John Barleycorn - Brandy Barrel Aged - Mad River Brewing Company

nickd717

California

4.43/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Bistro -Bal Aged Fest.

Pours ruddy brown from the tap with a small but lasting off-white head sitting on top.

The aroma is excellent, with sweet caramel malts, a nice barrel character with vanilla and slight oxidative notes, brandy, and a little sherry.

The flavor is bomb. Sweet caramel malt and toffee, brandy, oak, vanilla, and nice dried fruit notes. Very tasty.

Medium-full bodied with carbonation on the softer side and a rather smooth mouthfeel.

Really liked this one overall.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2010 17:42:34 | More by nickd717

largadeer

California

4.35/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at The Bistro's 5th annual barrel aged beer festival. 2009 John Barleycorn aged in a single brandy barrel.

Extremely turbid and murky amber, curiously cloudy next to the bourbon barrel version. The small white head is surprisingly persistent, which makes up for the murky body somewhat.

The nose exhibits a strong but graceful oxidation. Brown sugar, sherry, beautifully integrated brandy and oak. Mild fruitiness, rather concentrated like dried stonefruit.

Bold but mellow on the palate, the brandy barrel lends only a hint of heat. There's a lot of oxidation, but not of the cardboard variety; this is all sherry, date and brown sugar. The body is medium-full, just light enough to make it dangerously easy to drink. The impeccable balance makes it all the better. This beer was a great surprise, hopefully we reunite at some point in the future...

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2010 06:40:29 | More by largadeer