AleSmith Wee Heavy - Barrel Aged - AleSmith Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
95
world-class
-
167 Ratings

rAvg: 4.32
pDev: 8.8%
Reviews: 93
Hads: 74

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Brewed by:
AleSmith Brewing Company

California, United States

Style | ABV
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy | 9.50% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (93).

Notes:
This was barrel aged and limited to 234 hand numbered bottles from the 2004 batch of Wee Heavy and released in 2005.

View: Beers (52) | Reviews (17) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by Phelps:

Phelps

Arizona

4.45/5 rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle number 565 of 972; vintage 2009, released 2011. Poured into a snifter and tasted against regular Wee Heavy, which is already one of my favorite scotch ales.

Deep maroon, dark yet fairly clear. There’s not much head to speak of, and it disappears to become a very thin ring within a few seconds.

Buttery nose. Tons of toffee, butterscotch, caramel, burnt sugar, some dark fruits. Also included: earthy hops, bright figs, cola, alcohol. Like a blend of brandy and red wine.

The flavor is So. Damn. Smooth. Bourbon, brandy, vanilla and new oak along with touches of toffee and sticky alcohol. The heavy whiskey flavor is semi-harsh, but met with brown sugar, a touch of maple and butter. The blend is incredible.

Medium-full, creamy body, smooth as velvet. Not much carbonation to speak of, but it’s alive nonetheless. Alcohol is big and numbs the tongue. It also comes through the nose just a bit.

If I had to choose something bad to say about BA Wee Heavy, I’d say the barrels take over the base beer just a bit too much. But hot damn, this is a tasty brew. Sweet, oaky, bourbony, and incredibly smooth.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 23:44:49 | More by Phelps

More User Reviews:

watermelonman

California

3.8/5 rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This poured to a deep and dark brown with minor head, leaving nearly no lace. The smell made up for that, simply intoxicating mix of malt, bourbon, and sugar.

When tasted this one came up a bit short, leaving me wanting the full flavor and body of the usual Wee Heavy. This is not a bad beer, mind you, but the standard Alesmith Wee Heavy does set a high bar. I have always appreciated a booze hot mouthfeel, but this one comes out light. Again, not a bad beer, but I am not sure it is an improvement upon the original. A barrel does not universally lead to better!

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 07:35:01 | More by watermelonman