 kmweaver (1800), Takoma Park, Maryland, USA
May 16, 2008
22oz bottle, sampled alongside their Quad. Pours a slightly darker, orange-amber color; similarly heavy viscosity; light tan head with solid fine-bubbled lacing. Lots of warming bourbon notes enliven the aroma: the cola and dried fruits still show through prominently, but the sweet, sticky vanilla-laden bourbon note adds an extra layer; still a bit messy. Full mouthfeel: toasty, oaky bourbon (vanilla, touch of alcoholic warmth) and cola and dried fruits; the added barrel aging isn’t overly forceful, but it also isn’t enough to cover the fact that there’s a one-dimensional quad underneath; reasonably tasty, but nothing exceptional. Medium finish: a lot more bready than the original, with some toasty malts and nilla wafers; dry.
Rastacouere (5201), Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Jul 15, 2008 Objectively speaking:
Pure plywood juice with hints of bourbon and fruits.
I like:
How they describe it as subtle when mentionning gentle vanilla oaky notes which complement rather than supercede.
I dislike:
I did not recognize the base beer at all. Not that it’s a small beer, but it had been just eaten up by the overwhelming, rather astringent wooden show-robber. Strongly alcoholic. Light-medium bodied at best. Fruity, but too astringent and hot to be enjoyable. The high scores are a mystery to me.
hopdog (4371), Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA
Jul 12, 2008 22oz bottle. Poured a deper orangish color with a large sized off white head. Aromas of oak and bourbon with some fruitiness, and vanilla. Tastes of vanilla, bourbon, dark fruits, woody, and caramel. Alcohol burn in the finish.
SETANTA (555), Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA
Jul 8, 2008 Alot of vanilla on top of the already sweet QUAD... a definite improvement on it.
VTHopHead (639), Barre, Vermont, USA
Jul 6, 2008 Bomber - Poured a dark reddish amber in color with a small off-white head that faded to a thin covering over the beer. Aroma is of alcohol, vanilla, fermented fruits and wood. Flavor is slightly sweet with vanilla, dark fruits, and bourbon whiskey. A definite alcohol burn going down. Finish is definitely "oaky" with a lingering flavor of vanilla and bourbon. Enjoyable...
Hank1980 (324), Athens, Georgia, USA
Jul 6, 2008 Poured cloudy deep amber with a small white head. Aroma of oak, vanilla, fruit, booze. Taste is a little sweeter than I like. There’s plenty of fruit, sugar, some vanilla, and caramel. Finishes with a light alcohol burn. Overall, a decent effort for a bottled barrel-aged brew.
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