Portland. The place where young people go to retire. It also has the most breweries of any city in Oregon — Beer Connoisseur’s #2 Best Beer State in the US.

To learn how Gigantic — one of Eater’s Essential Portland Breweries — stands out in this beer mecca, just step into their low-key taproom and witness the ease with which patrons down their double-digit ABV barrel-aged beers.  

Normally, super boozy brews take all evening to get through, but the multi-GABF Gold medalists at Gigantic craft theirs to be so silky smooth you can practically crush them. 

If you’d like a taste for yourself, you’re in luck! Today, we have less than 500 bottles of Gigantic’s ultra-limited Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Most Most Premium Stout. 

Aged 24 months in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels previously filled with real maple syrup, it pours pitch black. Roasty, rich malts lurk in its depths, creating waves of bitter chocolate aromas. Then there’s even more dark chocolate complemented by charred caramel, toasted coconut, and the slightest hint of blackberry jam. Vanilla and oak come around at the finish, bringing us back to the bourbon that makes this brew so boozy and delicious — yet ridiculously drinkable. 

Be careful with this bodacious brew; its 12% ABV will sneak up on you. Finish a couple of bottles, and moving to Portland for an early retirement will start to sound very tempting.

Tavour strictly supports independent beer. Gigantic Brewing Company is certified independent by the Brewers Association