Bluegrass Bourbon Barrel Munich Style Helles

Brewed by Bluegrass Brewing Company
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Louisville, Kentucky USA

Serve in Lager glass

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I had no idea what kind of glassware to use, so I stuck with my old standby snifter. Certainly and interesting style to put in a bourbon barrel, I’ll give them that. Let’s see if it’s any good. 3.0 A: Lightly hazed orange color. Two fingers of creamy/frothy beige head. Retention is good with some irregular lacing left behind. There are small floaties throughout the brew with some black, much larger particulates precipitated at the bottom of the glass. 3.0 S: This smells like watered down bourbon. I guess I’m not surprised since the base style isn’t a particularly potent brew, even one at 8%. Bourbon is leathery with melon and peat notes. Plenty of oak and vanilla. A little boozy. Not much in terms of complexity. Just weak bourbon. 3.0 T: Taste is the same. Watered down bourbon with no contribution from the beer itself except for maybe a slight breadiness. 4.0 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Reasonably creamy and smooth. Good here. 3.0 D: I appreciate the balls needed to put this style in a bourbon barrel, but the expected outcome is realized. The beer can’t compete with the bourbon, simple as that. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 10-12-2011 01:30:00

Bottle 750ml.

Clear medium yellow amber colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, hay, toasted - caramel, moderate hoppy, flowers, perfume, apple, vanilla notes. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, perfume - flowers, laberlaver notes. Body is medium, texture is oily and sticky, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20110930]

750ml from Liquor Barn, Louisville. Shouldn’t work and it’s too thin and the flavor is a bit indistinctly fruity, with an insufficient hop profile and an at times generic feel. But for one reason or another, I dug it nonetheless, even if it’s only because I was impressed with the relative subtlety of the barrel.

fonefan tasting. Clear amber with an off-white head. Aroma is quite sweet, malty and perfume. Flavor is medium sweet and light bitter. Dry and light bitter finish. 300911

Bottle @ Morten minus Peter smagning, Ulfborg. Pours cloudy dark golden with a small white head. Nose is sweet oak, vanilla, caramel and grains. Flavor likewise. Smooth and vaguely boozy. Not bad, but why ?

Bottle. Clear amber with small white head. Aroma is malt, caramel, fruit and perfume.: Flavour is malt, caramel, fruit, little toffee, hops, medium bitter and notes of alcohol.

Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Medium head with medium duration. Color is amber. Aroma and taste are malt, caramel, perfume, candy sugar, oak, wood, malt and hops.

Bottle from Liquor Barn. Clear dark yellow with a fizzy white head. Nice slightly fruity, grainy, and bourbon aroma. Tastes of caramel, vanilla, white grape, bourbon, and oak with a sweet bread finish. Smooth if somewhat sticky palate.

(draft @ Local Option - Chicago, IL) Clear amber pour with a soapy white head. Mild bourbon aroma with some grassy hops underneath. Good amount of vanilla and oak. Flavor is a mild bourbon vanilla and oak combination with a nice malty and grassy hop combination underneath. Never had a bourbon-aged Helles before but it worked well. Smooth and not overbearing.

Sampled @ FoBAB 2010 as Eight Helles. Sweet barley malt and bitter green grass hops aroma. Golden color with moderate head. Bitter green grass hops up front with a light creamy barley malt finish. Finishes a bit light.