Nebraska Brewing Company Reserve Series Barrel Aged Fathead

Brewed by Nebraska Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Papillion, Nebraska USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle. Pours a cloudy amber color with effectively zero head on it. Nose is quite malty and a little bit boozy to me. Taste has just a hint of sweetness that’s followed very quickly by the bourbon in there. Has a bit of a bite on it. Quite interesting...

Hazy amber color with a white head. The aroma is full of caramel and oak, with a hint of maple. The flavor is odd. I get some light funk, caramel and grape notes up front. As the beer warms a strong dose of brett comes through, which I assume was responsible for the funk. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Tasted in 2009 (backlog). Amber in color and cloudy with a small off-white head. Aroma is malt, wood, bourbon, with light fruit notes. taste is light citrus, bourbon, oak and caramel.

(750ml bottle) clearish medium amber, soapy bubbles. Nose of Brett, floral, earth, bit of sugar. Taste is very earthy, alcohol, floral, weird beer, infected.

Tap pours caramel burnt orange with a few beige bubbles around the rim. The aromatics are wonderful, earthy Irish oaked whiskey with sweet sugary grains underneath and rich phenolic yeast tones. The taste is solid but not extra special. Big wood flavours, earthy char, vanilla and the Irish malted whiskey I’d hoped for. Under it is a smooth and simple dark amberish ale with light herbal dryness playing to the barrel. There is a nice caramel apple feel that lingers with the oak. The carbonation is light and leaves it open for dense peaty oak and grain. The dark sugars are there but with the quickly drying feel it leaves a bittering oak and grain flavor. It comes and goes on wow points, sometimes the flavor is not very clean and then the next sip it makes sense. I can’t knock it other than the crazy high price.

On tap at Flying Saucer in Kansas City. Pours a hazy brown color with light white head. Bourbon, caramel, dark fruit flavors. Nice barleywine, with somewhat more subtle flavors.

Bottle, 07/16/2012. Pours reddish dark brown, medium rocky head fades to lacing. Aroma malty with sweet dark fruit, big whiskey component with pronounced vanilla, light caramel and brown sugar, oak and alcohol. Flavor is more restrained, mild caramel and molasses, vanilla and cola, dark malts, whiskey. Medium-bodied, lighter than expected, and smooth. This works well, nicely balanced.

Dark red/brown pour with an off white head. Bourbon, malt, dark fruit, and some nice sweet nose, Taste has glorious vanilla, and some bourbon heat and some toffee. It is a damn fine barley wine.

Bottle. Nice brown with reddish hues and an offwhite head and lace that lasts. Aroma is surprisingly thin with light sweet smelling apple, vanilla, spice, bourbon, malt. Flavor is slighly tart whiskey soaked spiced apple and pear. Barley wine toffee notes are not strongly expressed. It ends quickly as the sticky medium body dries with some tannins. It is fairly tame for a whiskey bourbon barrel aged. An accomplished beer for sure but it does speak to me.

Brown/reddish pour, light cream colored head. Aroma is sweet and bready, malty, bourbon, golden raisins, corn syrup. Flavor is very sweet and rich. Decadent vanilla, toffee, and a nice alcohol warmth. Very good stuff.