As I mentioned in my last post, my mom unexpectedly passed away on March 18. As you can imagine, it has been a tremendously difficult time. We’ve not only been dealing with her death, but all of the other things you don’t think about until something like this happens. My wonderful wife went out to do some shopping and came back with this beer for me. She figured I needed something big to relax and help deal with everything that was going on.
Numbers: 10.5% ABV, 50 IBUs, 23 OG, 40 SRM, Malt: 2-row malted barley, Cara Vienne 8, roasted barley, black malt, chocolate malt, caramel malt, flaked oats, biscuit malt, Hops: Marynka (PL), Northdown (UK), Yeast: American Ale
Appearance & Aroma: The color was very dark black, and some very, very dark ruby colors could be seen when held up to the light. Despite the fact that this glass has an etched bottom (to release carbonation in the beer), there was almost no head – only a very thin layer of creamy, tan foam. The aroma was very strong, with a smokey, burnt wood and bourbon smell that were very obvious.
Taste & Feel: It is fairly full bodied, with a smooth mouthfeel (due to the lack of carbonation). There is a slight bit of a raisin and chocolate flavor up front before a very strong, definite boozy, burnt wood, and roasty bourbon flavor kicks in and carries through the finish. In the aftertaste, the burnt roastiness of the barrel comes through a little bit more.
Food Pairing: This is the type of beer that should probably be enjoyed all on its own. It’s big and flavorful and would make an excellent after dinner drink. If you must pair it with a food, it would probably go best with some chocolate cake, which would pull out the chocolate and raisin flavors and complement the bourbon and burnt wood flavors.
Overall Impression: I was a bit hesitant to open this, since it should have probably been aged for a couple years. I enjoy the bourbon and burnt wood flavors, but these flavors were still very strong in this beer. I’m sure it would be better in a couple years, and it makes me eager to try the 2008 I have in the basement to see how it has aged. Overall, I thought it was a good, solid, complex beer, but the bourbon barrel flavors dominated a bit too much.
My Rating: 
Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]
