Heavy Seas Bourbon Barrel Aged Below Decks - Heavy Seas Beer

ShadesOfGray

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my tall Allagash snifter/chalice. Pours a reddish brown color with about a finger to two size creamy tan head, with light retention. Doesn't leave much of a lacing. A very nice start to a great looking barleywine.

Aroma is great. Good amount of hops for an english barleywine! Some charcoal and burnt notes, and BOURBON! Wow, booze is definitely noticeable, and overall a wonderful aroma.

Flavor is very good, but not great. Creamy mouthfeel, decent amount of booze, medium carbonation. The bourbon addition is a stellar addition to the Below Decks barleywine beer! Some hops, fruits, charcoal...possibly some toffee? Overall, a very good beer. I think I liked the wine aged Below decks better, but this was definitely delicious!

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 02:12:18 | More by ShadesOfGray

cofeeguru

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%

06-19-2013 02:26:00 | More by cofeeguru

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bourbon Barrel Aged Below Decks opens to a sweet, fruity nose bearing loads of fruit esters, including very nice bits of plum, fig, orange, grape, and berry, as well as a touch of raisin and prune. These aromas – especially the darker ones – mix well with a light overtone of vanilla, oak, and bourbon from the barrel aging, lending the beer very strong tawny port overtones. In fact, in a blind smelling test, this could be easily mistaken for a light, sweet port, with just a faint hint of extra-vanilla-laden bourbon about the edges. The grains also bring in supporting layers of pie crust and floury baguette, as well as touches of multigrain toast crust, to help offset the sweetness, and touches of brown sugar and amber agave nectar add further dimension to the sugars. As a whole, the nose here is very nice, bearing little in the way of beer aromas, but boasting a full-bodied port-like aroma that is very enticing. The nose can be almost too sweet at times, the fruits coming across like Jolly Rancher candies, but there’s just enough darkness and breadiness to prevent it from becoming cloying.

On the tongue, the beer’s bourbon barrel aging is immediately obvious, the opening notes being a shot of heavily vanilla-laced bourbon that mixes almost instantly with a huge array of fruits, including plum, cherry, berry, orange, fig, and prune, lending the beer an immediate cocktail-cum-tawny-port overtone that is quite delicious. Further sugars make themselves known after a few seconds, including brown sugar, agave nectar, wildflower honey, and even thin threads of super sweet confectioner’s sugar. These sweet notes are lightly held in check by woody overtones from the barrel aging, as well as toast crust, cereal grain, biscuit, and yeasty rising whole wheat dough, though the bready notes occupy much less than half of the flavors. There is an alcoholic vapor that hangs over everything, but it mainly passes off as bourbon – though it can border on vodka. The aftertaste is a continuation of the main mouthful, with a stronger bourbon vapor presence, lingering on the tongue in fruity, alcoholic goodness for a good while. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is a very nice Barleywine, and the bourbon barrel aging has added a nice layer of complexity that was sorely needed in the basic Below Decks version of this beer. There is perhaps a bit too much sweetness in here (admitting that such a profile fits with the style), and the alcohol vapors do get very strong after a few sips, but on the whole this is very worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 00:14:53 | More by jondeelee

Devi0us

California

3.75/5  rDev -6%

06-15-2013 07:07:05 | More by Devi0us

DCH

New York

3.25/5  rDev -18.5%

06-12-2013 22:42:03 | More by DCH

warnerry

Michigan

4/5  rDev +0.3%

06-08-2013 01:39:38 | More by warnerry

josephwa

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%

06-06-2013 21:36:43 | More by josephwa

DRBiser

Maryland

4/5  rDev +0.3%

06-04-2013 21:55:01 | More by DRBiser

Chugs13

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +0.3%

06-03-2013 00:18:58 | More by Chugs13

buzzy

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

05-28-2013 02:21:00 | More by buzzy

djrn2

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -6%

05-26-2013 01:11:00 | More by djrn2

AOShabaz

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%

05-24-2013 23:32:54 | More by AOShabaz

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.3%

05-22-2013 01:18:16 | More by mikeincharleston

jakeox

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -18.5%

05-18-2013 23:38:26 | More by jakeox

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A - A nice deep amber brown with a 1/4 inch of foamy mocha head.
S - Not very bourbon heavy but still pleasant with caramel, toffee, melon rind, and some sweet sweet vanilla.
T - Far from the most bourbon based beer I had from these guys (damn greater Pumpkin was like straight up booze) this beer taste of balanced boozey awesomeness mixed with syrup like caramel, vanilla highlight, and some more bourbon.
M - Heavy for sure but not as heavy as Backwoods Bastard. Very tasty.

Overall after having two bombers for 8 bucks a pop I am convinced this is the best bourbon barrel beer ever made! Even at 10 bucks its a steal.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 02:16:59 | More by DrDemento456

jsurfs82

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

04-29-2013 17:02:49 | More by jsurfs82

Gobzilla

California

4/5  rDev +0.3%

04-28-2013 17:32:54 | More by Gobzilla

BTFU

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%

04-28-2013 05:39:58 | More by BTFU

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.88/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bomber of this stuff from SliverX. Cheers man!

From a bomber into a snifter

APPEARANCE: Pours a small, medium looking, light tan or off-white head with decent retention. Mahogany or rust in color, transparent with medium levels of carbonation. Head fades to a splotchy wisp and ring. A ring remains until the end and leaves some dots of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Nice bourbon, vanilla, oak, with some caramel and toffee notes as well. Light melon notes as well. Well integrated barrel and bold enough as well.

TASTE: Caramel and toffee up front with bourbon and oak flavors through the middle into the finish. Bold and lingering aftertaste fo bourbon, oak, vanilla, leather notes and some toffee, nutty sweetness. Melon flavors from the hops as well. Pretty well integrated, much like the nose.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. A little light perhaps and only semi-creamy on the palate, goes down okay and finishes a touch sticky. A bit of a burn lingers on the palate. Too light, unfortunately, but creamy and smooth enough.

OVERALL: Pretty solid for sure. This one is certainly enjoyable, complex, and very well balanced with a good blend of barrel flavors and base beer. A thicker, heavier feel would make this outstanding. Still, it's very nice as it is and I would definitely drink this again. Thanks again SliverX. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 12:44:35 | More by Jeffo

Zuidman

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%

04-15-2013 02:55:13 | More by Zuidman

MaseFace

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +0.3%

04-15-2013 01:50:04 | More by MaseFace

egrace84

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -6%

04-14-2013 02:21:21 | More by egrace84

kevdemers

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +0.3%

04-14-2013 01:21:46 | More by kevdemers

Morey

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -6%

04-13-2013 12:29:13 | More by Morey

CaptDavyJones

New York

4.31/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22 oz bomber (2012) in to an oversized snifter.
Amber colored with ruby red hues and a thin film of a head that dissipates fairly quickly.
Aroma is extremely bourbony; with notes of vanilla, coconut and some alcohol sweetness. The aroma is pleasant, not overwhelming.
Taste is similar to the aroma, very bourbon forward. Slight sweetness upfront, giving way to subtle bitterness all the way from the middle to the finish. Some char notes towards the finish. Alcohol is very well hidden and its surprisingly easy to drink.
A very good barrel aged beer, one of Heavy Seas better servings. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 03:35:22 | More by CaptDavyJones