AleSmith Barrel Aged Wee Heavy

Bottles thanks to JohnC and eldaneau at the Bruery Tasting. Both were 2004 bottles. Pours a nice hazy orange to brown hue with no head but some alcohol legs. Aroma of bourbon and brandy with raisins, toffee, vanilla and oak. Taste is of raisins, caramel malt, toffee, vanilla and maple. Syrupy and mouthcoating with hardly any carbonation.

25 oz bottle, 2004 vintage, bottle 151. Pours a very dark ruby body with a very minimal off-white fizzy head that retained as a thin ring. More carbonation than I was expecting. I can smell the heavy sweet and peated malts from a foot away. Unfortunately there’s also tons of boozy alcohol and bourbon as well that really dominates. Some vanilla also, but this probably smells the most boozy of all the AleSmith BA beers. The bourbon and vanilla really work well with the malt in the flavor though, the boozy quality is almost non-existent. The charred oak and peat meld nicely with the lingering sweetness. Just a touch of oxidation, which I quite like here. Heavy and thick body with a good bit of clingy sweetness, almost oily in texture, nice soft carbonation. Pretty warming on the finish. This was pretty great, but I really don’t care for it as much as I do the regular version.

Bottled, thanks Marsblursi! Deep mahogany colour, brief bubbly head. Aroma of vanilla and caramel. Sweet and softly malty. Full bodied and velvetty, chocolatey and syrupy with lots of bourbon and spun sugar. A massive and compelc beer with a richness that is seldom seen. The character of teh Wee Heavy is really well suited for barrel aging, and this is nicely done. In the finish warming alcohol prevails. A mindlowing beer. If there is anything i could change I’d try to make it less sweet.

#1400! I’m excited to try this one as its the BA version of my favorite Scotch/Wee Heavy. Thick, dark brown pour with a small head. Aroma is thick and sweet with lots of maple syrup, chocolate and toffee, dark berries, and lotsa vanilla-wood essence. Flavor is maple syrup dominant with a hefty (though not overwhelming) dose of oak, vanilla, roast/smoke, and caramel candy. Thick and wonderful mouthfeel - awesome brew!

(Bottle thanks to WeeHeavy) Pours beautiful mahogany brown with a red glow and almost no head. The sweet malt and the fat oak blends well in the aroma with notes of buttery coconut, vanilla, wood, stable caramel, liquid toffee, marzipan, light smoke, milk chocolate, earth, maple syrup, caramelized nuts, English fruit cake and warming alcohol. Round yet a bit sticky on the nose. Berry fruity and anise hints. The aroma and flavour is lightly oxidized with light vinous tones. The flavour is fat malty with a well-balanced backdrop of bourbon oak. Tones of caramel, toffee, milk chocolate, smoke, vanilla spiced, cocoanut, maple syrup and fudge. The mouthfeel round, oily and smooth yet sticky and chewy. Light carbonated. Medium to heavily sweet, light salty and light bitter. The aftertaste is earthy, caramelly malt and alcohol-ish bourbon. Near full-bodied. A fantastic malt bomb.

25.4 oz bottle, 2006 release. Dark brown with a frothy tan ring. Nose is peat, maple, scotch and vanilla with intriguing notes of ground fallen dark fruits. Medium body but carb level is fairly high; sharp and stinging. Taste is smooth chocolate scotch and oak. To me, barrel is too prominent. Tasty but i prefer the original.

Bottle. Poured a clear amber color with a thin brownish head. Aroma of molasses, caramel and bourbon. Flavor was very strong with bourbon. Palate was smooth with soft carbonation and a medium body.

Sample at J Gumbos Aug 2008 Indy tasting - First off, I absolutely love the base beer and we had that first. The result was the bourbon probably stood out more than it would have otherwise. Not a big fan of bourbon, but this one has gotten pretty balanced. Aroma is peat, oak, bourbon, caramel and toffee. Flavor matches with the bourbon being a bit stronger but not overpowering. Incredibly smooth palate. Very nice BA version of an already great brew.