AleSmith Barrel Aged Wee Heavy

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
San Diego, California USA

A 2004 vintage bottle (220 out of 234), shared by Guerde and Olso2116. Pours a brownish amber brew with a very fast dissolving tan head that comes clean with a very thin film on top. No lacing or ring in this glass. Aroma of dark caramel malt, plenty of bourbon, coconut, and some vanilla. Taste is medium to full bodied, very light carbonation with flavors of coconut, bourbon, some caramel malt and plenty of alcohol. Finish is smooth and creamy with a coconut/bourbon aftertaste that really sticks around. A pleasant brew to share and experience!

Thanks to olso2116 for sharing! Bottle number 220/234. It has a brown color and smells like bourbon. Fine bourbon, sweet caramel malt, and coconut dominate the flavor. Not too sweet like some other bourbon beers.

Bottle #220. Thanks to Guerde and Olso2116! These guys just keep bringing the great stuff! Murky brown color with a thin head. Big bourbon aroma, but not like sniffing an actual glass of bourbon. Tastes very much like it has a lot of Knob Creek in it. A fair amount of smoke with a powerfully sweet malt finish. Very good, but I think I like the un-aged one a bit better.

Thanks to olso2116 for sharing this treat (bottle 220/234). Dark brown body with faint head. Smooth whisky on the nose. Slightly green oak flavor on the sweet body. Lots of bourbon in the body as well.

Very good of Oslo2116 to share this incredibly rare treat. Bottle number 220/234. Even as I am extremely grateful to try this, I am terribly disappointed because AleSmith has ruined an excellent beer with a crappy bourbon flavor. They might have used a different a different barrel, oak chips, Calvados, Port barrels, but instead, dialed-in bourbon. Bourbon aroma and bourbon flavor. Hardly recognizable as a Scotch ale any more, without the complexity and flavor of the un-ruined, regular version. Considerable malt is present anyway, as well as sugar, but bourbon has covered all there was to love. Palate seemed a little thin. I feel bad about this review because I know this beer is kind of a big deal and I love thick, sweet vinous Scotch ales, but the bourbon isn’t for me.

(bottle, big thanks to olso2116) Pours dark brown with just a minimal white head. The aroma of this beer is great with bourbon, oak, coconut, and some peanut butter. The flavor was predominately bourbon, but it really worked for this beer, and upon some warming you could pick up some of the malty caramel sweetness too. This was great.

[Bottle, #220, via trade with JCapriotti, thanks!] Pours dark brown with a tiny white head. Aroma is of bourbon, oak and coconut--very nice. Taste is strongly of bourbon at first with some fruitiness towards the end. Normally I’m not a huge bourbon fan, but I didn’t find this to be overpowering and thought it meshed quite well. Medium body. Long lingering finish. I’m definitely a fan.

Date: 05/20/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Noog II

clear brown, thin whispy head, sweet oak aroma with a light hint of bourbon, after a while the big sweet bourbon comes bursting through and takes over the aroma with a touch of butterscotch and lingering vanilla, sweet bourbon flavor covered in layers of vanilla flavored hot carmel, lingering alcoholic heat,
-------- /> Date: 08/02/2006
Source: tasting

Aroma: sweet bourbon and vanilla aroma,
Body: creamy body,
Overall: lots of heat that disapates after a while allowing some ripe fruit and smokeyness to show through
-------- /> Date: 12/01/2007
Source: tasting

strong sweet bourbon and vanilla, ripe fruit character continues to grow in both the aroma and flavor,

Aroma: 9/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 9/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4.4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***4