3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
5 oz sample at the brewpub. Pours a dark slightly murky brown with a small off white froth. Aroma is fairly basic, some tart cherry, dark fruits, very sweet candied fruits, dried fruits, touch candyish with a toasty note, a bit cakey sweet with the vanilla. Flavor is even crazier. All kinds of stuff going on. Lots of sweetness including brown sugar, vanilla, oak, caramel, toffee, biscuit, dark fruits. The tartness is there, but sadly kept very much in check, sort of hinting at an aggressive tart note bit staying very reserved. There is a touch of smokiness and tons of sweet from the wee heavy, too much in my opinion. Medium to medium full body and a soft carbonation. So much going on and I don’t think it all works like it was intended to. I as a sour lover want more sour and less wee heavy
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap at the brewpub -- notes from April 30th, 2011.
Pours a cloudy, mostly opaque brownish-red, mahogany on the edges. Light, wispy head. Aroma reveals an abundance of your standard bourbon-barrel-aged dark beer -- wood, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, a touch of charcoal --- but for once it does it without smelling like booze as is an issue with many of Revolution’s bourbon-barrel beers. A touch of dark stone fruit shows up in the aroma as well. What a nice aroma this stuff gives off. Flavor starts off tart and sweet yet dry, not really a "moist" flavor to it at all. Again, has the standard bourbon-barrel attributes, but mixed with that plum puree that ends up being more tart than I had expected. Medium-thick palate with dark-grain and tart fruity aftertaste. Interesting experiment that mostly works.
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