Flying Fish Bourbon Barrel Dubbel

Date: 07/18/2007
Mode: Hand Bottled
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

dark amber, fine beige head, drops of lace, sweet chocolate and dark caramel aroma with a blanket of bourbon, sweet bourbon and dark caramel flavor, nice chocolate character, lots of fruity esters provide good balance for bourbon, the chocolate and bourbon also blend well, very low alcohol is well hidden, upon warming the vanilla sweetness comes out upon warming, overall blends much better than the normal belgian bourbon beer to make a nice chocolate caramel candy with a bourbon center,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4.1/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***+/4

Handbottle courtesy of MrBendo: Pours a hazy copper amber with a thin-lacing ring of light tan head. Aroma of dry milk chocolate and coconut with some light bourbon oak and vanilla along with a lot of toasty nutty character. Body starts with some sweet dark caramel malt along with lots of vanilla oak and some mild diacetyl. Has some smooth milk chocolate flavors and lingering bourbon warmth toward the finish. A really unique and enjoyable brew.

On tap at Capone’s. Poured a deeper cloudy brownish / orangish color with almost no head. Aromas of wood, trace of bourbon, some dark fruits and sugary. Tastes of wood, bourbon (stronger than the aroma but not over powering), dark fruits, vanilla, sugary, and caramel. Trace of alcohol in the finish. Nice.

Draft at Capone’s. The pour is turbid rusty mud colored with minimal off-white head. The aroma is very nice, giving hints of heavy oaky spirits, vanilla, plum, cherry, earthy, berry, and some spicy hop notes. The taste is heavily malty, and fruity, giving cherry, berry, and plum hints, plus a solid dose of vanilla and oaky spirits, and some earthy notes. The aromas and flavors intermingle well in this, and it gets even better as it warms, although I drank my snifter too fast to let it get terribly warm. Hard to find, excellent beers like this one are one of the reasons that I never tire of rating beer, or scouting for it. Big props to Matt Capone for going out and continuing to procure beers like this one.

Poured a dark amber color with a thin off-white head. The aroma had nice notes of vanilla and some bourbon. Mildly sweet malt makes up the base. The flavor had some yeasty and estery notes mixed through the malty flavor.