Barrel Aged Brrrbon (Brothers' Reserve Series) - Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

khensley

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Red in color, spider web lacing, faint rings per sip.

Smells like black liquorish in the woods.

Sweet front of tongue, intriguing bubble-gum/mike and ike's type of finish. Intriguing transition from sweet, to tart, to bitter in the back of the throat. Very sophisticated profile of flavor. Alcohol content is masked in the myriad of flavors that present themselves. A truly one of a kind flavor, which makes this beer worth sampling.

Big enough to fill the mouth, but not too big to be chewy. A bit undefined in the tongue tickle, but not so much than I mind.

I'm taken back to my days of a bourbon aficionado, when I drank too much whisky and coke. This beer tastes as close to whisky and coke as I could possible imagine. I love whisky and coke! Never saw this coming. How did they do it? A whole new category of beer. Try it, at least for the sake of sampling a one of a kind beer!!

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2013 07:41:57 | More by khensley

TheSixthRing

California

3.09/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had on -tap at Final Gravity in Roseville, CA

Appearance - A clear, reddish copper served to me with a thin, off-white head.

Smell - Smells like watered down bourbon. Sweet, oaky and boozy.

Taste - Follows the nose: watered down bourbon. Touches of caramel. Boozy. Not much else to describe.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body with low carbonation. Smooth. Goes down easy enough.

Overall - Call me unimpressed. Truly tastes like bourbon that's been cut with water. That's it. Really nothing else to it. Definitely a beer that won't be on my future want list.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2013 20:55:19 | More by TheSixthRing

ranger60

New Jersey

3.09/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Had it on tap at Buckeye Beer Engine.

A - dark caramel color, almost looks like a dark cream soda. off white head that really laces the glass.

S- picking up hops, not much else overly characteristic.

T- tasting alcohol more than anything. some hops, and if I let it linger in my mouth and think about it, I'm picking up the bourbon.

M- a bit harsh and strong alcohol.

O- not bad, but disappointing for a bourbon aged.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2013 18:31:36 | More by ranger60

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. 2012 vintage. Off-white head, moderate retention on a slightly hazy, copper body. Clear and soapy, sticky lacing. Aroma includes (suprisingly) earthy piney hops with some citrus. Slight vanilla, caramel malts and marmalade. Taste is again dominated by earthy hops and bitterness, some caramel malts again and vanilla sweetness. Not at all what I expected, very drinkable for the abv and quite tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2012 06:21:35 | More by KickbacksSteve

kylehay2004

Florida

3.83/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Two finger off white head on a hazy amber orange body. Excellent retention and nice lacing. Flavors of vanilla, toasted malts, brown sugar, spices, bourbon, caramel and hints of toffee. Aroma hides under the thick head ad is mostly of candy sugar, dark fruits, orange peel and caramel. Medium body and moderate carbonation. A little oily on the palate. A lot of flavors in this one but for me they do tall come together in the end to form a memorable or great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2012 12:59:36 | More by kylehay2004

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Looks nice on the pour. Feels extremely silly and smooth. Flavor profile is nice and smooth. Mild hop spice tones. Lots of malts. I'm getting a bit of a vanilla tone here too. Overall, this is a very smooth beer. I get no boozy tones, and I'm pretty sure it's close to 10% on the abv, from what I recall when I saw the bottle. A nice easy drinker. Pleasant.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2012 06:04:13 | More by RblWthACoz

HopHead84

California

3.4/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2/10/2012

On tap at Churchill's.

A: Dark orange and transparent. The white head fades quickly.

S: A pleasant blend of caramel, vanilla, oak, and bourbon (faint). There's earth and a dash of grapefruit. Smells nice but it's not very expressive. Takes a lot of coaxing and swirling to bring out the aroma. Butterscotch comes to mind.

T: Caramel and restrained bourbon notes. There's a lower moderate bitterness and a little citrus. Vanilla is faint. Alcohol is quite strong.

M: Upper medium body with upper medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is silky and sticky.

Overall: A decent barrel aged Strong Ale, though a bit inexpressive.

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2012 19:35:30 | More by HopHead84

david18

New York

3.98/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had a small draft of this at the Amsterdam Ale House on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. A very good beer, especially for a "Winter Warmer" which I typically don't like. The bourbon was very present and added a lot to this beer.

Color was lighter than I expected, a dark copper with a low amount of carbonation.

Aroma was a great balance of roasty malt, hops and the bourbon/barrel.

Flavor as well was very balanced and had a great warming to it without any of that crazy fruitiness or spiciness that you can get from winter ales.

A great beer drank at the perfect time of year for it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2012 23:48:50 | More by david18

flexabull

California

3.25/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sampled last night at the Alehouse.

Pours a bright orange/amber color with a pretty good off white head.

Aromas are very bourbon forward, boozy, with some roasted nuts, light cola, and mixed spices.

Taste is a bit of a let down. Caramel malt sweetness, light cola, some nuttiness, and a general booziness. But it lacks complexity, and comes off as an odd mixture of booze and spices.

Thin, but smooth mouthfeel, but leaves a bit to be desired.

Overall, this is ok. I really enjoyed Brrr, but this treatment of that beer doesn't work all that well. I guess it's something to try once, but not something I'd like to revist.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2011 18:04:15 | More by flexabull

mdfb79

New York

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From 11/22/11 notes. Had on tap at FireWorks in Arlington, VA. Poured in a snifter.

a - Pours a reddish brown color with one inch of tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of bourbon, oak, vanilla, light spice, and lightly roasted malts. Bourbon is very strong but I'm definitely enjoying it in the nose.

t - Tastes of bourbon, oak, spices, vanilla, alcohol, and some roasted malts. Bourbon again is strong but a little too much for me here in the taste.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. A bit of alcohol warmth here.

o - Overall a decent beer, but a bit too strong for me. I think with some time on it it could be a lot better, and would age it if I had it in a bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2011 22:16:28 | More by mdfb79

mithrascruor

California

3.38/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

'11 on-tap at Callahan's, San Diego.

Poured a slightly hazy dark amber color. Minimal head, with little retention. I really couldn't get any aroma off of this beer. Good malt taste with caramel and allspice. Unfortunately the flavor gets milder and milder over just a few sips - so it began to lose me a bit. There's a bit of bitterness in the aftertaste. Overall it is a very smooth beer. It is medium-bodied, with light (yet very prickly!) carbonation. An enjoyable and mild (in a good way) barrel-aged winter warme.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2011 03:02:36 | More by mithrascruor

cbarrett4

Oregon

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured the 2010 batch from tap at Belmont Station.

Time does wonders for this beer. Pours a nice brown/dark amber clear hue though the head is almost non-existent and quickly vanishes to a thin lace.

The aromas center on bourbon cask, vanilla, cinnamon, and dark fruit. Rather light and a little muddled though...

Flavors are subtle with a lot of influence from the oak aging, very faint dark fruit (black cherry?), some toast and hints of caramel.

Texture is velvety and liquor like. Really nicely balanced. Subtle bitterness, some alcohol noticeable but not too over the top.

Overall a very good beer, but not one that I will be buying regularly or even ordering on tap if there are other interesting selections. I do like the effort here though.

Serving type: on-tap

10-22-2011 19:42:35 | More by cbarrett4

Diesel76

California

3.78/5  rDev +5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had seen this in bottles, but wasn't willing to fork over the amount of dough they wanted for a bottle... then when I was at the Widmer Gasthaus in Portland, they had this on tap, so I gave it a try.

Since I love the Widmer Brr winter release, I figured my love would follow to their Brrbon. It looked and smelled fantastic... but it must be that I am not a big hard alcohol fan that all I could taste was the Burbon... Couldn't even taaste the Brrr beer... I am glad I only paid a few bucks for a glass vs the cost of the bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2011 21:18:07 | More by Diesel76

russwbeck

Virginia

3.15/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this a long time ago on tap at the Z Bar in State College.

A: Brownish red pour with a thick white head. Very nice retention and lacing.

S: Slight bourbon smell but dominated by the spiciness of a winter warmer.

T: It really only tastes like a winter warmer with hints of bourbon. Spicy and caramel mainly. One of the more watered down bourbon aged beers I've had.

MF: Decent amount of carbonation with hints of the alcohol.

O: A miss. Wanted more bourbon, less winter warmer. With that said, it's a damn good winter warmer considering this is easily one of my least favorite styles.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2011 23:18:54 | More by russwbeck

ktrillionaire

Florida

2.93/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Ale and Witch

A - It pours a shiny and translucent auburn-mahogany with a cute little foam cap; it is all too tidy for a -bal IMHO.

S - The nose is best summarized as a whiff of whiskey atop a beer that is most akin to a watery cream soda. Never having had Brrr, I cannot comment on relative differences between base and -bal, but it seems like a mellow barrel and a bland beer mated. Still, relative to all beers it smells like middle-of-the-pack.

T - The olfactory is the same as the gustatory, except that the blandness is increased. There is some basic oak, cracker-y malt, diacetyl butteriness, and some vanilla sweetness. Again, cream soda is apt as a parallel.

M - Mehhh. Kinda weak.

D - Easily drinkable, just really not worth seeking out. Or paying MSRP, either, if you will.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2011 02:40:25 | More by ktrillionaire

begforme4484

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears light brown with a orange hue. Decent head.

Smell, you get a definite hint of sweetness.

Taste was very mellow. Reminded me of some better scotch ales. Mellow up front, with more to offer towards the end of the sip.

Medium bodied with mild carbonation.

If it weren't so damned expensive, I'd buy up the stock in the area. But it was on tap, which made it much more attractive to me.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2011 15:22:27 | More by begforme4484

mjsheehan08

Pennsylvania

2.83/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Poured a dark, burnt orange that is kind of tough to see through. Minimal head and some pretty decent lacing. 

Smells like straight bourbon. Some earthy wood notes appear in the nose, which overpower some mild floral citrusy smells. 

Taste follows alot of the nose. The primary flavors in this brew are heavy bourbon. Like, alot of bourbon. I only have one bottle of it and I wish I had left it sit for another year. There is some sweetness in finish which feels like caramel. Little to no hop bitterness presences, but there is some mild floral and citrusy presense. 

Little to no carbonation in the feel, and I honestly am having trouble finishing this bottle. 

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2011 03:20:03 | More by mjsheehan08

LazyL

British Columbia (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +31.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

As the bartender slid the snifter glass across the bar I was to say the least a little excited. Held up against the light, a very nice briliant amber and small creamy head. So far so good. But then to the nose and I was taken aback. The smooth bourbon and oak notes are intoxicating. Then to the taste and my mind swirled. So balanced, so smooth, so easy to drink. Every sip was wonderful and it wasnt until I got outside into the fresh air did I feel the alcohal. Best beer I have tried in along time. I bought a bomber to cellar, but I dont know if that plan will work out as every time I see the bottle on the shelf I want to crack it and experiance that again.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2011 06:21:52 | More by LazyL

meisterkirke

California

3.78/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I drank this one on tap at the Ojai Beverage Company. Says Bourbon, smells bourbon, but not so much taste of bourbon as in other bourbon barreled beers.

Looks good, nice amber color,

Smell promises a bourbon taste

Taste wasn't as bourbon-like as I had hoped.

Good mouthfeel and nice carbonated.

I liked but couldn't buy that one yet, maybe with time it will improve, but a tap is supposed to be the top taste right?

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2011 04:55:14 | More by meisterkirke

djbreezy

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On draught at the Widmer Gasthaus in Portland, OR.

appearance - sticky lacing, good retention, big head, dark cherry in color, no transparency

smell - bourbon, sweetness, alcohol, wood

taste - caramel/toffee base, notes of wood, big bourbon alcohol all around, hops

mouthfeel - medium body, light for a 9.4 abv, some foaminess/medium carbonation

drinkability - moderate complexity, a decent sipping brew, would likely age well

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2010 05:17:52 | More by djbreezy

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.78/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From recently taken notes:
A $5 10 oz. snifter at Widmer's Gasthaus. The third in the limited 'Brothers Reserve' series.

A: Absolutely lovely pour: as chestnut/auburn as the base beer (the abominably named 'Brrr'), with a larger and denser pile of light tan cream. Drippy sheets of coating froth, great stickiness.

S: Sigh, just sigh...despite a lightly sweet 'bourbon' nose, this disappoints in both strength and complexity. A little resin/cut lumber, then fusel alcohol...

T: I really enjoy(ed) the B-word beer last year, so it'd be a surprise to NOT like this. Good base, full of spice and piney hops, then a layered dose of 'the wood', barrel-aging that's sweet, sappy and rather raw. A toffee and vanilla sweetness comes and goes.

M: Medium body that coats steadily but never gets anywhere close to 'thick'. Not so heavily carbonated/fizzy but a certain buoyant frothiness that writhes about on the tongue.

D: A twist on a likable addition to last year's winter line-up. Still awfully warm right now, a fact that affects drinkability (somewhat). Worth a try (another good/interesting effort from the Bros. Reserve line) and something I'll pick up a bottle or two of for aging.

Serving type: on-tap

10-25-2010 07:38:12 | More by msubulldog25

srhoadsy

Florida

4.28/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2011 bottling. Served slightly chilled into a snifter.

Pours a cloudy copper color with very slight head and no lacing.

Strong aromas of caramelized sugars, dried fruit and vanilla.

Flavors of caramelized sugar, candied citrus peel, toasted coconut with a touch of booze.

Medium to heavy bodied with a surprisingly crisp finish on the tongue. Mild and sweet aftertaste with just a hint of alcohol burn.

Surprised at some of the lower scores on this one. Maybe the aging helped this one immensely, but I can definitely say this was one of the better beers I've had in a while. Kicking myself for not having cellared several more bottles of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 00:21:01 | More by srhoadsy

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From Fall '10

Appearance - pours a cloudy light reddish amber. A thin head of tan breaks up quickly, just a scattered cover after setup, yet somehow manages some impressive lace patterns, apparently from the collar.

Aroma - faintly malty, only because the vanilla and wood are pretty dominant. Not an aggresive smelling beer by any stretch, but it's obviously bourbonized.

Taste - some light toastiness to the malt, going a bit bitter mid-palate as wood, spices, mild caramel, and some abv heat kick in. The wood continues to show on the aftertaste, providing a little twangy bite on the finish. Ends warmly, decent lingering boozy flavor but not especially layered or complex.

Mouthfeel - smooth, weighty, low key carbonation. Very enjoyable.

Overall - a fine sipper for the last few weeks of winter '13, it aged nicely.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 02:26:31 | More by brewdlyhooked13

secondtooth

Indiana

3.71/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a rich amber, with limited head of carbonation, and not much noticeable lacing.

Nose is some vanilla and oak.

Taste is rich and sweetly malty, but I don't get much of the vanilla-like bourbon tones. The finish does showcase the warm whiskey character, though. Comparable to Alltech Brewing's Bourbon Barrel Ale, this one's not bad, though perhaps a tad high on the price ($14.99/bomber).

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 03:30:52 | More by secondtooth

Amalak

New York

4.03/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A. It has a nice caramel color with a slight haziness to it. Some bubbles, small head.

S. A metallic malt scent.

T/M. It has a balanced malty taste. Some hops and a bit bitter. A slight alcohol taste, but not overbearing. Smooth and full bodied.

O. Very nice, smooth beer. For a winter warmer, it's a very nice offering.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 23:31:08 | More by Amalak