AleSmith Barrel Aged Wee Heavy

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

After saving this bottle for an unspecified occasion, I was moved to open it in tribute to Richard Wright, the remarkable keyboardist whose contributions to the music of Pink Floyd cannot be under-emphasized. And if you must ask, yes I did pour some of this precious liquid out. I only wish the beer itself lived up to the moment, let alone its momentous hype. 2005 bottle, numbered 40/222. Opened with just a whisper of a pop behind the crown, revealing its lack of carbonation. Nose was dominated by oaky vanilla whiskey. There is brown sugar and caramel in the background. Color was a darkish cola brown, no head, no effervescence. Palate reveals only a light tingle of carbonation. Flavor was also dominated by the whiskey barrel contributions. Generally sweet, with a rounded mouthfeel, there’s a touch of bruised pear, acrid prune and raisin juice approaching the finish, which is strongly tannic with a near over-bearing alcoholic bite. Mouthfeel generally very full. I like the general theme behind it, and the intoxicating fun of it, but I’ve had a few barrel aged beers that exceed this one by some measure.

Bottle (2006) from brewery. Number is somewhere in the 70’s, it got wiped. Pours a low carbonated bronze/amber color. Very peaty and earthy. Somewhat sweet with a little bourbon aroma. Flavor is a dark fruity sweetness with hints of wood from a barrel and strong bourbon notes. Very smooth with low carbonation. Quite enjoyable.

Sampled next to regualr Wee Heavy, thanks iowaherkeye. Bottle #51 from 2006. The body was dark brown with a yellowish khaki head. The aroma was sweet pancakes with some strong vanilla. There was also some marigold flower and caramel. The taste was strong caramel with a little bit of bourbon and bread crust. Well made.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, blankboy, tupalev, jerc & garthicus - courtesy of HogTownHarry. Deep ruby-brown with very little head. Aroma of wood, booze, malt, booze, spice, booze - did I mention booze? Flavour of bourbon and wood, malt and brown sugar, a bit of coffee and smoke in the finish, and yeah, booze, but not as hot as I feared from the aroma.

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 Hopscotch for sharing this at the Dark Lord party and to Sprinkle for trading it to him. Nose was loaded with butterscotch and vanilla. The BA-ing was not overdone it simply added to the delightfullness of this brew. Has a little rawness to it that seemed to be alcohol burn but it still was tasty

Thanks to JohnC for sharing this one at Noogfest. I really would like to try this one all by itself in a larger sample and on a clean palate. Thin head of brown over a deep brown body. Brown sugar and bourbon aroma. Very smooth and sweet.

Bottle shared with GregClow, Hogtown Harry, Jerc, Blankboy, and Garthicus, courtesy of Harry (smudged Sharpie bottle). Very dark brown, no head. Bourbon aroma, sweet, some alcohol and smoke. Great taste - very earthy, slight smoke, some well worked bourbon - great balance. Very very good.