Grand Rapids Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale

12oz Bottle. Lightly funky deep caramel. Toasty. Lightly lactic I think. Somehow working with the malty sweetness and the caramelization. Pours a super deep murky brown-black, with a creamy rim. Flavor is a blend of light lactic sweetness, gingered malts, and dust. Some refined baguette bread and yeast show through, but the lactic sweetness cuts into the maltiness to make this a little dry and dusty. Some sourness confuses this picture. Was probably pretty interesting pre-infection. A bit of old hop dust finishes off this one. Thanks for sharing Sean!

Pours a clear brown color with a ring of offwhite lace. Aroma and flavor of boubon, peated malt and caramel. I think the bourbon is way too present in the flavor, and I don’t like bourbon at all.

MBG 06. Dark brown/black, frothy white head. All bourbon aroma - what’s the point if that is all you’re going to get? Masks any beer in aroma. Taste is better - very woody with hints of caramel. And of course, bourbon. Lots and lots of bourbon - woo-hoo. A nice sipper. But look folks - if I want some bourbon, or even a whisky or scotch, I’ll drink those. I don’t mind a little bourbon aged to add some character, but don’t let it dominate and mask your decent product ok?

Draught. At 2006 Michigan Brewers’ Guild Festival. Deep bubbly reddish-brown with a small beige head. More bourbon in this aroma (sigh - getting really tired of it now), wood tannin, vanilla, booze, chocolate-toffee roast malt, quite sweet and boozy. Taste is malt, roast, hint of peaty chocolate, retrained oak and bourbon - very nice balance, actually - it’s boozy, but is that a bad thing in a scotch ale? Decent body, acceptable carbonation, sweet and alcoholic mouthfeel, nice long balanced finish - I’d like to have this again, another very well done scotch ale.

Draught sample at MBG 2006 Summer Festival. Dark cola brown with a small tan head. Aroma of bourbon, smoke, wood and chocolate. Soft mouthfeel. Sweet, woody, slightly boozy flavour - very nice. Many barrel-aged beers go over the top with the booze and wood notes, but this one gets the balance right.