Cuvée (2012) - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Nickel Brook Brewing Co.

Cuvée (2012) - Bourbon Barrel-AgedCuvée (2012) - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Nickel Brook Brewing Co.
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Herb and Spice Beer
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.92 | pDev: 12.24%
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
25
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 28, 2015
Added:
Jan 01, 2013
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by trippyime:
Photo of trippyime
Rated by trippyime from Canada (ON)

4/5  rDev +2%

Jan 14, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.95 by KevinSP from Canada (ON)

May 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by kjkinsey from Texas

Dec 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Texasfan549 from Texas

Dec 04, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by Brendan10 from Canada (ON)

Feb 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by sbarre from Canada (ON)

Feb 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by irishkyle21 from Canada (ON)

Sep 05, 2013
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.28/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Bottle: Poured a brown color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of raisins and spice with light dry caramel malt. Taste is also dominated by dry raisins with some dry caramel malt with light oak notes. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Bourbon is really hard to detect which was a disappointment and base spices beer is not bad but again nothing really special.
Sep 03, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by Molson2000 from Canada (ON)

Jun 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by drewone from California

May 20, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by KrisDLSmith from Canada (ON)

May 17, 2013
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

4.34/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Nickel Brook Cuvée 2012 has the look of someone who has just gotten out of bed unwillingly. And after spending unknown amounts of time slumbering in bourbon barrels who can blame it? The murkiness is far more noticed on the second pour (the first being quite clear), though its off-orange colour did appear tarnished all along. Impressively, a good amount of head would generate and, even more impressively, manages to stick around for the duration.

The nose is pretty and enticing, showing striking finesse and breathtaking balance between bright notes of tangerine, mulling spices and plenty of Kentucky's finest. There's so much going on I can't even concentrate. This aroma comes across more perfumed than a Bath & Body Works store. If this brewer were smart, he'd trademark the scent.

Nickel Brook Cuvée 2012 could be the topic of an essay on globalization - demerara sugar, figs, orange peel, raisins, cinnamon, all spice, black pepper, cardamon, and vanilla bean. It's a modern reconstruction of an exuberant Silk Road market. Balancing such a long list of disparate ingredients requires an attention to detail that makes this brewer eligible for prescription drugs...

And yet the end product is astoundingly tasteful, inherently agreeable, surprisingly harmonious, and, above all, joyfully drinkable. Nickel Brook need start a dating service and no one will be alone on Valentine's Day ever again. How this brewer knew to pair these dried fruits with these spices required child-like imagination and Columbo-like intuition.

Typically with bourbon-barrel offerings the tastes of bourbon and oak are so heavy and wide that the other flavours must move aside to make room for them. But that isn't the case here. Keep your eyes (err, tongue) peeled and you'll catch a glimpse of each and every ingredients on that label at one point or another. And the oak-y, bourbon flavours present are delivered as casually as you’d pick up and return a rental car. Impressive.

When barrel-aging caught on brewers got so obsessed with it that they seemed to have explored all possibilities. Somewhat astonishingly, few had the idea to try it with spices. Nickel Brook Cuvée 2012 is an utterly charming beer, the true genius of which is not the spicing nor the barrel-aging, but the combination of the two and the fact that each is executed so tastefully. There's really only one word that can sum it all up: Bravo!
Mar 19, 2013
Photo of jrenihan
Reviewed by jrenihan from Canada (ON)

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Beer is reddish-amber in colour, with a small to moderately sized off-white head.

There is a lot happening in the nose. The spices jump out: cinnamon, cardamom, more. Lots of fruit as well, with the raisin and fig making themselves known. A very sweet and malty smell. The bourbon is there as well, but not as strongly as one might expect. Oak is also quite restrained.

Like the nose, the taste has a lot of competing elements to it. Spices are up front again, along with fig, raisin, bourbon and oak. I get some ginger, but there does not appear to be any in here. A bit of the orange, perhaps. For me, the spices are a bit too strong. The barrel impact is very restrained but certainly present. It is a nice addition to the beer, certainly improves the overall package. Quite sweet.

Full bodied, moderate carbonation, a bit on the sticky side.

Overall, not bad. Actually better than I expected. Given the long ingredients list, I expected a real mess, but it pulls it off relatively smoothly. Not something I would want to have again, but not bad.
Mar 09, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by DaPan from Canada (ON)

Feb 12, 2013
Photo of peensteen
Reviewed by peensteen from Canada (ON)

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Brownish-ruby red colour, 1.5 fingers of white head, good amount of lace. Smell is fairly spice forward initially, cinnamon is right up front, dark fruits, figs, plum, vanilla with some light oak and bourbon in there as well, as it warmed citrusy orange was pretty apparent also. Taste is spicy, orange peel/orange, malty with a bit of sweet toffee, dark fruit, oak is there but quite light, vanilla and a bit of bourbon, vanilla in the aftertaste as well. Light-medium carbonation, body is light to medium and quite surprising since this is partially barrel aged and over 8% ABV. This was pretty enjoyable, from the laundry list of ingredients I thought for sure this would be a spice bomb but its actually quite well balanced and pretty damn drinkable, would have liked a little more oak/bourbon flavour but this works as is.
Feb 06, 2013
Photo of Digimaika2
Reviewed by Digimaika2 from Canada (ON)

4.02/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
(3.75) A: Cloudy deep amber colour with quite a bit of fizz as this spills over upon opening (my wax removal technique didn’t help). Head forms an eggshell white blanket that recedes to the edges.

(4.25) S: Raisins, cinnamon, toffee, oranges, white grape, sour cherries, and nut qualities. Pleasing boozy bourbon aroma in general. Good diversity and boldness. Not overly sour with a solid mix of dark fruit and toffee to mellow this out. Impressive.

(4.0) T: Very similar to aroma with white grape and orange upfront, bourbon soaked dark fruits, and toffee in the finish. Tastes a little spicy almost ginger or cinnamon-like at times. Easy-to-drink with a nice smoothness. That woody booze warmth is on the backend. Impressed again.

(3.75) M: Medium bodied with a moderate carbonation. Oily and creamy with a fairly chewy texture.

(4.0) D: Happy to see an Ontario cuvee and the creativity in general. Impressed at how mellow and smooth this was. Will be picking up another bottle.
Feb 02, 2013
 
Rated: 5 by ThinkAgain from Canada (ON)

Jan 19, 2013
Photo of JohnnyBarman
Reviewed by JohnnyBarman from Canada (ON)

4.06/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
750mL wax-sealed bottle from the LCBO. There's been a great deal of wax-topped brews lately, and though they are a pain to open, they are certainly a nice touch.

Poured into a goblet, shared at a recent beer tasting. A hazy dark caramel-amber brew, with a half inch of large-bubbled foam. Recedes into a thick ring, some lacing.

Nose really has a great deal going on here, and I certainly am enjoying it so far. A slight sour kriek smell - probably from the fermented fruit - with notes of fig, cinnamon and other spices. Certainly getting the sweetness of the bourbon barrel, though it is kept in check by all the other smells competing for my attention.

Again, quite a bit going on here, but the flavors are much the same as before - definitely getting clear figs and raisins here, with that sourness as well, spices, and that bourbon barrel sweetness.

Lighter bodied, a bit slick, carbonation is spot on.

Enjoyed this brew for what it is - an interesting experiment that I was happy to see on the shelves.
Jan 13, 2013
Photo of SebD
Reviewed by SebD from Canada (ON)

3.94/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Appearance: It has a nice deep orange/amber color to it. It has a nice thick off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves little lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of bourbon, vanilla, banana, caramel, raisins and some spices.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has vanilla, caramel, banana, raisins, some bourbon and light cinnamon.

Mouthfeel: It has a low/medium carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas.
Jan 11, 2013
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.69/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Some bourbon aroma. Fruit and sourness. Brown bodied with a good head. Chocolate and very malty. Some bourbon, sourness in finish, dry finish.Thanks Americo.
Had a bottle sample with one of the owners a few weeks later and it had a nice long sour finish.
Jan 08, 2013
Cuvée (2012) - Bourbon Barrel-Aged from Nickel Brook Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 25 ratings