Bourbon Barrel Aged 4 Calling Birds - The Bruery

Vonerichs

Illinois

4.21/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Dark cola color with a short but dense light brown head.

Smells like blackstrap molasses, figs, nutmeg, vanilla and toffee.

The bourbon dominates the palate. Charred oak, vanilla, toffee, boozy as hell (in a good way.) licorice, molasses, nutmeg.

Mouthfeel is heavy and supports the booze well. Carbonation is low.

It's a sipper. The bourbon dominates but I think is showcased fantastically while still letting the base pop. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 02:21:43 | More by Vonerichs

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.69/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter.

3.25 A: Dark brown color. A small, short-lasting frothy head formed and as light brown in color.

4.5 S: Nose on this is wonderful. Tons of spices that all blend well together with the base beer. Gingerbread, nutmeg, cinnamon, maybe some allspice. Layers of caramel with toffee. The bourbon falls behind the spices and it does very well there. Oak, vanilla, and a subtle welcoming booziness. Prune, molasses, currants, and hints of anise.

3.5 T: While the nose is complex with great depth, the taste is more booze focused. This is a shame since I'd love to drink a beer that tasted like the nose on this. It's still good, but less complex with much less depth. Prune fruitiness oddly enough comes out as the focus of the taste. Molasses, caramel, toffee next. Spices listed in the nose are underneath all of this with leathery bourbon. Oak and vanilla. Overall the booziness is fairly well hidden for the ABV, but it still packs a punch that lingers and warms well after the sip.

3.5 M: Heavier body. Good moderate carbonation. Sticky chewiness from all the excess sugars. Light creaminess. Not too bad.

3.5 D: Of the Bruery's big, boozy diabetes bombs, I prefer the barrel aged anniversary series over this.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 01:23:12 | More by DavoleBomb

Gfunk720

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle, out of my Founders Snifter. Thanks as always to my trustee Scott

A- Pours a nice brownish/black, very slightly transparent. Starts off with a nice healthy head that quickly dissipates. After settling, it looks pretty mundane.

S- A stinging boozy scent hits first. I can get some hints of cinnamon, vanilla, and bourbon coming through. A little sweetness, but not nearly as much as most bruery beers.

T- Very smooth initially, then sweep in the spices and malt. Again some cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as some chocolate. The aftertaste is primarily bourbon and vanilla, with touches of spice. Much less sweet than many of the other bruery BA offerings which is welcome.

M- Nice and carbonated and no cloying sweetness. Plenty of body without being overwhelming. My only complaint if I could make one would be that it is almost too fizzy.

O- Overall, this is one of the best BA beers from the Bruery that I've had in a while. I expected it to be overly sweet and difficult to put very much down. However it was dangerous how easy this was to drink. The spices are evident but blended well into the beer, as is the bourbon barrel aging. This will be really good once it has time to mellow a bit more.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 18:42:40 | More by Gfunk720

dbc5

Ohio

4.24/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

750 ml bottle poured into B. Nektar mini chalice.

A: Pours a cola color which yields about a 1 finger, soapy head that recedes extremely quickly. Glass is left looking like it is filled with flat cola. Not a particularly good looking beer.

S: Big bourbon up front. Wasn't expecting this big of a bourbon presence. Vanilla, caramel, and chocolate, followed by nutmeg.

T: Wow, this things is huge. I didn't really have huge expectations for this one, but it is fantastic. First thing that popped into my mind is "bourbon candy." As this warms, the nutmeg pushes through, with cinnamon detectable on the finish. Alcoholic gingerbread cookie is a reasonable characterization. Really enjoying this.

M: Low carbonation, viscous, and chewy. Appropriate mouthfeel to support a beer like this.

O: Honestly wasn't expecting too much from this one, but it snuck up on me. Really enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 01:12:56 | More by dbc5

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark brown-black with a thin finger of frothy khaki-chocolate colored head. Fades fairly quickly.

S - Dark caramel and chocolate malts, oak, vanilla, Bourbon, ginger, cinnamon, molasses, nutmeg, black licorice, Belgian yeast, dark fruits, and booze.

T - Dark caramel and chocolate malts, Bourbon, oak, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, black licorice, molasses, dark fruits, Belgian yeast, clove, pepper, banana, and booze.

M - Full bodied with moderate-low carbonation. Smooth with a warming, sweet, and spicy finish.

D - Big bourbon flavor, but the beer still feels somewhat balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 06:25:50 | More by ngeunit1

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into a snifter

A: Pours pitch black with a finger of quickly receding head, no lacing. Not bad for 14.8% I guess...

S: Woah bourbon. Bourbon is extremely strong in this beer with a lot of dark chocolate and caramel. Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are in the background providing additional complexity. This reminds me a whole lot of BCBS with gingerbread spices. The bourbon is particularly nice - I get a distinct coconut aroma that plays well with the spices as well as the chocolate and caramel.

T: Bourbon is strong again, though not nearly as much as it was in the aroma. Dark chocolate and caramel again dominate this beer. Gingerbread spices are there, but in the background. This beer is very sweet and a bit muddled.

M: Extremely thick with very low carbonation.

O: So this is not a BSDA. It's way too alcoholic, way too thick, far too little esters, way too much bourbon presence for even the most extreme version of what could be considered in the style. It is extremely chocolatey with tons of caramel. The beer is as dark as the 19% ABV Imperial Stout from the same brewery with far more stout characteristics than that beer. Having said all of that, it's pretty decent. It tastes like a Christmas BCBS.

Oh, it's too boozy.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 23:50:11 | More by coreyfmcdonald

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

The beer is chestnut brown with a small head that fades to nil. The aroma is really nice. Prominent bourbon with a touch of spice. Beautiful bourbon and oak character in the flavor. The flavor definitely surpasses the aroma. Spice character evident in the finish. Abv pretty well hidden. Low carbonation and smooth. A delightful sipper.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 00:58:45 | More by Huhzubendah

MasterSki

Illinois

3.74/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Bottle shared by AgentZero - thanks Mike! Served in a tulip.

A - A crust of tan foam settles to nothing. Murky, turbid, dark brown body. Not terrible for nearly 15%, but not particularly impressive either.

S - A hefty dose of boozy bourbon and oak, unabashed alcohol, anise, Christmas spices, lightly roasted malts and dark fruits. You can definitely tell the ABV from this one - not subtle at all.

T - The taste is a bit mellower, albeit still somewhat boozy. More chocolate and oaky vanilla to be found here, with less of the spice and anise notes. A bit muddled,

M - Low carbonation, smooth, chewy and viscous texture, oaky and dry finish with some noticeable alcohol heat. Probably my favorite element of this beer.

D - The smell is rough at the stage, and the taste is merely solid. It's a fast way to get drunk, but this series has gone significantly downhill since the first two beers. That being said, I can imagine this beer might make it to the end of the series.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 03:09:42 | More by MasterSki

UCLABrewN84

California

4.01/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap for the Bruery Initiation Celebration held at The Phoenix Club in Anaheim, CA.

Pours a clear crimson-brown with a foamy beige head that fades to nothing. No lacing on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, dark fruits, and bourbon. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a mild amount of woody bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is strong but tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2013 17:59:41 | More by UCLABrewN84

mdfb79

New York

4.16/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

From 02/16/13 notes. Poured from a 750ml bottle into a wine glass, split with my girlfriend.

a - Pours a dark mahogany brown color with two inches of light tan head and low to moderate carbonation.

s - Smells of spices, cinnamon, bourbon, bready malts, oak, dark fruits, nutmeg, caramel malts, and toffee. Nice nose and a pretty interesting mix. A lot of the spices and cinnamon from the original beer still come through, as does the bourbon. Not quite as bourbon forward as I was expecting, though it is there.

t - Tastes of cinnamon, bready malts, bourbon, oak, vanilla, caramel malts, toffee, dark fruits, nutmeg, toasted malts, and coconut. More bourbon here than the nose, but the spices and underlying characteristics of the base beer still come through a lot. I like it quite a bit.

m - Medium to full body and moderate carbonation. Body is pretty smooth, with some light heat. Pretty nice.

o - Overall I liked this one more than I expected to as well given some of the reviews. I was expecting the bourbon to dominate this one more than it did, and was surprised how much cinnamon, spice, and nutmeg came through still. I had a BA 2TD recently which was outstanding; while this isn't that, I have hopes it can eventually become that. If you like bourbon forward beers and the normal 4CB you should like this one, but if you only have 1-2 bottles I might hold off on this one. I look forward to opening one in 6 months, and then alongside a normal 4CB next winter/Christmas.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 20:08:00 | More by mdfb79

Treebs

Illinois

3.54/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle served in a CCB snifter. Thanks to AgentZero for the share.

A: Pours a semi-clear brown color with little to no head forming on the pour. Light carbonation is visible, but not enough to sustain a solid head.

S: Bourbon up front. Sweet malts with a ton of backend spice. Nutmeg and cinnamon mostly with a hint of pepper. The bourbon dominates the nose though.

T: Pretty hot. Bourbon with a fusel alcohol quaff to it. Sweet malts with a dark fruit flavor, mainly figs. Light caramel notes from the barrel with a little tobacco as well. The spice isn't as prevalent in the nose, but it is there with some all spice mainly.

M: Medium light bodied, a little thin from the barrel aging. Low carbonation as well.

O: A little thin, but there wasn't really anything wrong besides the overt alcohol in the upfront taste. Not outstanding, but solid.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 03:00:36 | More by Treebs

Gobzilla

California

4.11/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured a dark brown in color with pale brown highlights and a thin bubbly head that left a little lacing sticking to the glass. lots of bourbon barrel character was noticeable upfront in the nose with plenty of booze to follow, bready malty sweetness, slight spice, molasses and gingerbread notes but with hints of vanilla. Like the nose suggested the bourbon barrel character was also as apparent on the palate alongside ginger bread flavor, slight spice, vanilla accents, a good amount of caramel blended with molasses, malty sweetness and plenty of booze heat as well. the brew was medium in body with a fair amount of carbonation which had a sweet, malty, bready, spice, bourbon boozy and silky finish. I thought it was really good but it looks like it could use a little time to mellow out.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 04:19:32 | More by Gobzilla

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.94/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

There aren't many Bruery beers that I think are very good, but as I do like the base 4CB beer to some extent (rated 3.53), I was glad to get a chance to try this one as well. Dark brown pour, with a small ring of bubbles around the rim, and not much else in the way of a head, though the beer itself left some oily streaking on the glass. In the nose, molasses, smooth bourbon, cakey malts. More of this in the taste, molasses, smooth bourbon that has had a good amount of time to lose some heat, fruitcake, burnt caramel, I didn't pick up a lot of vanilla, but there was some, lending a bit of sweetness, Christmas spices took the back seat. Heavy-medium body, lower carbonation, alcohol was present for sure, but not too hot. A nice drinker overall, and I really think the barrel improved this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 07:38:02 | More by Rifugium

DovaliHops

California

4.21/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a very dark, murky brown color with a hint of ruby red. Small, light-brown head...mostly bubbles though. I let this one breathe for quite some time. When I pulled it out of the fridge, it was extremely cold. Now it's just a bit cooler than room temp. Scent is boozy at first. I just got smacked in the face with bourbon and Christmas-y spices. Lots of oak and vanilla. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and fresh pumpkin pie. Such an inviting aroma. The taste is shockingly sweet at first. Very boozy too. I would be lying if I said the alcohol warmth on this one is tame. Dark fruits, and Belgian-dark ale characteristics come through in the flavor, as they were not present in the nose. Lovely oak and barrel flavor. The nutmeg comes through very heavily in the flavor. Finishes quite boozy. Drinkability is fair to fairly high. Best in small doses. The drinkability will improve with age, as the booziness mellows out. This beer has so much going for it, just a bit hot right now. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and very lightly carbonated...which suits this beer well. Overall, I was worried I wouldn't enjoy this...thought it may be too sweet. Although it is very sweet, the barrel flavors and Christmas spices go together oh-so-well.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 06:37:37 | More by DovaliHops

ehammond1

California

3.98/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle (2012)

The Bruery
Placentia, CA

Dark brown with no light coming through. Small to moderate brown head. Leaves the glass oily and only spotted with stick. Pretty enough, though unremarkable, as with most barrel-aged offerings.

Far more barrel character than the base version, I'm happy to report. The Christmas spices, gingerbread and molasses, are definitely prevalent underneath the strong barreling, with a banana bread characteristic I was surprised to find.

The flavor is similar to the aroma, though the Christmas spices and the bourbon barrel don't mingle particularly well at colder temperatures. The Christmas spices initially bring a sharp, almost acidic nature to the beer, akin to an infection, but that isn't the case at all. Upon warming, the flavors integrate nicely and the vanilla and oak from the barrel play well against the gingerbread/cinnamon/dark brown bread character of the base beer.

Medium in body with low carbonation.

Very nice, but this one needs to warm to nearly room temperature to be fully appreciated.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 23:02:47 | More by ehammond1

claaark13

Indiana

4.23/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured a little colder than I'd like into a HF tulip. Permitted to breathe a bit before consumption.

A - Pours a deep, murky brown with a very light head, mostly bubbles. Those fall off quickly and only bubbles around the glass and some occasional lacing.

S - Strong barrel presence, banana bread coming in strong in the background. Some pumpkin pie spices come through as well. A licorice note comes out as it breathes.

T - Caramel and bread, banana, light spices that are mostly covered by the barrel. The middle is very sweet, which I'm sure is what keeps the bite from the barrel coming into the finish. The barrel really adds a lot to the flavor, making this sorta like bourbon banana nut bread. Finishes with some sweet dark fruits and slightly dry oak.

M - Medium body, but the minimal carbonation gives it a much fuller feel.

O - I can't believe I actually like this. I found the base to be quite poor when fresh. Based on conversations with friends, this was also a boozy mess right after bottling. I'm sure I'll be completely over this one by the time I get to the end of the bottle, but the first pour has been really nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 02:29:43 | More by claaark13

GregSVT

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle into a snifter

A: Pours a dark brown with a nice size off-brown head that fades to almost nothing with no real lacing. You can actually see some light through the beer as you sip so it's not super thick or anything.

S: The nose immediately hits you with big vanilla, molasses, and bourbon notes from the barrel. As it warms and settles down you can pick out the gingerbread and chocolate notes from the base beer. The barrel is crazy forward but the base beer is still there...I will admit to liking barrel forward beers though.

T: The taste actually has more barrel than the nose. Huge flavors of vanilla, bourbon, and molasses hit the tongue immediately followed by some gingerbread and chocolate on the finish.

M: The mouthfeel is on the thinner side of medium with an almost dry finish.

O: The barrels they used for this must have been super fresh. It is extremely barrel forward but I love it. I had BA 2 Turtle Doves recently and thought it was amazing after 2 years of age. I think this one will be just as good after 2 years as well. It's a boozy beer...it was in the barrel for over a year and gained almost 4% from the barrel aging...just sayin.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 00:59:23 | More by GregSVT

largadeer

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

If regular 4 Calling Birds is 11%, this apparently gained 3.8% ABV from the barrel. Good lord.

Looks more or less like the non-barrel aged version: dark brown with a slight ruddiness and a fair bit of haze to the body. This version has less carbonation, but it's still decently bubbly.

The intricacies of the aroma at this point have been annihilated by the barrel, especially at cold temperatures. There's plenty of oak, caramel, and booze, but little in the way of spice or yeast. Tart plum-like dark fruit pops out as it hits warmer temperatures. While this isn't actually bad, it is comically barrel heavy.

There's a hilarious amount of booze on the palate. Harsh stuff, this desperately needs a few months of age to calm the higher alcohols. The base beer does peek through a bit more, mostly the strong banana note that was so prominent before barrel aging. The body is full, the mouthfeel sticky and rich. The finish brings even more astringent alcohol.

I can't say that I entirely dislike this, but I am a fan of big boozy bourbon barrel aged beers. That said, it's far from refined and definitely not ready to drink yet. I'll revisit this one in 6 to 12 months.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 01:01:51 | More by largadeer