The Bruery Coton (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

Brewed by The Bruery
Style: Old Ale
Placentia, California USA

Serve in English pint, Snifter

100% BA Coton, 01/28/2012. Pours deep mahogany, half-finger caramel head, fades to a still surface. Nose begins with dark bread malts, sweet boozy dark fruits, honey, cinnamon raisin, big notes of vanilla, caramel. Taste carries caramel syrup, bready maltiness, apple plum, vanilla bourbon, hot finish. As with the regular version, thick and chewy in the mouth, but barrel aging has smoothed out the flavor profile, reducing the perceived sweetness, making a smoother experience. Just like the regular version, a decadent brew, but kicked up a notch, the barrel treatment has smoothed out the rough spots and added a bit of balance.

had as Bourbon Barrel Aged Cuir .. . thanks to Casey for this, what a treat! .. . deep brown .. sticky low foam .. maple, caramel, burnt sugar, upper shelf bourbon, and light rum barrel .. . smooth mouth, sticky finish .. . just awesome! .. . . I warned yah’! Didn’t I warn yah?! That colored chalk was forged by Lucifer himself!

100% Bourbon Barrel Aged Cuir
A vigorous pour into my Lost Abbe Teku glass produces a three-finger thick, relatively large bubbled, creamed-amber tinged head. The beer is a darkish amber color that shows a hazed, opaque, amber hue when held up to the light. My first smell of the aroma has me noticing notes of toasted, sweetened coconut, lots of vanillin, ample vanilla-scented toffee and caramelized grain. My second smell has me noticing more of the spicy oak, toasted wood notes and definite Bourbon like aromatics. This makes me think of some sort of Bourbon soaked, caramelized grain type sweet, holiday cake / bread. Quite rich and satiating smelling, and without a huge, hot alcohol note; I was a little timid of this bee, as I thought it would be overly boozy, but this mostly manages to not be (at least in the nose).

Lightly sweet up front, along with a sort of tart, bourbon like note, the finish has a lot more sweetness to it though with a rich, caramelized type of character that really accentuates a sweet, lightly toasted coconut and vanillin character. This beer is quite smooth, there is a touch of alcohol warmth, but it is kept well in check; there is definitely a bourbon flavor here, smooth, but warming, tart, lots of oak flavors and even some fruit-like Bourbon notes. The finish has a spiciness, redolent of oak, astringent oak and hop bitterness that adds some bite, but really the smoothness from the toffee / caramel an sweetness is the dominant note here. Not overly thick, or chewy for its strength, this is most definitely a sipping brew as it has a dense, palate coating viscosity, but it doesn’t seem overly heavy or rich somehow.

Surprisingly, this is much better than I was expecting; I was expecting to actually not like this, not only am I not hating this, it is actually quite good. Really the surprise is that it is so smooth, and so well integrated and not nearly as hot as it should be. Despite being quite drinkable now, this will get a lot better with age, and perhaps a lot of it. Richness, roundness, complimentary oxidation, and a needed complexity should come with age, and I would guess that this could go for a lot longer than I would expect; this beer might even have the potential to go for a long, long time. It should at least go for 5 years with improvement, and, assuming it doesn’t fall apart for unexpected reasons it should go a lot longer; hold on to a bunch and sample over the next 50 years. Currently it is a bit simplistic, but, like I said, I expect some age to make this even better.

Pours a deep clear reddish brown color with a decent head that lasts a while leaves a little lace. Smells of caramel, brown sugar, alcohol and lots of tart fruit. Bourbon vanilla and oak tannins round this beer out nicely. Taste is sweet with brown sugar coated raisins and cherries, oak vanilla and bourbon. Smooth bit of alcohol burn reminds you this one is big. Sweet sticky mouthfeel, medium body and carbonation level. I enjoyed the hell out of this one. This is a fantastic barrel aged beer, if it just wasn’t so pricey and hard to get...

Bottle. Haze dark brown. Thin head. Wiskey aromas combined with oak and malts. Sour-sweet-dry long finish. Plenty of oily textur. Taste of bourbon flavours. Complex maybe too complex.

750 ml, ok now this is legit. This is awesome barrel treatment. All you smell is this bourbon. Flavor is sweet old ale, the palate is big but the alcohol is well incorporated even at it’s abv.

Sample at Bruery Provisions. Pours dark cloudy brown with a slight reddish tint. Medium light beige head that recedes steadily, and sticky strings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of caramel malt, vanilla and oak. Rich body with flavors of sweet malt, vanilla, bourbon and oak. Hints of dark fruit in the background. The finish is oaky with a lingering piney and malty aftertaste. Solid all around.

Bottled at oh6gdx’s birthday bash at chriso’s. Cloudy dark brown, smal head. Aroma of chocolate sauce and whisky. Full bodied. Caramel drenched in maple syrup. Intense and oaky, vinous and peaty with sticky sweetness. Very heavy with loads of treacle. Too sweet and sticky to be really enjoyable.