Drakes Barley Wine Bourbon Barrel

dark cherry, chocolate, rum, bourbon, and coconut flavors. dark as hell and delicious.

From a friend who lives out in Cali. Thanks, Squirrel! Pours no head with a smooth, wine-like characteristic and a fat ribbon of dark brown sandwiched between two bands of tan hues. Oily lacing. Strong, sweet aromas of caramel and barrel adhere to my sinuses; I won’t smell anything else for hours. Like the olfactory qualities, this beer is a full frontal assault of flavor in the mouth: big notes of consistent caramel and oak, hint of vinous fruits, malts, and a strong alcoholic presence. Thin carbonation and full-flavored. You couldn’t find a tastier experience with a fine cognac. Not the easiest to drink on, but an excellent brew nonetheless.

6oz bottle picked up at Ledger’s in Berkeley. Pours a brackish brown navy bean soup and almost no head. The aroma is simply huge to start. It smells like a chocolate rum cake. Wow, amazing aroma. I get creamy toffee, caramel and chocolate. Next I picked up a big ole whiff of alcohol. There’s also the standard barleywine dark fruitiness coming from prunes and dates. I even smell that a loud truck drove by while they were bottling this bottle. It smells like an uneven unspoken moment of tension. It’s faint but it’s there. The flavor does not disappoint after the aroma has set the plate. Smooth and rich with an initial burst of caramel candy. This is gooood. The dark fruitness enters just after with prunes and dates. Then by midway the malt richness returns with toffee, creamy caramel candy and chocolate. There is also an understated woodiness running through the backyard of the flavor experience toting along a splash of booze. It is toasty too. This one really comes together for me.

Big thanks to Degarth and Ibrew2or3 for this beauty. Pours a still muddy brown syrup with no head to speak of.Smells of plums, candied sugars, and caramel.Flavor is much of the same caramel,figs,sugar ,and maple syrup. Palate was very nice it coats the tongue well and sits there for awhile a small amount of carbonation is present.

Pours a hazy dark mahogany with copper edges and a thin coating of off-white head. Aroma has a nice, complex, sweet fruity caramel and bourbon character with a touch of tobacco. Body starts viscous and sweet with a nice raisin and brown sugar complexity with good vanilla bourbon notes. Nicely balanced, complex and slightly warming. An enjoyable barrel-aged barleywine.