Nez De Poivrot (Bourbon Barrel Aged) - Le Trou Du Diable

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled August 2011.

Beer is a light chestnut brown with a large white head. Good retention and lacing.

The barrel has a strong impact on the scent. Bourbon, vanilla and oak are all strongly present. Maple syrup and sweet bready malt are there as well. Very nice.

Taste is excellent. Like the nose, there is a lot of bourbon, vanilla and oak, but it is very well integrated with the base beer. Big malt flavours, some sweetness, clear maple syrup influence. Very nice indeed.

Full bodied, moderate to low carbonation, sticky and a bit syrupy.

Overall, really good!! Really enjoyed this bottle and only made me more excited to try more from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 03:27:31 | More by jrenihan

cmadd

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Minimal head from the pour, but a steady retention on the edges. A light rosy brandy coloured body.

S: The barrel characters come through strongly in the nose. The oak is upfront lending a wooden and loamy nose, almost a hint of sour character coming through. Behind that are hints of sweet malt, vanilla, and bourbon.

T: A fantastic balance between light and heavy sweet flavours – hints of orchard fruits, strawberries, cherries, and peach contrasting with heavier bourbon and maple syrup.

M: Light mouthfeel for a english barley wine, but frankly it works. Carbonation lively.

O: A barley wine with maple syrup aged in American bourbon barrels. It's a refreshing and unique take on the style that might disappoint people looking for the overdone sweet bourbon bomb. Really well crafted and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 21:07:29 | More by cmadd

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into tulip 31/10/12 spooky, thanks papat444 for the bottle a ways back from notes

A looks brownish orange until held to the light where it's a slightly hazy dark amber, light tan foam starts off big and ends up as a thick foam that sticks around for ages and leaves some random lace

S maple bourbon comes to mind, not smokey bourbon but oak comes out strong with some vanilla and candied fruit notes, butterscotch and caramel work well with the other aspects, perhaps just a little nutmeg? I could smell this all day, the barrels left its mark and I like it

T much like the smell but the oak somehow comes out even stronger, the bourbon blends with the caramel and everything meshes together in a good way. Almost like sipping on a bourbon liqueur and I'm amazed they managed to hide 11.5%, there's just a hint booze nowhere near what I expected

M not too thick and well carbonated, just a little sticky on the lips and again I'm impressed by the concealed booze, lots of oak on the finish

pretty impressed with this one start to finish, I was loving the bourbon notes and I'm pretty stoked I forgot about it as the age has mellowed it out nicely.
Thanks again Patrick for this gem

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 00:10:17 | More by wordemupg

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to hoppypocket for this bottle. Dated 08/11. Poured in to CBS Snifter.

A - Poured dark amber with only a very small amount of light passing through. One finger of foamy cream coloured head formed and receded to a half inch with good retention.

S - Bourbon and oak up front that give way to toffee, caramel, brown sugar and maple syrup. Lots of oak in the nose.

T - Wow! Loads of tasted oak up front. Bourbon is there as well along with a pretty big maple syrup flavour. The barrel flavours take centre stage but the base beer flavours are present as well. Some toffee, burnt sugar and caramel flavours are present. The sweet maple syrup returns in the finish with more oak and bourbon.

M - Medium body, chewy. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 01:27:18 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thank you, Hoppypocket!

Appearance. Pours a hazy orange-amber with a massive, 3+ fingers of off-white head.

Smell. Caramel and bourbon, a bit of maple and vanilla, slightly sour and some nice old wood.

Taste. Raisins, caramel, plenty of that wood that smelled so nice, some vanilla, brown sugar and bourbon. Some good stuff here.

Mouthfeel. Medium-full body with lower carbonation. Just a little soothing warmth. Yep, feeling quite warm and soothed after this first glass.

Overall. Great barrel aged barleywine with plenty of barrel and that warm and soothing, soothing warmth that I'm so enjoying.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 02:31:28 | More by Rutager

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Picked up one of the last bottles at Metro in Shawinigan. Shared with my wife.

Poured from a 750ml. bottle, bottled Aug. 2011.

Appearance: In keeping with the theme, light maple colored body. 4 strong fingers worth of foam that settles to one fat finger and good coating all around.

Smell: Huge dose of maple candy and bourbon. Sweet and good.

Taste: Wow, the maple is really present here. Bourbon plays second fiddle in this brew. Light notes of vanilla and a slight pepper feel but while good, i found it wanting a bit flavor-wise.

Mouthfeel: Awesome feel. So smooth, very low carbonation and not much heat coming through. It just lingers through and through in the palate. Has a slight bitter tinge as an afterthought.

Overall: This is good but i found that the barrel aging didn't show its full strength. Maybe a bit too young. Still, it is a fine ale that deserves some attention.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2011 00:11:23 | More by papat444

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

bottle at volo. Pours an darkish colour, with a small head, and leaves a lot of lace. Bourbon in the aroma, though not as overpowering as other bourbon aged bottles I have had. Above average mouthfeel. Fruity honey,the barleywine has some maturity, some booziness in the finish. Very nice, dangerously drinkable. A little sweet overall.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 15:29:58 | More by northyorksammy

MasterSki

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to papat444 for sending me this bottle. Shared at West Lakeview Liquors. Served in a Glunz taster glass.

A - Creamy orange-tinged foam with good retention settles to a near-complete cap, but minimal lacework. Lightly hazed orange body.

S - Smells like marmalade! Barre influence is mild and contributes a slight spicy oak character, but leaves the base beer's bread, raisins, maple, and toasted almonds flavors largely intact. Somewhat understated.

T - The flavor is initially heavy on oak and toasted grain flavors, with peripheral vanilla, brown sugar, bread, and perhaps some faint bourbon flavor. However, the finish grows a little sweeter with a shot of maple syrup. Alcohol is quite well-hidden here.

M - Medium-full body, juicy texture, dry and tannic oak finish, and lower carbonation. Minimal alcohol warmth.

D - While this isn't what I generally want from this style it's a well-crafted and easy to drink beer. A lot drier and less sweet than your typical 'English' barleywine, with very restrained bourbon barrel character as well. Worth checking out, but may be a letdown for fans of Abacus or J.W. Lee's.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 16:25:42 | More by MasterSki

brystmar

Texas

3.83/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Good looking pour with more head than typically found in the style and strong lace. Tons of malt in the nose, plus a good amount of spice. Flavors meld harmoniously: sweetness of the English style meets spice and almost wheaty maltiness.

An interesting barleywine, though not one I'd seek out.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 02:44:10 | More by brystmar

Sean9689

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copper color, white head, wisps on top. Nose is oak, light dark fruit, smooth booze, malts, toffee. The taste is pretty similar with oak, booze, graham cracker, burnt sugars, and vanilla. Medium body with good carbonation for the style.

A nice BA Barleywine, but nothing mind-blowing here. Something I'd have again, but not seek out.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 02:01:56 | More by Sean9689