Granite Brewery Peculiar (Whiskey Barrel)

Amber ruby brown, with decent head on top. Woody , acidic aroma with light alcoholic notes . Initial bitter, followed by sweeter toasted malt. Neat woody effect thanks to cask ageing . Earthy character and finish.

A strong ale, though not particularly in ABV, with good borbon aroma. Sudsy head. Woody, bourbon taste dominates. On cask at Bar Volo Cask Day 2006.

Volo Cask Days. This was especially brewed for the Volo Cask Days, October 22-23, 2005, and the aclcohol content is 7%. Aroma is pit fruit, malt and some hops. Auburn, with a small tan head. Full malty flavour, hops back this up nicely, subtle woody notes are appreciated. Medium bodied, malty, bitter, lucious mouthfeel. Terrific! Well done Ron Keefe!

Rerate: Cask at Volo Cask Day 2006. I have to rerate this as I much preferred this year’s barrel aged Peculiar. Pours a slightly hazy orange-brown with a small white head. Aroma: Wow, many bourbon beers are just too much but this smells quite nice. Some roastness, fruit, woodiness and hops. Nice flavour of sweet malt, mild bourbon, wood and hops. Medium bodied. This was surprisingly good, for once a beer where the bourbon is subtle. Very good!
Original rating:
6.2.6.3.12=2.9
Draught at Bar Volo. Pours a clear dark brown with auburn hues and no head. Looks pretty flat. Very mild aroma of wood, sweet malt and fruit. Sweet flavour of malt, wood, and alcohol -- could use more hops. After a while I found it overly sweet, almost cloying. Medium bodied. Based on the ratings it would appear this is much better on cask.

Cask at Volo Cask Day 2006. Bourbon barrel aged version. Pours a very still ruby-brown. Aroma has nice woody bourbon notes, with a bit of smoke. Full flavour of sweet malt, woody bourbon, a bit of vanilla and a mildly hopped finish. Strikes a very nice balance between the beer and bourbon notes, which can be rare with this barrel aged beers.