Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale - Alltech’s Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

bobhits

Kentucky

2.9/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

OK I'm going to break the rules here and feel free to remove my review if this offends anymore. I've had this beer 20+ times over the last few years and I've had it both on tap and in bottles almost equally. The advantages of living in Lexington where it's brewed I suppose. This beer varies so much imo it's impossible to review a single bottle and do it justice. As a result I wanted to use this review to tell you my thoughts on this kentucky favorite.

A OK nothing major changes here. Dark amber almost brown in color. A nice off white head will form and this is pretty consistent.

S Here is where this beer gets interesting. Every batch of this seems a bit different. This a nice amber beer (site says English pale ale for the Kentucky ale...dunno about that one) with a touch of malt and some subtle hops way back there. They then barrel age it and from talking to the sales reps they don't consistently pick the same barrels to use. This results in a nose that goes from strong vanilla to strong oak to almost smelling like a boiler maker with a shot of bourbon in there. That said there's nothing wrong with any of this in the nose, but don't go in expecting a certain aroma cause they'll throw you a curve ball every time.

T I recall my fist time having this a few years back. I bought a nice 4 pack of it and was excited to try it. I truly struggled to get a single bottle down. It was this amazingly strong bourbon flavor that just took control of the beer. The abv seemed a joke and it was a sipper beyond words. I never liked that 4 pack...each bottle was just too much. That said this beer is everywhere and I had to try it again. The next time I picked it up I expected much the same and was prepared. The problem was I got a completely different beer. The first beer was harsh and the bourbon dominated so much that I couldn't taste anything else. This second batch was overwhelmingly vanilla. It was smooth, silky, the original beer was shining through with its caramel malt and earthy hop character. It was actually lacking that bourbon flavor I wanted and instead the oak and vanilla where all that the beer offered. Fresh and on tap however this beer often hits a near perfect balance of the vanilla and bourbon and creates this true gem. When this beer gets things right it mixes a fairly thin and mild ale with some amazing vanilla and oak flavors finishing with a nice bourbon flavor while mixing in the caramel malt and subtle hops. This is a beer that will turn a whiskey drinker for at least a night into a beer drinker and turn even the biggest beer snob into a fan. The problem is this isn't what I normally find.

At its best this beer is a solid 4's with a few 4.5's mixed in there. At its worse just avoid. On average and the majority of bottles I have had, this is a really solid beer. It looks good, the bourbon nose is solid, it tastes as you'd expect a bourbon aged english ale to be, and it drinks pretty well. It's a shame this is not more consistent and isn't on that better side of things more often, but go in with these expectations and hopefully you get one of their better bottles.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2010 05:15:32 | More by bobhits

bpfrush

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

06-19-2013 18:21:38 | More by bpfrush

Andrew041180

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -25.3%

06-19-2013 12:09:15 | More by Andrew041180

maximthegreat

Illinois

3.14/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Poured 12oz bottle into a snifter.

Poured a light golden color. A little head.

Smells are mostly bourbon. Slight caramel coming through on the nose also.

Lots of heat from the bourbon and not much else honestly. There is a slight sweetness, but not enough to balance the bourbon.

Good carbonation, but felt a little watery and thin.

Overall, not a beer I would buy again. Nothing offensive, but nothing that makes it interesting either. Plenty of better beers on the shelves.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 01:41:31 | More by maximthegreat

baxter94

Kansas

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

06-18-2013 00:46:51 | More by baxter94

krossoverking

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%

06-15-2013 23:12:41 | More by krossoverking

JamLand

Texas

3/5  rDev -18.5%

06-15-2013 20:20:04 | More by JamLand

johnricardo

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

06-15-2013 16:44:01 | More by johnricardo

mjw1200

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -32.1%

06-15-2013 02:17:31 | More by mjw1200

b1515152004

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.7%

06-14-2013 23:42:43 | More by b1515152004

sd123

California

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%

06-14-2013 01:54:40 | More by sd123

Ron3

Florida

4/5  rDev +8.7%

06-14-2013 00:17:29 | More by Ron3

dbkdev

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +8.7%

06-13-2013 23:52:29 | More by dbkdev

rypkr

Pennsylvania

3.74/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

I normally only rate the beers I've had and do not write full reviews, but this one was too unique to not log.

Picked out 12 random beers from a local shop to be tried at home. This one was about 20% more expensive than most others but I wasn't sure why. Before trying I looked over the bottle for perhaps an extremely high abv or maybe even a rarer brewery (wasn't even sure who it was made by) but found little information on it.

appearance - medium amber. Cloudier upon first pouring but settled pretty clear. Very frothy and white head. Let settle before finishing pour.

Smell - my thoughts literally went caramel! No butterscotch! No wait toffee! Still not sure which specific aroma it is that's so dominant but its something sweet.

Taste - this is where my evaluation went whoa. Did I just drink a carbonated, low ABV whiskey? It's sweet and smooth, much more so than any Bourbon I'd ever sipped (but not a liquor drinker by any stretch) all the while being entwined in fizzy frenzy of carbonation. Warm alcohol expels briefly after each sip like an exhale after whiskey itself.

Mouth feel - has a soft creaminess to it. Medium to maybe slightly over medium carbonation.

Overall - truly unique. Had (whiskey/bourbon) barrel aged beers before but never one that picked up this much whiskey flavor. Certainly worth trying but couldn't see myself regularly sipping on this one when reaching for a beer. Would go well on a cold night in the mountains around a hunting camp fire.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 23:48:15 | More by rypkr

djre4orm

Virginia

4/5  rDev +8.7%

06-13-2013 19:51:42 | More by djre4orm

GabeQ

Tennessee

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

06-12-2013 21:32:36 | More by GabeQ

KiltedCulinarian

Georgia

4/5  rDev +8.7%

06-12-2013 16:32:31 | More by KiltedCulinarian

mendvicdog

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

06-11-2013 23:51:39 | More by mendvicdog

Trombone69

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +29.1%

06-11-2013 02:16:39 | More by Trombone69

SSEngelbrecht

Louisiana

4.33/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at HopJack's in Pensacola, FL.

A: Huge light tan head, beautiful orange - red color.

S: The oak and citrus are prominent.

T: The barrel is the first taste to hit the palate. Red fruit and light citrus are also present. More subtleties emerge as the beer warms.

M: The beer is light and crisp.

O: This was a well balanced beer, but not overly complex. This is a great example of the style, and I really enjoyed it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2013 00:20:13 | More by SSEngelbrecht

BeachRez

California

3/5  rDev -18.5%

06-10-2013 01:48:15 | More by BeachRez

backphish

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

06-10-2013 01:02:09 | More by backphish

Satsuma

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

06-09-2013 02:26:17 | More by Satsuma

clay23

New York

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

06-09-2013 00:12:20 | More by clay23

BucBasil

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from the tap into a tulip.

Aroma is Heavy butterscotch malt with caramel and toast.

Tastes very smooth with lots of malt. Buttery and toasty. A bit of scotch comes through as if I diluted a single malt with lots of water. Interesting!

Overall an ok beer. Very satisfying in the middle of the mountains.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2013 18:19:24 | More by BucBasil