Bourbon Barrel Aged 4 Calling Birds - The Bruery

ehammond1

California

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
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

dbc5

Ohio

4.24/5  rDev +3.4%
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

kapkenobi

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

05-15-2013 23:12:41 | More by kapkenobi

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

05-15-2013 19:55:32 | More by ShanePB

moonknight31

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-14-2013 22:09:25 | More by moonknight31

illy0sis

Texas

5/5  rDev +22%

05-14-2013 22:04:29 | More by illy0sis

Texasfan549

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-14-2013 06:51:12 | More by Texasfan549

kjkinsey

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

05-12-2013 20:22:27 | More by kjkinsey

imperialking

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-10-2013 17:18:25 | More by imperialking

OC_Beer_Fan

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-08-2013 04:48:12 | More by OC_Beer_Fan

vissai

California

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

05-06-2013 17:19:28 | More by vissai

DarthKostrizer

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-05-2013 17:28:44 | More by DarthKostrizer

cfrances33

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

04-15-2013 04:54:54 | More by cfrances33

CelticAleMan

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

04-14-2013 04:58:38 | More by CelticAleMan

HopsintheSack

California

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

04-07-2013 20:15:14 | More by HopsintheSack

notchucknorris

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

04-05-2013 22:05:24 | More by notchucknorris

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%

04-03-2013 23:17:12 | More by t0rin0

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
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

Kunstman

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

03-23-2013 18:29:52 | More by Kunstman

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev -12.2%
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

2beerdogs

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%

03-22-2013 20:47:06 | More by 2beerdogs

pschul4

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

03-20-2013 14:38:18 | More by pschul4

Thorpe429

Illinois

3/5  rDev -26.8%

03-16-2013 12:15:02 | More by Thorpe429

MarcoCardenas

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%

03-16-2013 07:39:00 | More by MarcoCardenas

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
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