AleSmith Barrel Aged Wee Heavy

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

2006 vintage released in 08, bottle 253/254. The first thing I thought when I smelled the open bottle was bourbon. The beer pours a nice brown color and I am pretty sure it looks like the regular wee heavy but I’ve only had that once. The aromas from the glass seem to be mostly vanilla and bourbon. The taste is pretty good, licorice, vanilla, nutty,fruits different than I remember the regular version but a hint of smoke and peat which I couldn’t detect in the regular version. The alcohol is definitely present in this beer. This is a good beer but really only a twist to a beer that was already good to start with. I would definitely purchase this again if I ever had a chance. Damn you Alesmith!!! Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 07-26-2008 04:09:24

Bottle shared by the illustrious Sparky27 at hellbillys house of terror. Pours a hazy brown color with no head. Aroma is caramel, malt, peat, barrel and scotch. Flavor is silky caramel, malt, barrel, a touch of peat and some nice scotch whiskey notes. Easy drinking, and fantastic brew overall.

2005 bottle #96/222 shared with the AZ Crew at hellbilly’s hellraiser 3.0 tasting. Pours a murky dark brown with almost zero head. The nose is whisky, vanilla and caramelized brown sugar. The taste is peat, sweet bourbon, vanilla beans, charred oak and candied fruits. Full bodied. Crazy good – a favorite on the evening.

Huge thanks to the Turd for a sample of this beer. The pour was, as those mooks below me already wrote, a bit disconcertingly thin. Dusky, a bit faded, but maybe not too out of wack for the style. The nose was very sweet, with a pleasing but not cloying quality that merged well with the malt and peat in the base beer. Even though the barrel is softer than expected in the taste, it still tends to overwrite some of the more earthy qualities. The body is also rather thin. Enjoyable, but the regular is definitely better.

Thanks turdferguson for sharing his 06. Pours a murky ruby brown with a tan head. The nose is earthy, peaty, caramel malt, bourbon and oak come through, some tannic aromas. The flavor is peaty, bourbon, spicy oak, vanilla, malty, caramel, tannic. The oak and tannic feels cut right through the malt sweetness on this. Palate is a bit dry and shows a bourbon warmth. Tasty but not knocking me out of the park.

Vintage 2006. Thanks to Sam for sharing this. Muddy dark brown pour with a really thin head. Dark fruit and bourbon on the nose. Sherry, vanilla, bourbon, and figs

750 ml bottle, 2005 edition bottle number 191/222. Shared generously by footbalm. Pours out a murky brown color with almost no head, some white bubbles come up. he aroma is really nice; powerful fruity and barrel notes, some whiskey, loads of brown sugar and malts. The flavor was fairly mellow, loads of barrel flavors, some whiskey and fruit, vanilla, lots of alcohol but not boozy. Very nice.

Big thanks to goldtwins for the bottle! 2006 vintage. Now when I received this, it was below freezing outside, and it was a BA slushie. The crown was also a b it loose and some of the beer leaked out, so keep this in consideration when reading this rating. Pours a murky dark brown with a small off white collar of foam. Aromas of sweet caramel malts, maple syrup, scotch, vanilla, oak, and dark fruits. Flavors of sweet malts, caramel, subtle wood notes, vanilla and syrup. Palate is thick, but very light on the carbonation. Thanks again Larry!