 brewandbbq (227), Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
Dec 5, 2007
A beer produced exclusively for Julio’s liqours. Aged in four different types Buffalo Trace Bourbon casks, and blended.
Pours hazy, dark amber with a reddish hue. A straight-down pour allowed a half-inch head of finely beaded beige to rise up.
Some light lacework of mostly dots cling to the glass, and a partial, whispy skim-coat sticks to the surface of the brew.
Aromatics are pungently bourbonized.
Oak-laced whiskey and semi-sweet, sticky malt interplay very well.
There’s no mistaking the barrel-aging. Plenty of Buffalo Trace aromas but not overbearingly. Nougat and vanilla step forward in the finish as the nostrils warm.
Mouthfeel is medium at best, but sticky and creamy. Carbonation is extremely fine and spot on for the complexity of the brew.
The pallet is loaded with scotch ale character, but not of the sickly sweet school of scotch. Well attenuated, but still has plenty of carmelized malt and a hint of smoke.
The barrel aging is well balanced on the pallet, less overwhelming than expected from the nose.
The bourbon, malt, oak, and vanilla all meld very well for such a big brew. Hints of peat and charcoal run late on the finish.
Quite warming but very smooth.
Quality barrels definately get kick this beer up another notch.
A testament to the art of barrel-aging and blending.
I’m sure cellaring for years will continue to meld and mellow this ringer.
fordest (1906), Santee/San Diego, California, USA
Jan 3, 2009 22 oz bottle shared by toncatcher. Wood and sweet malts in the aromas. Similar flavors in the flavor. A little boozy and some alcohol on the finish. Pretty good.
dalekliz (314), San Diego, California, USA
Oct 28, 2008 Bottle, thanks to WeeHeavySD for sharing. Pours a hazy reddish-brown with a white ring. Rich fruity malt aroma, with apples, peaches, caramel, and bourbon. Very rich taste, of bourbon, malt, and sweeter fruits - apples. Big mouthfeel. Lingering sweet bourbon and fruit flavors. Very tasty.
Wasatch (259), Layton, Utah, USA
Oct 25, 2008 22oz. Bomber
Pours a nice clean/clear golden brown color, nice carbonation, nice small tannish creamy head, nice sticky lacing follows. The nose is malty, very nice tones of bourbon, some toffee/caramel. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, big on bourbon, toffee/caramel. Medium body. Very drinkable, this is one of the best from Berkshire, highly recommended. Thanks Andrew.
WeeHeavySD (2187), San Diego (Hillcrest), California, USA
Oct 4, 2008 Bomber via trade, and for the life of me I can’t quite figure out who traded to me. Shared with my girlfriend Cyn and Dalekliz. Pours cloudy orange reddish amber with a tan head. Nose is quite sweet and feels a lot like its going to be thick. Molasses and bourbon are omnipresent. The taste is sweet, malty and overall quite nice. Not a lot of complexity, but its tasty.
juiceisloose (341), Windermere, Florida, USA
Sep 25, 2008 Courtesy growler. Pours a dark brown color with a small tan head that leaves minimal lacing behind. The aroma shows notes of caramel malts, dark fruits, and some alcohol. Pretty different for a scotch ale. The flavor follows more of a traditional path with the smoked peat malts and creamy caramel dominating things with a little bit of heat on the back end. There was a little bourbon flavor on the backend, but not much. Medium bodied and smooth with a sweet caramel finish. Pretty good scotch ale.
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