Barrel Aged Behemoth - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

mdm46410

Indiana

4.22/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at DLD '08. A syrupy pour of muddy amber/brown with almost no head or lace. The aroma was sugary carmel and bourbon. The flavor was almost that of melted caramel with tinges of bourbon seeping through. Very nice! The mouthfeel was lush and thick with minimal carbonation. Although my rating for this and the regular Behemoth are the same, these are two vastly different beers. Not anywhere near as hoppy as it is fresh, this brew has taken on a much sweeter, English barleywine character. I love it!

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2008 23:14:44 | More by mdm46410

jeonseh

Indiana

4.8/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

So I went to FFF Monday after DLD for lunch since I live right by the brewery and this beauty and Oak Aged DL were still left. Have to say happy I got to try it since had to leave DLD early and I got to try it in a practically empty FFF which gave me the chance to fully appreciate it and write a full review. Served in a stemless goblet which look like a rounded old fashioned glass to me.

A - This is a dark apricot color that has hues of gold and bronze shining through it. There is a small ivory head that sits on the sides of the glass and really had no chance of surviving. Looks thick and viscous, almost syrupy like as it just coats the heck out of this glass. Very clean looking beer and actually after looking at it for a while, it reminded me of what a fine scotch looks like sitting in its glass. It seems to have a glow to it that just reminded of the old firewater. One of the most beautiful beers I've ever seen.

S - this was much sweeter and less hoppier than the fresh Behemoth that I've had on tap. It smelled of apricots and honey at first. Also get a big hit of oak, cinnamon and whiskey spiciness that let you know this was barrel aged.

T- First of I want to say that I loved this so much more than the regular Behemoth which I've only had fresh and on tap. I don't know if it was the year of aging or the barrel but this was so much smoother than it was fresh as the hops were much more subdued and the flavors all seemed to meld together. The first taste I got was candied apricots and then there came a hint of fresh toffee and caramel. Almost tasted like sucking on a Wehter's original. On the end, this was all counterbalanced by the effects of the Barrel aging as I got a bit hit of smoke, pepper, cinnamon, and whiskey flavors. One great thing about this beer is how much is how complex it was. All of the flavors were huge and prominent yet it was super balanced and each sip brought me a new flavor experience. One thing that I love about FFF Barrel aging is that they use Woodford Reserve barrels, which, if you have ever had the whiskey you would know this already, is one of the spiciest bourbons out there. These barrels really impart their odor and flavor in the beer and causes the beers to differ completely from their non-BA brethren.

MF - overall just how a barleywine should feel in the mouth. It was big, thick and sticky yet managed to not be cloying at alll. There was no carbonation at all and this was good as it just allowed all of the flavors to roll in and coat your tongue. The after feeling had a nice bit of spicy and astringent to it that reminded you of the effects of the BA

D - This was one insanely good beer and it was so easy to drink. In terms of taste, while it and Oak Aged DL are both 5's, I thought this one was even better than OA DL. If possible, I would give it a 6. Wish it had a bit of a bigger nose but oh well. Loved this so much more than the fresh Behemoth I had on tap and this experience inspired me to buy some Behemoth to cellar to see if the flavors will meld together as well in the bottle as they did after a year in the barrel. Try this if you get the chance as you will not be disappointed at all.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2008 21:57:06 | More by jeonseh

Beertracker

Oklahoma

4.25/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Behemoth Barleywine (Barrel-Aged) was served on tap at FFF Brewpub during the 2007 Dark Lord Day. I was very excited to get the opportunity to sample this one even though it was presented to me in a plastic cup and served at extremely cold temperatures (-40F). The first thing that stood out in my mind (as compared to the bottled version) was the dark, ruddy brown color (maybe aged in the same barrels as the Dark Lord?) that was almost completely opaque with very little carbonation that created barely a tannish brown head. As the barleywine warmed, it started to let off some of those ripe, pungent Northwest hops that it's famous for, along with some serious vinous bourbon overtones (cherry tobacco, mint honey, cinnamon sticks & French vanilla) from the Woodford Reserve barrel. The rough-edged flavor expressed some of the treacle/toffee & toasted caramel sweetness that wasn't completely overshadowed by the marked bitterness or weighty alcohol. The finish was long, hot, and slightly coarse. This hefty, barrel version is certainly a sipper that might benefit from some additional aging to mellow out the rough edges. Here's to wood, it's good!

CHEERS! Beertracker

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2007 03:47:52 | More by Beertracker

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On tap at Three Floyds.
I let it sit on the bar for a while to let it warm up a bit. Smell is incredible. Think a very nice bourbon whiskey smell complimenting a very refined, well melded barleywine. Taste is absolutely amazing. This is one to sip all day. Every sip was velvety smooth and better than the last. This barleywine has transformed into a incredible beer while in the barrel. I could not get enough of this beer. The guys at Three Floyds have taken barrel aging to the highest level.
Very glad I had the chance to drink this.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2007 22:32:14 | More by FtownThrowDown

mcallister

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This looks like a beer that has been sitting in a barrel for a while. Dark opaque russet. A very good looking barley wine and much more woody looking than the non BA version. Poured with no head.

Big resiny fig and raisin aromas with a toffee underlying that was scorched in hell. Dried fruit galore with nutty aspects. A floral somewhat citrusy hop esters linger deep in the background. Very reminiscent of a recent vintage Hardy's I sampled.

What a monster of a beer. Big alocohol in the mouth. Full of sweet toffee malts and melted caramel. Milk chocolate with rum soaked raisins. For Blake a big mission fig paste mid palate leads to the long candied hop finish that lasts and lasts. Grilled pear, and caramalized pineapple help tame the alcohol.

Mouth is a little thin otherwise very good and the type of beer I could sip daily.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2007 18:50:22 | More by mcallister

orsulacp

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this on tap at FFF. It was very dark with almost no carbonation. The smell was heavy on the vanilla and alcohol, with some caramel. The taste is more of the same, very heavy vanilla and caramel, the alcohol was hidden nicely. The mouthfeel is slick and heavy, but it is so tasty it is very drinkable. In the same session I had a Surly Klaus and I thought the chocolate flavors from the porter were a much better mix with the burbon barrel aging.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2007 18:50:41 | More by orsulacp

sman262

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap 1/10/07, first off this is definatly how i think a barrel aged Behemoth might taste.

A: Extremely dark for a barley wine, could tell this has definatly undergone a change in the barrel.
S: I am a sucker for barrel aged beers, I love the smell and the taste, its like drinking fine wiskey but instead its not 100 proff
T: LOTS of Bourbon here, very intense along with the alcohol, the snifter was almost too much, it was sooo intense.
M: Very silky, had the ability to coat your mouth with flavor, reminds me of the Kentucky Breakfast.
D: There is no way i could drink more than one snifter of this stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2007 07:21:13 | More by sman262

GbVDave

Illinois

4/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter at FFF 1/6/07. "BA Behemoth (aka Wood Aged Behemoth), the 2006 BBW that's been aged 1 year in a Woodford Reserve Bourbon oak barrel, 12.5% abv."

A: Pours a dark brown, almost black. No head with an off-white ring.

S: Huge boozy nose of bourbon with caramel and vanilla.

T: Bourbon, bourbon, bourbon, burnt toffee, cinnamon, caramel, and spices. Sweet with a hoppy/alcohol tang to the spicy finish.

M: Huge, slick, and coating. Massively thick, smooth, and oakey. Very still/low carbonation.

D: Surprisingly very drinkable considering the high abv. Maybe a tad too bourbony but very enjoyable none the less.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2007 21:40:32 | More by GbVDave

barleywinefiend

Washington

2.89/5  rDev -34.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

A: Poured a ruddy, crimsonish-brown color with a dirty white cap whcih fades rather fast leaving a nice collar, some bubbles and minimal lacing. Pretty much what I was expecting

S: Oh boy. Old wood, bourbon, some spices, faded citrus hops, pickle juice, yup, pickle juice. Not at all pleasant but the other sensory notes make up for it.

T: Immediate thought...a splash cheap bourbon and old spent barrels. Yup, I said it. Bourbon comes out upfront with a hard-on and then some old woody, Earthy notes...the base Behemoth is a mere shadow of her once former BBW self because this shitty bourbon barrel fell on top of her. I detect pickle juice, caramel, toffee, citrus and piney hops buried beneath this overhyped and overpriced fat disaster. The finish is rather, hot, unpleasant, sticky at times....

M: Medium-full bodied, enough said.

O: Not exactly sure why this "world class", hyped or priced at $30+ or so. This beer reminded me of BA Ruffuan and BA Bigfoot, old spent bourbon barrels killing a fantastic base beer. I'm so happy I was able to tick this but so disappointed at the same time.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 13:46:09 | More by barleywinefiend

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.24/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Reviewed from notes. Most recent release, 2012/2013. Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a 8 oz snifter.

A- pours a dark copper with a half finger tan head. No lacing.

S- sweet toffee, brown sugar, dark fruits and bourbon

T- caramel, toffee, brown sugar, dark fruits, bourbon and faint pine.

M- full body and medium carbonation. Slightly dry.

O- very good BA Barleywine. Fairly sweet with some nice dark fruit notes, bourbon takes a back seat to the base beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 03:56:16 | More by kawilliams81

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.74/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Thanks to Enelson for providing this gem in trade. Red Waxed bottle # 107 of 454
Enjoying as part of the 2013 Blizzard Nemo celebration. Since I couldn’t make it to Night of the Barrels, it was fitting to open and enjoy this as we get dumped on.

A finger of head forms then fades immediately. Beer is a hazy shoe leather brown with a spritz of carbonation escaping at the edge of the glass. The head is knocked down immediately and a thin formed.
Aroma is nice.. almost bordering on excellent. Caramel, vanilla and a touch of apple cider. Thick in your nose. A hint of bourbon, but not in your face.

Ok, we have a nice one here. Certainly no surprise. Immediately I can tell this is very good, but isn’t quite the caliber of the Blithe’s from Dry Dock.. (in my opinion) But the comparison alone means we are in rarefied air here. So… that should be taken as quite a positive. Initial deep malt and sweet caramel gives way to lots of vanilla and bourbon. For me the heat from the abv/bourbon influence is spot on here. Right on the edge and it works quite a bit. I mentioned apple cider in the aroma and the flavor also reminds me of this. A really freshly pressed cider… Not sour, not negative… actually quite nice. The bourbon, vanilla aftertaste is fantastic.

Bold body, but just shy of sticky. The heat is on the edge but doesn’t cross the line.
Enjoying this and very happy that I was able to secure a bottle. Man, I would love to be able to score another at some point over the next couple of years…..
Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywines are really becoming my favorite at this point.
Three Floyds does it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 23:25:44 | More by Reagan1984

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.7/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Three Floyds Barrel Aged Behemoth

Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle.
Bottle: 271/454

Pours a nice murky brown with a thin dense off-white head. This is a very murky brew. The head recedes down to a nice thin ring around the glass. (4.0)

There is a sweet bold aroma. Nice Bourbon notes with some good apple juice notes and some woody notes. There is also some nice caramel and molasses with some nice slight hoppy citrus notes and some slight vanilla. (4.5)

Starts off with some nice intense sweetness. Awesome molasses and caramel notes with great bready malt undertones and some nice apple cider notes. Cinnamon and slight vanilla notes are present as well. Very interesting brew and not similar at all to the Non-BA Behemoth, it is still very delicious and complex. There are some woody notes and some slight boozy burn. The Bourbon notes are delicious and intense and are perceived through the whole brew. Nice caramel and oak notes. Soo good. The Bourbon notes are also complimented by some underlying strong hops that at first I couldn’t place because of the bourbon notes. As the beer warms you can really appreciate that nice Bourbon heat mixed with some intense hop notes and then it tapers of with the molasses and the nice vanilla and woody cinnamon notes. The mouthfeel is perfectly oily and creamy but with enough boozyness and heat and good carbonation. This is definitely a sipper but delicious. (5.0)(4.5)

Very good brew. Very different than the base brew but still a very delicious with great sweetness and Bourbon notes, great caramel and molasses notes with an awesome blend between the sweetness and the hops. (4.5)

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 23:26:48 | More by JoEBoBpr

largadeer

California

4.45/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Hazy, almost muddy orange with thin head that recedes to a collar pretty quickly.

Nose: A blast of fruity hops escape the bottle as soon as it's uncapped. Once in the glass it has a stronger toffee and burnt sugar note, along with nutty, sherry-like oxidation. This is surprisingly oxidized, but in a good way - more sherry than cardboard. Bourbon is present but integrated, and there's a good deal of hoppiness left on the nose, lending a touch of peach and pineapple along with a bit of grassiness that makes me think of old IPA.

Palate: Similar to the nose, this beer has an intriguing mix of oxidation, barrel and hops. Oxidation is front and center, largely nutty and leathery in character with a bit of sherry beneath. Malt sweetness is amplified by the barrel, but it isn't a syrupy beer by any means, and burbon isn't really overt here. Hops contribute a mild bite to the finish and a touch of citrus, primarily pineapple and stonefruit. I'm surprised that the barrel aging hasn't caused the hops to disappear completely, but they're not unwelcome.

Overall: This grew on me quite a bit over the course of my glass. Really interesting stuff.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 18:03:59 | More by largadeer

SteelersX

New York

3.4/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I originally had this on Tap at the brewpub in 2007 the night before dark lord day.

This version
Bottle 359 of 454

The appeance was murky with a orange/reddish hue.

The smell was nice. sweet/bourbony some hops in the aroma.

taste - lots of bourbon and sweetness but a little too hoppy for a bourbon barrel beer in my opinion. Considering the base beer it's understandable. The hop and the bourbon just dont play well together.

Not my favorite barrel aged beer and not nearly as good as the 2007 version. The 2007 version was a bourbon bomb which this version is not.

Still a decent beer. I'll see how my bottle 22 ages.

Thanks to lansmen for the bottles!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 22:23:54 | More by SteelersX

jegross2

Illinois

4.26/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Reviewing the Barrel Aged Behemoth from Three Floyds Brewing Company.
Score: 93

Bottle number 219/454 from the brewpub release in February 2012 release. Served in a Delirium Tremens balloon glass and enjoyed on 05/11/12. Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Pours a murky caramel color with a thin layer of tan bubbly head at pour. Minimal lacing and retention. 4/5

Smell: Brown sugar, lemon sugar cookie, and caramel. A little oak and smooth bourbon. The aroma is wheat wine-esque. Grassy hops. Light fig. Pineapple and butterscotch. Burnt sugar. 4.25/5

Taste: Bitter and grassy lemon citrus hops, brown sugar, toffee and caramel. A little fig and dark fruit sweetness. More caramel and bourbon as it warms. There is a modest wood flavor too. The flavor is a step down from aroma initially, but it gets better as it warms. Well balanced with a light booziness to let you know this beer means business. Lingering lemongrass and fig flavor. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Full-medium bodied, low carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel. The finish is a touch sweet. 4.5/5

Overall: A really solid barrel aged American-style barleywine. I was skeptical as to what barrel aging would do to such a hoppy beer, but this one turned out quite well. The beer struck a nice balance between the sweetness from the barrel aging and the bitter grassy citrus from the base beer.

Recommendation: This is a beer worth seeking out, but, like Baller Stout, it's not really worth the $30 price tag.

Pairings: Morel chive cheese (sold at Hy-Vee).

Cost: $30 for a 750 ml bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 07:48:24 | More by jegross2

Treebs

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled shared in line at DLD, courtesy of Andrew (nasty31). Thanks man!! Served in a Deschutes tulip.

A: Pours a murky dark peach color with a thin yellow head forming on the pour. It keeps a thin film and leaves some soapy looking lace behind.

S: Very nice. Sweet bourbon and light oak with a light citrus hop presence that stuck around nicely from the base beer. The finish is a sweet butterscotch flavor with a little vanilla also.

T: Caramel and citrus hops are there on the first sip and start to meld with smooth bourbon and oaky vanilla that comes on the finish.

M: Full bodied, but not chewy or heavy. Incredibly smooth with a spot on medium level carbonation and a nice barrel sweetness on the finish.

O: Incredibly smooth and delicious with the alcohol completely hidden. Great balance in the flavors and this will only get better. It'll be nice to try this in a year or two when the hops fade and the maltier side starts to shine.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 19:07:51 | More by Treebs