Gratitude - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
East End Brewing Company

Gratitude - Bourbon Barrel-AgedGratitude - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
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From:
East End Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
Ranked #61
ABV:
11.4%
Score:
93
Ranked #3,908
Avg:
4.18 | pDev: 7.66%
Reviews:
33
Ratings:
140
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 14, 2024
Added:
Mar 01, 2015
Wants:
  35
Gots:
  31
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Brewski:
Photo of Brewski
Rated by Brewski from Pennsylvania

4.51/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Apr 05, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.74/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
my first from this brewery, canned barleywine from a barrel will never seem normal, even if its getting more prevalent, just seems like something for a bottle, i dont know, like it doesnt do service to the magnitude of what it is, i dont know, maybe its me. anyway, this is a cool one, a long distance gift from a friend, shared with my dad when maybe we didnt need any more beers, but isnt that what we always do with barleywine? this has a somewhat unrefined look to it, even though the label is cool. its murky and dull. thick and sedimented, some head on it for sure for what it is, giving it some life, and a somewhat darker than expected color. the nose is bourbon forward, appropriately woody and oxidized both, sweet with notes of toffee and butterscotch, and there is an english richness to the malt as well, hints of honey, middle of the road whiskey, and a whole heap of alcohol, even when its cold, my can says 11.2% abv. i pick up a little apple juice character in the flavor, interesting, sets up the bourbon well, almost like the sparkling kids cider, its good but its different, some more familiar raisin and leather here too, sweet but not diabetic overall. the whiskey is a bold flavor in this, vanilla with it, old wood, some musty character. light cedar, banana peel, and general bread yeastiness, not unappealing. its quite alcoholic but not overly heavy in terms of body, strong and long on the swallow. it warms up well, shows its maturity, and overall is quite distinct in this space, even if it didnt totally wow me. hope to get to try some of the other barrel variants of this in the future, looks like they do a lot with the base, makes good sense!
Feb 14, 2024
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

4.49/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Received a can of East End Bourbon Barrel Aged Gratitude from @DIM 8-24-23. Canned 2-14-23; consumed 12-23-23.

Beer poured similarly to regular Gratitude, tea-colored brown with a very nice off-white head that is leaving some lacing behind.

Nose enhances regular Gratitude with notes of vanilla and leather combined in with dark fruits and fresh citrus.

Taste is very well executed! The large malt base gives me notes of caramel, figs, and brown sugar. The barrel gives me a distinct vanilla addition on top of the generous hop bill which is still a strong dose of orange and grapefruit. Finishes with a very nice combination of vanilla, a touch of bourbon and pine bitterness. This beer is nowhere close to being sweet with the hop and barrel presence!

Mouthfeel is medium to large bodied with each sip being silky smooth.

Overall the barrel aging did enhance things nicely once my palate acclimated. Glad i got the opportunity to try, thanks Dan!
Dec 23, 2023
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

4.35/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours a murky orange/brown with minimal head. The nose is incredible. There is a clear influence of bourbon here, compared to the base barleywine. Toffee, vanilla, citrus peel, plums, honey dew, a bit of leather, almost a touch of smoke, yeast, and a bit of pears.

The taste outmatches the nose. Sweet toffee, bourbon, vanilla, leather, almonds, citrus peel, a bit of booze, raisins, plums, nice malts, and bread.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied. The aftertaste is primarily sweet, but there is a touch of citrus peel there. Overall, a great barleywine that has some really nice barrel influence.
Dec 03, 2022
 
Rated: 4.26 by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

Oct 09, 2022
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.46/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Opaque cloudy dark brown with a fat finger of tan foam, trace lacing. The taste starts with barley snarl, dry yeast and then cascades with sweet dark fruit, molasses, bourbon, and caramel malt. Smell is more intense but nowhere near as balanced: bourbon, earth, barley, supporting dark fruit, molasses, english yeast. Feel is dry and medium light yet hardy with robust snarl and decent warmth from the barrel character. Much better than the orignal
Sep 01, 2022
 
Rated: 4.02 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Jul 15, 2022
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.86/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12oz can from Tavour. Medium brown pour with thin beige head. sweet, malty aroma; boozy, browm sugar. ABV hits hard and fast, followed by sweet malty notes, molasses, woody and whiskey barrel elements. The ABV warmth carries through the entirety of the drink.
Jun 24, 2022
 
Rated: 4.05 by StoutSnob40 from California

May 17, 2022
Photo of Harrison8
Reviewed by Harrison8 from Missouri

4.21/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark burgundy-brown with a heavy murky transparency. Head is a finger and a half of khaki foam. Aroma is fig, raisins, toffee, caramelized sugars, and strong undercurrents of grassy, resiny hops. Bourbon adds a little heat, but not enough to seal up the close, instead escalating the whole nose. Hop notes have a light medicinal quality as well. It smells sticky, with hearty malts underneath. Bourbon is an after thought, but still present. Flavor profile is toffee, raisins, fig, and caramel with sticky resiny, herbal, and mild grassy hops. While it opens up, however briefly, with sugary notes, the sticky hops behind form the bulk of the profile. Bourbon is present throughout, building up to a bigger presence in the final third, but is still well restrained. Some barrel adds an additional bite, but not enough to keep the hops from lingering past the finish. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with a still-boiled texture. It has a little soft effervescence at the open, but that gets stamped out to flat by the middle point. Overall, big time dark fruits and fig in every sip. Bourbon feels like an after thought here, adding a little heat, and elevating the whole profile as a team, without having an individualistic impact.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 12oz can.
Mar 26, 2022
 
Rated: 4.4 by wvsabbath from West Virginia

Mar 17, 2022
 
Rated: 4.75 by eawolff99 from Minnesota

Sep 11, 2021
 
Rated: 4.3 by paresis from Massachusetts

Sep 10, 2021
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.27/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
CAN: 16 fl oz pull-tab courtesy of Zed, who brought it to me from the brewery directly. 2020 vintage.

Aged in Bourbon Barrels "for nearly a year." (No word on which bourbon, precisely). "Bourbon barrel aged barleywine style ale."

Chewier than the base beer with plenty of barrel-driven vanillin and oak flavours. No rich coconut, barrel char, or toasted white oak here, but the near year of barrel aging has beared fruit. Chewy but silky. A bit coarser than the base beer, which boasted terrific softness (I had one right before delving into this bourbon barrel aged variant) which I don't love.

Thick and dry. Medium to full-bodied.

A step up from the base beer, but not a top tier expression of the style.

High B- / WORTHY

***
12/07/20 impression from a can brewed 11/12/17:

Currently ranked #35 in the Barleywine - American beers list.

"Bourbon barrel aged barleywine style ale." No ABV is specified on the can.

A: Deep brown body colour. ~1.5-2cm head height. Head is an off-white flirting with khaki. Retention is good for the ABV - ~8 minutes. Appears well carbonated.

Sm: Chewy caramel, vanillin-driven bourbon, nougat, caramelized sugars, barrel sugar sweetness, kisses of barrel char, heavy residual sugar, fruity treacle, leather, heavy brown malt sweetness.

Lacks any overt hop character. Doesn't seem English in character in any way...there's no nuttiness or toffee. Not oxidized or cardboardy. Lacks any off notes. I will say the bourbon barrel character could be improved; there's no toasted coconut, rich white oak, toasted wood, or the like. Vanilla character could be more redolent of authentic vanilla bean instead of barrel vanillin.

Aromatic intensity is moderately high. Suggests a sweet barleywine with a bit of a bourbon character, but this aroma doesn't promise a top tier expression of the style.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Thick, sludgy, coating, uneven, lumpy, unrefreshing, heavy-bodied, filling...it's a bit of a chore to drink, to be honest. Many a barleywine I've had has been soft and supple despite its weight on the palate...this has an unwelcome viscosity that makes it drag on the palate.

Caramel, leather, brown malts, pale malt/2-row, barrel sugars, a hint of treacle, loads of residual sugars (this isn't particularly well attenuated), scintillae of oak. I don't love the beer by any stretch and wouldn't regard it as a top tier barleywine. The bourbon barrel is reticent and I do get a hint of a cardboardy oxidized flavour as it comes to temperature.

A saccharine meal in a glass with a lot of oomph but not enough varied or deep flavours. I wouldn't say it's a shallow barleywine, but one does expect a hell of a lot more depth of flavour in a beer considered amongst the best in its class.

There are no off-flavours or obvious faults.

OVERALL: Its high residual sugar content coupled with its sludgy mouthfeel makes it a bit tough to take down, to be honest, and while we're at it I don't think the 16 fl oz can was a well considered format for this beer - for which an 8-12 fl oz bottle would have been the obvious right choice if the brewery wasn't money-grubbing.

Low C+ / ABOVE AVERAGE

***
01/03/21:

Leathery and thick with rich notes of caramel, molasses, brown malts, brown sugar, and treacle.

Sweet but not cloying.

Lacks adequate bourbon barrel presence in my opinion.

C+ / ABOVE AVERAGE
Nov 13, 2020
Photo of jvgoor3786
Reviewed by jvgoor3786 from Arkansas

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a very dark, opaque brown color with no head and no lacing.

The smell is sweet caramel, bourbon, and a hint of dark fruits.

The taste is bourbon, burnt caramel, and strong raisins on the finish.

The mouthfeel is slick with a medium/thick body and low carbonation.

Overall this is a great beer, good range of flavors, and an outstanding mouthfeel.
Nov 08, 2020
Photo of Pinz412
Reviewed by Pinz412 from Pennsylvania

4.29/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look - Pours a cloudy deep amber with a thin off-white head with hints of ruby. No lacing to speak of while legs for on the inside of the snifter.
Smell - Bourbon and oak, molasses, dried fruit, earthiness appear ordered from most to least in intensity.
Taste - Big bourbon flavor up front pairs well with the sweet caramel malt and raisin/plum notes. No distinct hop notes for me, but only a slight bitterness to balance out the sweeter notes. There is no hiding from the boozy flavors in this pour.
Feel - Medium bodied, fills the mouth but is slick going down.
Overall - A complex and deeply nuanced barleywine that offers a healthy heaping of bourbon.
Aug 31, 2020
 
Rated: 3.66 by mig100 from Texas

Apr 12, 2020
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Very turbid prune juice brownish-red with a fluffy tall khaki head settling to a thick blanket that retains strongly with curled ridges.

Quite woody--woodier than the more recent rye barrel aged release--with more of a semi-bitter neutral oak, where the sweet malt is forward of toffee and then raisin.

The slick medium body has a mild, softly gliding carbonation that lifts a touch of char and spicy Maker's-like whiskey before the semi-dry finish, where candied nuts surface on the exhale.

It's just so easy to drink, I enjoy it substantially more than BA Behemoth.

2017 canning

---

On 2/19/2022, I had the pleasure of nursing a fat flight of all their new Gratitude Day releases over the course of a couple hours, and found that everything was a noticeable step up even from past excellence. In the case of this 2021 bourbon barrel-aged vintage, the cask added more maple, brown sugar and a light peppery heat than I remember in the 2017 can. A little more viscosity has also developed.

With the marked improvements this seems to have experienced, in concert with the fact that draft really does do something magical to what's already a darling of a beer, this variant edges ever closer to the masterpiece that is Rye Whiskey Barrel-Aged Gratitude.
Mar 23, 2020
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

4.41/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2018 can. It's been a loooong time since I had my lone bottle of 2008 gratitude. Had no idea they canned the barrel aged version until I saw it at Hunger n Thirst.

The base beer is over a year-and-a-half-old but the hop notes are still pretty prominent. Candied orange and pine are harmonious with the intense caramel and toffee flavors. The bourbon adds a layer of boozy sweetness to everything plus some oaky vanilla. I'm thrilled to have found this and it was as good as I hoped, might go back for another can..
Aug 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.23 by Prost76 from New Hampshire

Aug 04, 2019
Gratitude - Bourbon Barrel-Aged from East End Brewing Company
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 140 ratings