I received this beer from the brewery last year and saw that it had a “flavor bomb” on the inside. Therefore, I decided to wait a while and let the flavor soak into it a little bit – especially since it was a bourbon barrel flavor. I finally opened it tonight after watching the local team (Illinois State University) lose in the national championship today. I’m working on work stuff tonight but thought I’d quit and have a beer to chill out a bit.
It took quite a bit or work to get the wax covered cap off, but when I did, there almost no hiss of carbonation.
Location: Poured into a snifter style pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 5.6% ABV, 20 IBUs, ~170 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s a brownish, dark brick red color, and pretty clear. There’s no head, and barely any bubbles on top. There’s a light caramel malty aroma with some light bourbon barrel smells.
Taste & Feel: The body is light medium and the mouthfeel – despite the lack of any head- was a bit crisp. Through the crispness, there was a caramel maltiness up front. In the middle the caramel gets a bit richer, and it finishes with a lightly sweet maltiness and nutty, slightly woody flavor, which lasts briefly in aftertaste.
Food Pairing: With all of the maltiness in this beer, especially with the nutty and slightly woody flavor in the finish, the best pairing for this beer would be Barbeque or a grilled steak.
Overall Impression: This beer had some nice caramel and malty flavors, but unfortuntely, there were almost no bourbon flavors. It was good for a cold winter day with warm flavors and some richness. I was just expecting more bourbon flavor (with a “flavor bomb inside). Overall, it wasn’t bad, it’s just that the label sets the wrong expectation.
My Rating: 
Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]
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