Ballast Point Three Sheets on Rum-Soaked Oak Chips

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
San Diego, California USA

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

A damn fine beer, I would drink it until my liver gave way. Nothing offensive at all, just beer bliss. The rum is far better than i expected with this beer. Very harmonious.

Draught No head, red to cola-coloured beer. Rum, fruity, red berries and obvious alcohol. Sweet, fiery alcoholic, (overripe) banana, wood, all on a good (darker) malts base. Very rich, viscous and oily, fiery alcoholwarmth. Fiery is the word. Oh - and it’s far from bad.

On tap at the brewery. Hazy deep brown pour with a modest tan head. Aromas of rum, wood, flan, toffee, turbinado sugar, dark fruits and sherry. Flavors of burnt toffee/flan, oak, tannins, rum, alcohol and caramel. Pretty bitter. Some fruity, dark rum sweetness. Light bubbles with a sticky finish. Light blue cheese note in the finish (maybe I am making that up...very light hint if it is there).

Much like the main offering, but the rum has evened it out a bit. A tad sweeter and a little less rough. Still a boatload of hops with a sweet full mouthfeel. Nice dry finish. Full flowery bouquet on the nose. Great offering.

Pours ruddy red/brown with a good sized offwhite head and good lace. Smells sweet and malty with some wood and booze. Good bit of booze. Tastes good. Sweet, sugary malts, slight fruit, slight wood with a nice mellow booze backer. A bit of spicy hops on the finish as well. Full, coating body, smooth carbonation.

My Bottom Line:
Brown rum and caramel malts unite but float detached in this Barley Wine’s plump body, as a resinous hop bitterness appears out of the blue .

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the cloudy reddish-brown.
-The rum and caramelized cereals are harmonious, but simply don’t gel with the rest of the beer.
-Alcohol is not prominent, which I appreciate.
-There seems to be a few good ideas in this Barley Wine, but they are still roughly laid out at this stage.

On tap at their Linda Vista brewery.