Translucent cherry amber in color with a hazed amber grey sheaf heavily recessing at the top. Abundant applewood supplies the first aromatic impressions along with caramel candies, plastic squeeze toys and photo station photograph prints. Something else is saying Fisher Price tee ball stands, but it’s bygones. Cranberries get dulled in a pool of toffee with background flavoring reminiscing of dog baths. Rum and rye glide into grahams inundated with cherry buttered caramel crème. Apple butter collides with candied apples for a tributary well water attribution. A honey balsa grove provides a little more irksome sweetening. White flour powers home with a gummy, concrete base but there was little in between.

On tap at FoBAB 4 (’04 version). Poured medium garnet with a thin ring of off-white head. I got a whole lot of sour apple in the aroma, and that ain’t good... kind of an odd laundry detergent smell too... topped off with sweet bourbon and some spices. Lots of apple again in the flavor department... some other fruits, bourbon sweetness, toffee, and vanilla in there too... bourbon comes back strong at the finish. There was just a lot going on here that was not very enjoyable.

(04.25.06) On tap at Onion Brewpub, Barrington, IL. Poured hazy amber with small white head. Soft carbonation. Sweet malt aroma. Full bodied ale with moderate malt sweetness and caramel/spice/bourbon flavors. Light malt fade at the finish. No discernable hop presence. Smooth in the mouth. Definite alcoholic warmth. Rich and flavorful, this is a very good sweet malty beer.

Fobab 2005: Murky brown with a small head and good lace. The aroma has a major apple ester, light vanilla and oka, maple syrup, and phenolic. The taste is more apple and acidic fruits before the bourbon barrel kicks in and overpowers whatever flovor were there. I got some twangy sourness as well. Got boring quick. The feel is sharp and lively, oaky dry finish. Arggh. Where is the malts?