My friend and I spent the weekend doing the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and hit 13 distilleries (and 5 breweries). It was a bit of a challenge getting back to work today, but I did and decided to reward myself and transition back to normal with this beer. I found it locally a few weeks ago and snagged a few bottles. I love their Bourbon County Brand Stout and thought a bourbon barrel aged scotch ale would be just as awesome.
Location: Poured into a goblet style pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 8.7% ABV, 300 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s reddish-brown in color with a thin off-white head on it. It’s pretty clear and has a caramel malty aroma.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium-full and the mouthfeel is smooth and lightly creamy. The flavor up front is pretty malty sweet with some caramel and toffee-like maltiness. The maltiness gets quite a bit richer in the middle, which continues into the finish and is joined by a little bit of earthy bitterness and hints of the bourbon barrel. The caramel maltiness with a bit of earthy hoppiness lasts for a bit in the finish.
Food Pairing: This beer has a ton of caramel malty sweetness, which would complement things like BBQ perfectly. It would also be a good beer to pair with a chocolaty dessert or thick steak.
Overall Impression: In all honesty, my first impression of this beer was disappointment. I was expecting a great mix of maltiness and bourbon barrel flavors. Instead, I could barely taste any of the bourbon barrel. Despite the fact that there was not nearly enough bourbon or barrel character in this beer for me, it’s still a very solid scotch ale. I enjoyed the maltiness mixed with a little bit of earthy hop bitterness quite a bit, but was still let down with the lack of bourbon barrel flavors, especially at that price point.
My Rating: 
Recent Comments