Flying Fish Bourbon Barrel Dubbel

Draft->plastic cup (tasting@brewery): Pours a rocky/frothy, light brown head that exhibits spare lacing atop of a murky, lightly cloudy brown body . Malt is of molasses, hops are of celery, and perhaps a tad of butter in there as well. The body is medium, texture is oily, and the carbonation is average. The flavor’s duration is short, moderately sweet and lightly acidic and bitter. This beer drinks more like a port. An AWESOME beer that most people’ll never be able to taste b/c they only make 50 gallons @ a time and have no plans for distribution; It’s amazing what a difference there is between this and the Abbey Double all because of a bourbon cask.

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.

Had this on tap at the brewery in Cherry Hill NJ. Copper color with a nice head. Sweet taste of vanilla with the bourbon mixed in. I had this and the regular dubbel and it’s amazing what the wood and aging do to the flavor. They will be sending this out to the local places so check their web site for locations. If you see it, try it.

On tap at Capones. Pours brown with tan head. Aroma of bourbon and fruit. Taste was extremely smoothe with bourbon and fruit. Kind of a spicy finish. Very drinkable.

On tap at General Lafayette’s Winterfest(and at Capone’s on 7/11/07). This rating is based on the several servings I received of this particular beer. Appears a semi transparent haze of hahogany with a small white head that slowly fades out. Spotty lacing is left around the glass. Smell is of bourbon, caramel, cocoa, vanilla, oak, and raisins. To me, it doesn’t get much better than this. Taste is of the mentioned aromas with the bourbon being subtle but present in the already sugary, caramel mix. Wonderful idea that Flying Fish should bottle up sometime in the big 750’s, like they did with the barleywine. Mouthfeel is of sweet raisins, brown sugar, and caramel in a medium body. Slightly thin finish but a real fine winner based on any scale.