Immersion Brewing Co. released two specialty barrel-aged beers this month, both imperial-strength blended stouts aged in bourbon barrels. Since it’s the tail end of Stout Month, I couldn’t resist the lure of highlighting two more stouts to finish the month with a flourish.

Immersion is perhaps best known for its IPAs and growing lineup of lagers, but don’t overlook other styles; last year the brewery won its first medal at the Great American Beer Festival for a fruited sour ale. The two latest releases, Meraki and Onism, are available on draft and in cans as part of Immersion’s Barrel-Aged Series. I acquired a can of each to drink and review.

Imperial collaboration

Meraki is a blend of imperial stout and barleywine that was aged for 16 months in bourbon barrels from both Buffalo Trace and Willett.

The beer is a collaboration with Beer Zombies Brewing Co., a Las Vegas-based craft brewery that has several locations across Nevada and Utah.

It’s not the first collaboration between the two breweries; in 2022 and 2023 they released Dawn of the Shred Imperial Hazy IPA and Night of the Living Shred IPA, respectively. Meraki is the first barrel-aged brew to come out of the partnership. It’s 11.5% alcohol by volume with 50 IBUs.

The barleywine tempers the color of the stout, pouring a dark brown instead of black in the glass. It has a relatively thick appearance as it pours, and a fizzy light brown head of foam that sizzles and breaks almost immediately.

There are bourbon aroma notes right up front, with oak, vanilla, some oaky tannins, a light alcohol heat that has a bit of a bite reminiscent of the bourbon, and dark fruits mingling in the nose. As it warms I get light char, chocolate and a bit of cherry cordial to round it out.

The flavor is sweet and pungent with boozy notes, a touch of heat and a rich maltiness that tastes more “barleywine” than “stout” to me (no real roasty character).

There’s toffee, burnt sugar syrup, raisin sauce, and spicy bourbon playing on the tongue, and it has a bright note to it with a prickly fruitiness from the alcohol.

It’s smooth but boozy into the finish, with a big bourbon character from the barrels.

Bourbon and vanilla

Onism is an imperial stout blend that was aged in Buffalo Trace barrels with Tahitian vanilla beans for 18 months.

It’s a bit stronger than Meraki, with 12% ABV. It also has 50 IBUs.

It pours a black color like intensely dark coffee, with some noticeable viscosity. There’s more of a head than Meraki, light brown, though it collapses into a lacy ring around the inside of the glass.

The aroma is full of chocolate punctuated by bourbon, something like a dark chocolate ganache with a chocolate bourbon liqueur drizzled in. There’s baking chocolate, vanilla, and a bit of a crème brûlée character for a rich, dessert-like bouquet.

There’s a nice balance between roasty and sweet in the flavor, with a bourbon vanilla sweetness and a bit of chocolate caramel syrup. It’s boozy and rich, with dark coffee, burnt brown sugar, and a touch of oak.

I get plenty of vanilla and bourbon going into the full-bodied finish, and there’s a lingering booziness and roasted flavor on the palate. These are both big, rich and boozy beers, and the 16-ounce can size makes them ideal to share. Don’t pass up the opportunity to try these specialty brews either on draft at Immersion or in cans at home.