Arcadia Bourbon Barrel Hopmouth

Brewed by Arcadia Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Battle Creek, Michigan USA

Sampled @ the real ale tent of GTMW ’09 - Pours dark amber and blast the nose with ridiculous floral and perfume hops. Lots of alcohol and oak, though I don’t smell the bourbon. Taste is citrusy and bitter, with that same sweet perfume. It tasted more oaky than bourbony, and man did the hops linger on the finish of this one. Real syrupy and medium-bodied...would love to try again, but guessing I’m not going to get that chance.

Great Taste, 2009. I’m not a big fan of the regular Hop Mouth, but I found this to be an improvement. It seems that the combination of the bourbon and the additional ageing time helped round out the hops on this beer, which can seem overpowering and out of balance on fresh Hopmouth. Notes of lemon, caramel, dried cherry and apricot, and grass on the palate. Not as complex as the best bourbon IIPAs and barleywines of the day, but still very good.