Melange No. 3 - The Bruery

xpimptastikx

Texas

2.93/5  rDev -34%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

alfrantzell graciously hooked me up with a bottle each of the new reserve releases. I'm pretty excited to finally try some of their bigger brews.

A - Pours a dark brown with tan head. Sits black in the glass with a spot or two of lace.

S - The is the best part of the beer. Bourbon, vanilla, caramel, alcohol, a little fig, and oh wait, another heaping of alcohol...

T - Considering this is a blend of three ridiculously big beers and then thrown in a barrel extra long, there's a little too much going on. Way too sweet, caramel, candi sugar, alcohol, molasses, candi sugar, alcohol, vanilla, candi sugar, oak, chocolate, and candi sugar.

M/D - This is a pure dessert beer. Low carbonation, a little thin, and only able to barely sip on.

The Bruery needs to invest in 25mL bottles for these ridiculous offerings they keep putting out. It's like an overpowering whiskey, it needs to be diluted so you can actually enjoy it. Last night 5 people were at a tasting and there was still 5oz left in the bottle that was poured down the drain. This was a disappointment considering the availability and price. I think I'm done with the ultra huge BA beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2010 20:43:07 | More by xpimptastikx

Mora2000

Texas

2.93/5  rDev -34%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to SaucerSam for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a medium to dark brown color with some red highlights and a tan head. The aroma is extremely sweet. I get a ton of brown sugar and molasses notes, as well as some wood, maple and vanilla. Unfortunately the flavor is just as sweet as the aroma. I get a lot of dark fruit and oak, as well as some brown sugar. I get some maple notes as well. I know Black Tuesday is a part of the blend but I get no roasted malt or chocolate notes. Very boozy. Thick, syrupy mouthfeel and low carbonation. I am very glad I got to try this one, but it was way too sweet and messy for my liking. Still, definitely a unique brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 02:07:49 | More by Mora2000

PatrickSwayze

California

3.1/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3

Melange 3 

A: A midnight brown poured into a 3oz snifter

S: A behemoth of booze and vanilla osk. Zero hop presence

T: Big bold and boozy and with crazy mad sweetness. Vanilla and oak murder the taste buds leaving tour tongue lathered in a syrupy mess

M: This thing is stupid sweet. Not as bad as some of special edition Nogne-Ø's but up there. You feel as if your dehydrating at a remarkable rate as you throw back this sucker.  

O: This beer could have been amazing, if it had only been a tad bit more dry. The flavors are there, the mouthfeel blows.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 17:31:43 | More by PatrickSwayze

AgentZero

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Drank at a tasting with jrallen34.

A - Dark brown, mahogany in color, with lighter brown on the edges. A little bit of stick on the sides.

S - This smells a lot like a muted version of the BA Coton. Smaller bourbon smell then I was expecting. I was hoping this was more Black Tuesday like. Some vanilla, dark fruit , and some brown sugar. Not bad, but not great.

T - Once again, was hoping for some more of the Black Tuesday than was in here. This tastes a hell of a lot like the BA Coten. Brown sugar, figs, vanilla, a lot of caramel. I get some licorice on the end of this. Honestly, this is okay, but nothing special, not sure why it is rated so high. Somewhat sweet, could use some more barrel influence.

M - Under carbonated, full bodied.

D - Hard to get down, too sweet, too much alcohol. This is a good, but not great beer. Don't care if I ever have this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2010 02:22:15 | More by AgentZero

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Split with angrybaboon.

Appearance: Deep rich brown with bar click red highlights. Small tan head drops to a spotty cap and small collar. No carbonation

Smell: Toffeee and booze soaked raisins. Sharp alcohol. Crazy sweet. Molasses, maple, caramel. Sugar in all kinds. Touches of butterscotch. Some roasted elements. Vanilla, oak and so much sugary sweetness. Candy. White chocolate. Caramel malts. A touch of something earthy.

Taste: Sugar. Caramel, toffee, touches of brown sugar. Butterscotch and vanilla. So much overcooked and caramelized malt. Sugary sweet. Bourbon and something akin to honey. So much raw sweetness. Bourbon sugar. Oak and minor roasted malts. Light brown sugar. Sherry. Sugar and alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Syrupy, but warm syrup. Not quite full. Minimal carbonation. Lingering alcohol dryness.

Overall: My name is Wilford Brimley and this beer gave me diabeetus.

Take Black Tuesday, add sugar, drop some of the bourbon and stout characteristics, and you get this. So much sugar sweetness and alcohol. So sweet it's distracting and detrimental.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 22:52:08 | More by Goblinmunkey7

hopsbreath

Oregon

3.18/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Thanks to moosington for hooking me up with a bottle of this in a great extra laden package. Shared at ramnuts house with our host, Black13, TulipSnifter, Bird, Mini, and Growler on 1-15-11. Review from notes.

A: Murky dark brown, no head, no lacing, no legs.

S: Lots of -bal, sweet vanilla, honey mead, Goldshlager.

T: Cinnamon, sweet heat, what's that caramel vanilla candy? This has that going on.

M: Moderately carbonated, moderate viscosity, sticky finish.

D: Eh... Compared to some of the other -bal aged beers we had that night, this one was lacking. I loved BA Coton straight up as well as Black Tuesday. The blend of those two with White Oak sap just doesn't do it for me though.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 10:43:21 | More by hopsbreath

Tripphop

Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a neutral brown color, some haze but mostly translucent. Whisps of bubbles appear, but this just looks like maple syrup. Smells of caramel and wood, vanilla is present, but just smells sweet. I would put this on my ice cream, but its not something that I enjoy forcing down my gullet. Flavor is very complex, but tastes like someone had a bag of mixed candies, left it in the trunk of their car all summer, and poured it into my glass. Very tough to drink, sickeningly sweet and resinous, It took me 6 hours to drink my half of the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 17:35:52 | More by Tripphop

Auracom

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

More cheers to the RS and another long-awaited tick. 5-6 oz. poured into a Bruery tulip on May 24th, 2012.

A - Pours a darker version of the anniversary series, with more heft and murkyness. Good fluffy, light-tan head. Great retention for the ABV, with great lacing to boot. Promising start.

S - Very rich caramel from the BT portion, with a bit of the bourbon barrel to boot. There's also a definite White Oak presence, with the citrus, sour-like note contrasting from the heavier qualities of the mix.

T - More of the same really. Malts are akin to BT and Papier. Underneath ripe cherry astringency and hints of the old ale's winter fruit. There's less boozyness and richness than I expected.

M - Moderate carbonation, medium-heavy body, quite smooth. Touch of oak barrel dryness and aftertaste.

D - Doesn't live up to two years' worth of hype. I like some of what's here, but unfortunately it's just not that great of a blend. There's way too much White Oak element in here, so I'll blame that because I found that base beer quite loathsome to begin with.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 21:56:33 | More by Auracom

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.31/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Bottle: Poured a dark cloudy brown color ale with a relatively large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of roasted malt with sweet notes, some bourbon and some vinous notes makes for a unique mix. Taste is a mix between bourbon and vanilla notes with some oak, dark fruit and some vinous notes which feels more or less balanced with the rest of the mix. Body is full with limited filtration and light warming alcohol. I didn’t really dig the mix between rich stout/old ale sweet notes and the dark fruit and also vinous feels of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 19:09:18 | More by Phyl21ca

jrallen34

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Another AgentZero tasting.

750ml bottle into my Orval glass...Pours a dark brown, dark amber highlights. Light tan head rises about a finger, gone right away, light lacing...The aroma is so boring. I just drank the ba coton and I'm confused that its the same beer. Light vanilla, bourbon, alcohol. When the bottle says made with out anniversary ales I know they refer to the Coton...The taste is sweet alcohol. I can't believe black tuesday is even in here. No stoutness anywhere. Mostly just an ale that was laced with vanilla and bourbon...Feel is light, not easy to drink, way to alcoholic.

Big, huge, disappointment here.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2010 02:23:44 | More by jrallen34

aasher

Indiana

3.38/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer pours a muddied amber in color, thick and syrupy in body with no head or lacing. It smells of sweet and and syrupy malts and has a touch of Black Tuesday. Sugar bomb! It has a lot of sherry and port to it. The flavors are sickly sweet malts with slight vanilla and bourbon. It's too sweet to feature much complexity. It drinks medium in body and is very sticky and leaves a great amount of residual sugar around the glass. Overall its hard to endorse this one. It's too big for its own good, just too much sweet malt. Not worth the money in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 17:44:20 | More by aasher

Popp24

California

3.4/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this one yesterday 12/9/11 on tap at The Bruery. They only serve you six ounces due to the ABV.

A: Dark brown; cola color.

S: Strong oak smell; maple syrup and you definitely smell the alcohol at 15.5 %.

T: You get a strong oak taste up front and then the sweetness hits your palate. To me it seems the beer has many flavors but I couldn't seem to separate them on my palate; I just got sweet and syrupy and maybe a bit of vanilla. One thing I will say is that the alcohol is hidden well here.

M: A nice full mouthful; somewhat thick and syrup-like.

O: I was disappointed overall on this one with all the great reviews this one got. By no means does it not taste good I guess I just wasn't into the style of this one. For me the oak flavors took center stage and didn't allow any of the other flavors to come through. I didn't feel like I was drinking a beer it was more like a dessert wine in a way. For the price you pay for this one I don't know if I would revisit it.

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2011 19:59:18 | More by Popp24

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to adam for sharing this one.

A: Dark brown nearing black. No head no lace. Some legs form with swirls.

S: Bourbon dipped chocolate, booze soaked dark fruit, sweet and rich.

T: Pretty much a mirror of the nose. Loads of dark chocolate and roasty malt. Booze soaked dark fruits and wet wood.

M: Thick and syrupy body. Modest carbonation.

D: Just another big boozy beer to check off my list of big boozy beers I never have to drink again.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 23:26:57 | More by beerwolf77

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.51/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for sharing this

Consumed 1/19/13

Appearance: Dark, dark brown - off-white head, bubbly - head dissipates quickly, but keeps a nice ring around the edges of the glass, leaves a few spots of lacing

Smell: In a word, absurdity - bourbon, booze, and sugar - cooked, caramelized malts - sugary, sweet caramel, toffee, and molasses - vanilla, wood - sweet chocolate - dark fruits, including cooked apples, figs, grapes, and raisins - so much sugar

Taste: Similarly mad - so much booze, this kind of tastes like a liqueur - bourbon, caramel, wood, vanilla, molasses, toffee - very, very sugary - dark fruits and chocolate - sugar and brown sugar - roasty and burnt malts - the menace of Black Tuesday is quite apparent - rich chocolate and coffee - extremely complex and intense

Mouthfeel: Full body, slick, syrupy, insane - like a rich liqueur

Overall: This is madness! (Not Sparta)

This beer is so crazy that it warrants an overused reference to a movie that came out almost 5 years ago. Burnt, roasty, and woody with a stupid amount of bourbon, caramel, and sugar. So much sugar. Why.jpg

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 22:54:12 | More by angrybabboon

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Dark maroon color. Smelled mostly like Black Tuesday. Sweet, syrupy, bourbon and heat from the alcohol. Some toasted coconut and vanillin.

Taste had figs, dates, glazed raisins all rolled into one with a splash of high gravity sweet wort. Tangy wheat flavor and chocolate dipped oranges. Raisins in the finish. Very hot and very sweet. I suppose BT could not hide the heat in Papier. The mouthfeel was thinner than I expected.

Interesting but hard to drink that much of.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 19:56:02 | More by BearsOnAcid

DarthKostrizer

California

3.6/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Blue Palms

Look: Dark brown with lighter rings of brown around the edges. 1/4 inch head and little retention

Smell: I did not care at all for the nose I found there to be quite a bit of rubbing alcohol on the nose backed up by some chocolate.

Taste: The flavors of the beer are pretty complex and is very dark fruit forward and lots of sweet syrup. The flavors finish with some chocolate and coffee notes and quite a bit of alcohol

Mouthfeel: Full body and low carbonation and a bit sticky

Overall: In my opinion the beer is too young and needs some time to age and come into its own. I found the alcohol to be a bit distracting especially on the nose

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2011 05:18:15 | More by DarthKostrizer

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.61/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The perfect ending to an incredibly crappy day.
Pours a deep burnished brown with faint ruby at the edges and a smallish tightly bubbled khaki head that slowly dissipates to a ring on top. The smell of bourbon and oak hit my nostrils as soon as I pop the cap off the top. Upon closer inspection I am greeted with light and brown sugars with a fair amount of dark pitted fruit and a hint of ethanol. the flavor is sweet up front with brown and syrupy sugar. Dark and light fruit come next along with a bit of vanilla and wood. The alcohol and bourbon come in next with a ferocity that won't quit. Long lingering tannic wood and alcohol burn long after the sweet liquid settles to the bottom floor. Medium to thick body with a light to moderate level of carbonation and a sweet harsh alcoholic mouthfeel. Nice sipper, but there is no denying the alcohol content of this one. This is tasty but it needs some time to settle down.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 22:36:15 | More by johnnnniee

bulletrain76

California

3.68/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draught at The Bruery's anniversary. Dark brown with a small beige head. Rich wood, bourbony, burnt sugars, creme brulee, caramel, and light alcohol aromas. Flavors of chocolate, molasses, burnt sugar, caramel, light wood, bourbon, smooth alcohol and light berry fruitiness, with a rich boozy and sweet finish. Full bodied and sticky with smooth carbonation. For how big this is, it drinks very smoothly, a trait it shares with most of their big beers. Still a bit too sweet for me to love. While it is intense and complex, it just lacked a certain cohesiveness.

Serving type: on-tap

09-20-2009 19:34:27 | More by bulletrain76

Arbitrator

California

3.68/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Received bottles from Alen and Nick3. Thanks guys.

Re-review off a bottle I opened to share with some non-BAs. I wanted some perspective that didn't come from hype or rarity, so I was curious to see what they would think.

My impression was very similar to the first time I had this beer. It was boozier than I remembered, slightly harsh with a nail-polish feel that others also remarked on.

The aroma was outstanding. I loved the vivid bouquet of chocolate, grapes, toffee, vanilla, and molasses. The taste was a little less impressive; the finer points were harder to pick out, and the beer bludgeoned me with chocolate, brandy, and molasses for the most part. Tannins were noticeable and balancing in the finish. I found this sweet and rich. One bottle among 4 people was way too much. I'm very glad I got to try this, but I probably won't go out of my way for it again.

~~~

Original comments:

Shared by dbuckingham. Thanks, David.

A: Pours a reddish brown (puce?) with just a light film of foam on top of the brew. Not much of a collar; no lace. It's more of a leggy beer with some obvious sugars here. I will give it points on the legs. For a 17% beer I don't expect much carbonation.

S: This smells like Brandy Old Stock. I don't think anything in here was aged in brandy barrels, but it has that toffee, caramel, dark fruit (grapes, figs) aroma that I remember. Vanilla, oak, molasses. A substantial, thick aroma that promises a great dessert experience.

T: And the taste absolutely nails the promise of the nose. Again, the Brandy Old Stock comparison is warranted. Rum-soaked raisins, toffee, caramel, figs, vanilla, oak, molasses. I guess this has some Black Tuesday mixed in, but I can't really pick up any strong bourbon. I get some molasses, though. Overall, an incredibly sweet taste that drives home the Bruery's signature style. I couldn't have this in large quantities, but I appreciate the glass.

M: Medium-bodied; I expected it to be heftier considering the sugars and ABV. Low carbonation. It is quite smooth, creamy, with a moderate heat to it. I don't normally enjoy boozy beers, but I appreciate it when the heat is well-integrated; it works fairly well here.

D: Idiotic decision to release this in 750mLs. I'm not shy about saying it. That being said, I'd be willing to try finishing a bottle of this on my own.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 20:08:58 | More by Arbitrator

oline73

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a goblet. I was very excited to get to try this at Jackie O's, shared by a generous BA.

Appearance: Pours a dark mahogany with a small layer of off white head. The head fades to a very thin ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Sweet with lots of cherry and dark fruit. The malt dominates and is joined by some warm alcohol.

Taste: This one is uber sweet and loaded with dark fruit notes. Some maple like notes and brown sugar with some warm alcohol in the finish.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thick side and a bit syrupy. There is hardly any carbonation and a slick finish.

Overall: The abv is really high so it may be unavoidable, but even so it was still a bit too sweet for me. I enjoyed sipping on my pour and would probably have it again if I have enough people around to share a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 23:58:14 | More by oline73

DaveJanssen

British Columbia (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -16%
look: 1.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

750 split three ways into red wine glasses. Reviewed 4 November 2010.

Ar: Alcohol, heavy black tuesday bourbon and darkness, sweet, raisins, prunes, dry fruit, mild oxidation

Ap: To quote my fellow tasters, "Ghastly", murky tan, mild light tan head, fair retention, intense legs redeem color/murkiness somewhat

T: Heavy sweetness, thick full caramel, vanilal and bourbon, intense alcohol, tastes like burning, sweet start, fruity, very sweet, light tart edge, strong sweetness up front, candy and carmel fade to oak/bourbon and vanilla with dried fruit, tart plummy and cidery hints, bourbon alcohol at the end dries it out, chocolate, balanced toward sweet

M: Burn, full body, viscous and full, alcohol balances sweetness, burns the full length of the throat

O: Really looks atrocious, Black tuesday is better and less hot, good but strange and too hot, not undelicious but not great.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 01:51:55 | More by DaveJanssen

billab914

Virginia

3.73/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Rhettroactive for sharing this one the other night. 2012 vintage poured from a 750ml bottle. It poured brown in color with a thin sticky head to it.

The aroma shows a lot of sweetness to it with some strong notes of caramel and brown sugar with some lighter wheat malts. It's got a good dose of boozy alcohol to it coming along with the bourbon. It's got some good flavors going on, but also feels overly sugary and boozy at times.

The taste follows through with more of the brown sugar and caramel sweetness with some added dark fruit flavors to it. I get a little bit of the wheat malts of White Oak to it as well. The bourbon comes out in the finish adding a boozy, alcohol presence.

The mouthfeel is on the heavier side with carbonation being too way overdone. Overall, it was a decent beer but I didn't think it was better than any of the beers that went into it. The sweetness, alcohol heat and high carbonation were just overdone for me, even for the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 18:41:30 | More by billab914

Bendurgin

Maine

3.75/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to Andrewinski1 for cracking open this bad boy. Poured into a tulip. This one pours black with no head, just a rim of bubbles along the edgees of the glass.

Smells sweet and somewhat fruity with hints of mollasses with raisins and figs lingering in the background. Hints of vanilla and some rich chocolate. Sweet sweet sweet indeed. Lots of raisins and plumb on the pallet with vanilla and a bit of sweet chocolate. A little fruitier than I'm digging here. Still good but I would prefer that toned down a bit.

The body is full and silky with soft carbonation. A little hot but it doesn't bug me too much. Real tasty stuff here, a little sweet but great to share with a few people.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 03:40:22 | More by Bendurgin

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: nice dark pour with a touch of mahogany, good head, no lacing.

Smell: Booze hits you in the face immediately like a brick wall, lots of bourbon but also heavy alcohol. Lots of vanilla, oak, toffee, and molasses as well. Alcohol overload.

Smell: Burning booze up front, the smell was more bourbon but the taste is all alcohol. Incredibly rich, full of bourbon, fudge brownies, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, vanilla, and caramel. Very rich, but just too much alcohol.

Mouthfeel: could use a touch more carbonation, but otherwise very rich.

Drinkability: Incredibly rich, but the enormous booze factor makes more than a glass a chore.

Most of the scores took a hit as it is really too much booze, a bit too sweet, and a bit too flat. I think it would be better on tap.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 01:50:07 | More by craytonic

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.8/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got this particular bottle from Beerpirates, but have also had bottes from hotpipes and Cedromar. Thanks for the trades everyone. I thought I'd try this one solo for the first time. Let's see how it goes.

From a 750ml bottle into a Bruery snifter. Snifter provided by Doodler.
Vintage: 2010
Blend of Black Tuesday, Papier and White Oak.

APPEARANCE: A clear brown pour produces a two finger, medium-thinner looking tan head with decent retention. A transparent bistre brown in color with lots of carbonation evident. Head fades quickly into a thick foam cap. A good foam ring remains until the end but leaves no lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Big bourbon barrel nose on this one. Bourbon, oak, vanilla and milk chocolate all over the place. Some dark chocolate and touches of roasted malts are there as well. This one is very barrel heavy and has a lot of Black Tuesday in the mix.

TASTE: Very barrel heavy, and still very hot. Bourbon, vanilla, milk chocolate and oak notes up front, with lots of alcohol and heat. Spicy alcohol and some pure chocolate and sweet caramel at the swallow. Bold and lingering aftertaste is very barrel heavy with some bitter chocolate and sweet caramel as well. Tasty and definitely a bourbon barrel beer, but also very hot still. The heat keeps this beer from being an other-worldly treat.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Semi-creamy on the palate, goes down fine with a big burn at the swallow and finishes slightly mouth-coating. Lots of heat lingers on the palate. Hot stuff.

OVERALL: This is certainly a tasty beer, but the heat is still overwhelming. It took me 5+ hours to work through this bottle. Perhaps some time will mellow out the heat and make this one easier to drink, and if that actually happens, this will become a world class beer. No doubt this one is complex and enjoyable, but the boozy heat does get in the way at times. Definitely worth checking out if you get the chance, but make sure there are at least two other people there to help you out. Thanks again for the trade Pirates. I’ll have to have you here to help me next time I drink one of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 22:54:41 | More by Jeffo