Third Coast Old Ale (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

On tap at Maduro – GTMW pre-party. Rating #1800! This was my winner from a hotly-contested weekend of drinking bliss! Poured a deep, murky, and seductive brown with a short but well-retained cap of milky-beige head. The aroma picked up dry, smoky, and nutty notes for an intriguing first impression.. the barrel-aging slowly creeps in with toasted oak and vanilla beans.. soft and enticing.. hints of cherry, toffee, and aged caramel show up after that.

This just blew me away in the flavor department!! light vanilla, bourbon, and dry brandy sugars flow seamlessly over the buttered toffee, aged caramel, and nutty notes at the core of this beast.. picked up more of the barrel as it warmed, but remained perfectly-integrated.. just Brilliant! Heavy-bodied on the palate and toasty with expert precision on the great build of power from the first impression through the finish. All I can ask of Larry now is that he bottle some!

On tap at Maduro prior to the 2007 GTMW: Pours a barely transparent dark mahogany with a thin, frothy coating of light tan head. Sweet caramely malty bourbon oaky vanilla nose smells like a dessert. Rich complex body starts with full sweet caramely malt and a nice balance of oaky bourbon and smooth bittersweetness with lots of molasses and a hint of warmth toward the finish. They left this in the barrel the perfect amount of time. Great balance and complexity. A sipping dessert beer.

12 oz. growler from a couple of good guys. Muddy brown body with a tiny off-white head, fading. Big coconut, buttery, bourbon nose with toffee and a hint of dark fruits. Moderately sweet with rich toffee, prunes, figs, smooth bourbon, coconut and maple syrup. Full body is ultra soft with light carbonation. Finish is long, sweet, lightly bitter with a soothing warmth.

Tap at Capital Ale House - Innsbrook. Damn... I love this beer in it’s normal state and when you put the Bourbon ageing on it I was in heaven. Great smooth aroma with some light fruits, cherry is noticeable. Loved the taste, some of the harshness of the normal version has gone out and been mellowed. Loved the light vanilla accents in the ending. Amazing stuff.

Growler. Poured hazy brown with a thin off-white head. Big vanilla aroma with some notes of oak, bourbon, raisins, and sweet malt. Sweet fruity malt flavor with noticeable bourbon. But not too much for me. Mild bitterness on the semi-sweet finish. Good warmth and medium bodied. 9/4/9/4/17