Shoreline Big Bourbon Series Discombourbonlation Celebration Ale

Brewed by Shoreline Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Michigan City, Indiana USA

Bottle from pittsburghkid. Pours copper/brown, with a very slight, off white head. Aroma is whiskey, fruit, alcohol, malt, and caramel. Flavor is whiskey, alcohol, caramel, toffee, fruit, and malt. Medium body. This has the whiskey right up front, and it is still hot. If you want a subtle barrel aged beer, look elsewhere or age this one for a while. That said, I’m still digging this.

Bottled. Thx. to Santa Mike. Dark amber coloured. Unclear. Dense light brown head. Aroma of wood, sweetness, vanilla, coconut, herbs and spice. Flavour of vanilla, wood, alcohol, sweetness, spice and coconut. Quite complex and tense. full bodied. Dry spicy and woody end. qutie nice.

Bottle. Clear orange red coloured with a small off white head. Sweet aroma of caramel, bourbon and dried fruits with notes of vanilla. Sweet flavour of caramel, dried fruits, chocolate and bourbon with notes of vanilla. Sweet and warming alcoholic finish.

Rclear amber with a tiny off white head. Sweet aroma with toasted malt, caramel and bourbon notes. Sweet flavour with toasted malt, caramel, bourbon, ripe frutis and hoppy notes. Finished bitter.

Bottle 75 cl. Courtesy of madsberg. Pours a clear reddish amber with a small off-white head. Extreme Bourbon aroma. Medium body, dry malts, sweet vanilla and extreme Bourbon accents. Dry, bourbony finish with an extreme, warming alcohol. 030110

750ml waxed bottle. Was a brewery only, now available at limited retail outlets. pours dark brown but clear. taste dominated by the bourbon but not overwhelming. hints of caramel, choc, dark fruits, maybe cherries, overall a nice and pleasing experience.

Waxed bottle and served in a Duval snifter: Pours a mahogany hue with amber highlight topped by a small frothy head and left little lace upon the glassware, some oily legs however. The aroma starts with a healthy dose of caramel, roasted, bready and a bit of coffee malts. Then you get the bourbon barrel and it’s notes of vanilla, oak, alcohol and a surprisingly tangerine and prune tone along with a dash of resiny hops. The taste pretty much follows suit rich caramel/crystal and light chocolate malt profile working in conjunction with bourbon overtones. While a bit sugary and sticky, the booze and sublime bitterness keeps the palate somewhat cleansed. There is a combination clove, mint and smoky peat spicy quality to the finish that I liked. The mouth feel is soft and inviting, warming for sure with the boozy influence, a tad thinned out by the barrel but still sticky at the same time. Overall a fine sipping barleywine that is not over the top with bourbon, an improvement over the base beer.

(FYI, the name is NOT Discombourbonlation in bottled form, I has requested this to be changed once already. The brewery uses an alias on the rare tap offerings in 2009 and 2006. The bottle clearly says "Discombobulation")

750 ml bottle courtesy of Todd. Pours a dark yet clear mahogany maple with coppery tints and a tiny bubbly beige top for a head. Aroma of sweet bourbon, caramel, brown and dark sugars, and dark fruit. Taste dominated by bourbon with hints of dark fruit, brown sugar, dark sugar and caramel. Clears out the sinuses. Superb stuff.