from. While most casual beer drinkers probably think of hoppier offerings when it comes to Sierra Nevada, the California brewery has always nailed many styles. Case in point is BBA Narwhal, which spends about a year in barrels and is likely one of the best examples of the style you will find for the price.
Founders KBS
($5-8 per 12oz bottle, also available in 22oz)
Ah yes, the one that started it all. Remember the days when people went to the ends of the earth to try and locate a bottle or even a pour of this precious nectar? Well, a lot has changed since then and one of the OG “breakfast stouts” has become a reliable shelfie that pops up everywhere from grocery stores to gas stations. Accessibility has not led to a compromise in quality, though there are undoubtedly beer nerds who will argue otherwise. With a price point $5, KBS is reliably enjoyable if for nothing else than tasting this classic, game-changing beer at least once. After all, the combination of maple and coffee is still used by just about every hypebeast brewery today and is rarely as balanced as you will find it in this beer. If you want to tack on a little luxury, treat yourself to the Mackinac fudge variant ($7-9 per 12oz bottle).
Culmination Multnomah County Stout
($7-9 per 12oz can)
Just like the pioneering beer where it takes its name, this is a boozy stout that has taken a deep rest in a combination of Westward whiskey and Aimsir Distilling bourbon barrels. The wizards at Culmination have given us a beer that hits right out of the gate with a wallop of chocolate and vanilla, the latter of which comes from the generous bourbon notes. There’s a lingering sweetness that lends itself to the soft creamy mouthfeel and acts as a welcome counterpoint to the burn of this potent beer. There aren’t a ton of locally made barrel-aged stouts at this price point either, and this beer is exceptional and therefore well worth seeking out.
Migration Westward Frankie
($8-10 per 500ml bottle)
Lighter in body than your average barrel-aged stout, Migration put their imperial stout Frankie into Westward single-malt barrels to give it a healthy dose of peated whiskey backbone. The cocoa powder and cacao nibs add a lovely note of chocolate that never overpowers notes of brown sugar, dried fruit and a touch of vanilla. Clocking in at 9% ABV, this beer is remarkably smooth and is a welcome departure from the bourbon barrel.
AleSmith Barrel-Aged Vietnamese Coffee Speedway Stout
($8-10 per 12oz bottle)
The original speedway stout is the godfather of American imperial stouts that still stands as one of the biggest, boldest and richest stouts on the shelf. The barrel-aged version kicks things up considerably with a creamy complexity. You get hit with waves of chocolate and coffee that perfectly complement the oak and vanilla notes of the barrel. All of this is balanced with the right amount of bitterness that never comes across as sweet or milky, which one might expect when hearing Vietnamese coffee. At under $8 a bottle and over 14%, this is one of the best bangs for your buck. This is a decadent beer that is a worthy contender against the hypiest players on the market.
Level Beer Fatality Barrel-aged Imperial Stout
($8-10 per 16oz can)
While this beer may not be as easy to find as others on this list, it is worth hunting down. There is a pleasant marshmallow sweetness that cuts through the roastiness of the malts, both of which complement the whiskey. If you are in the Portland metro area and make it to one of Level’s tap rooms, you will notice the array of styles they offer. Luckily, they nail most of them, including this delightful 11.5% ABV sipper.
($6-$9 per 22oz bottle)
Okay, so maybe this one doesn’t fall entirely into the category of barrel-aged stout but it offers enough to make it a worthy contender for this list. Retailing for $6-9 for a 22 ounce bomber means it may be just about the best value on this list too. As the name suggests, this beer is on the lighter side as far as big barrel-aged stouts go with that ‘Black’ component being contrasted with golden beer and some Bourbon barrel-aged Scottish ale. The resulting beer, which clocks in at a more approachable 8.4% ABV, carries tasting notes of caramel, hazelnuts, peat and roasted malt. Breakside has continued to expand and innovate with their barrel program in the last few years, and Black & Tan is a fun way to dive in for the barrel-curious.
