Berkshire Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale
Berkshire Brewing Company

Berkshire Bourbon Barrel Scotch AleBerkshire Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale
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From:
Berkshire Brewing Company
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
ABV:
9.2%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.3 | pDev: 8.6%
Reviews:
114
Ratings:
137
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 14, 2018
Added:
Nov 15, 2007
Wants:
  151
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
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Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

4.42/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
2007 vintage sent in from connecticutpoet.

Deep, rich mahogany-caramel color with a thin ring of head forming and receding to slight bubbles on the top.

Aroma is so sticky - sweet caramel, molasses, fig, prune, smoked malts, smokey jerky, crisp cracker, bourbon.

Flavor is full of goodness. Lots of nice cherry presence, with coconut, vanilla, caramel, bourbon, toasted bread, french toast, maple, and lard.

Feel is not really all that exciting but it works. Kinda thin, with a busy carbonation, not much body, cuts like a knife, here and gone. No creamy texture, no real body. Boozy dryness on the finish.

Overall, this beer is really really good. The age has held up well (11+ years). This was a real occasion to open it, for personal reasons. Good stuff.
Jul 14, 2018
Photo of AndyAvalanche
Reviewed by AndyAvalanche from Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Wow, can't believe I'm drinking this, I think it's my first ever whale and after all these years here I am drinking it. Huge shout out to JJ, thank you kind sir!

22 oz. bomber poured into my Berkshire Nortic Pint Glass. A fairly hard pour brings about a thick local eggshell colored head with very small bubbles. Great lacing. The liquid is darker than expected, sort of a mahogany brown, slightly hazy but you can still somewhat see through it. Looks like the carbonation has been affected over the years, but great looking beer all around.

Smells outstanding. Grain bill is perfect here. Hearty brown bread drizzled with natural honey, figs, plumbs,dates and some dehydrated apples with the skins. Hint of both sweet, smokey, and earthy wood on the back end.

Best tasting Scotch Ale I've ever had, hands down. All of the above mentioned aromas translate into the flavor department. There is just a plethora of flavors going on here. Hearty bready, with some earthy fruitiness. The only difference is that the apple skin flavors make me think of red apples where the aromas make me think it could be any apple skin, either way it's nothing to complain about. Excellent balance of sweetness and bitterness. Somehow this beer manages to be slightly smokey without it being overwhelming in any way, even if you don't like smokey beers (which schotch ales should have on some level) this beer is still for you.

Mouthfeel is great. It's sort of a heavy medium feel. Great balance with it being difficult to determine whether it's more sweet than bitter or vice versa because this beer is big all around. Pretty smooth with just the right amount of earthy bitterness at the finish and also some warmth at the end. Great drinkability, I'm crushing this even though I'm trying to savor it.

Overall there is absolutely nothing not to like about this beer other than it's not more readily available. This beer has been retired for quite some time now, and I believe it is about 8 years old at this point. Hats off to Berkshire, I think they should brew it again if they can. Well done. Another shout out to JJ, you're the man for this hookup, my first white whale!
Jun 23, 2016
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bomber into a snifter. The brew appears a clear mahogany color with a tan head.

The smell includes a hint of old dusty grain, fruity bourbon slight alcohol feel and a mild tang to it.

The taste is sweet with caramel malt, mild dusty oxidation and tangy bourbon. The alcohol becomes a little noticeable as it warms up.

This is medium bodied, moderately carbonated and for being 8 years old this has held up fantasticly.
May 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.22 by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

Apr 11, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by zestar from California

Aug 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by BYOFB from Wisconsin

Feb 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by nebula1999 from Connecticut

Sep 26, 2013
Photo of joe1510
Reviewed by joe1510 from Illinois

4.52/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
22oz Bomber

I received this in a trade awhile back with the man himself brewandbbq, thanks again Jeff! Berkshire's Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale has a somewhat murky mahogany body as it fills my snifter. The red glistens with a caramel hue when backlit. Two fingers of beige head form on the pour and falls to a robust one finger cap that has great staying power and a ton of cling along the glass. Great looking drink lines get left behind each sip. This is one impressive looking drink.

The Scotch ale has notes of peat, caramel, toffee, a surprising nuttiness on deep pulls and a black pepper spiciness that's barely noticeable. Now think of all that deliciousness wrapped in a big fat bourbon barrel like pigs in a blanket. The barrel matches the intensity of the Scotch ale perfectly with just enough character to play along instead of take over. Semi sweet bourbon, pure vanilla, and smooth buttery oak all round out the beautiful nose on this big brew.

The nose couldn't have been anymore right on than what it was. The actual beer has a great peat smokiness that plays perfectly with the somewhat sweet bourbon character from the barrel. Toffee more so than caramel keep the maltiness pushing through as notes of vanilla and buttery oak coat the tongue. The nuttiness and spiciness are both afterthoughts in the flavor but add even more depth. This is one delicious beer; each sip gets better and better.

A slow rolling body manages to coat my tongue on each and every sip. The body is on the lighter side of heavy with a velvety smooth feel and barely noticeable carbonation. The carbonation or lack there of, allows this beer to work its magic over every single tastebud.

The sheer size of this brew along makes it a sipper, add the barrel aging and it's a super sipper, or so you'd think. This beer goes down so incredibly easy for the size that it's mind boggling. Seriously, one bomber is not enough.

I would love to see this beer get made again and I'm about to search out some more. I can't give this brew enough credit. The depth is huge and every aspect is perfectly integrated. I can't thank you enough for giving me the chance to sample this brew Jeff!

Reviewed: 3/21/08
Aug 31, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by jaxon53 from Connecticut

Jun 25, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by GRG1313 from California

May 20, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by Photekut from Tennessee

May 19, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by beast464 from Maryland

Jan 03, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by EvanWilliams from Illinois

Dec 23, 2012
Photo of aasher
Reviewed by aasher from Indiana

4.42/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Rempo (Mark) just left this in my fridge because he saw it on my Wants list. What an incredibly generous individual!

This one pours a full bodied, dark and dirty, muddy creek brown in color with a slight off white lacing around the glass. The nose is big, rich, and malty with notes of vanilla, butterscotch, oak, bourbon, molasses, and caramel. Wowzers! It's uber complex. The flavors are spectacular as well. It is very rich and flavorful. There is a lot of vanilla, sorghum, and molasses with nice levels of oak and bourbon. The bourbon character is just right and I'm glad there is that much character left. It drinks large and full in body with a nice, resonating aftertaste. This one is a gem. I'm eternally grateful for this bottle. Thanks again Mark!
Nov 23, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by FreshmanPour77 from Minnesota

Sep 10, 2012
Photo of starrdogg
Reviewed by starrdogg from District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Big thanks to Jon for sharing this long-time Want.

Pours a nice reddish-brown with a thin white head and minimal lacing. Smell is very interesting, a mix of bourbon, dark fruit and heavy malt, maybe a little bit of tartness too. Wow, this flavor is awesome and unique. The bourbon and oak are very prominent, but they mix nearly perfectly with the fruity, malty and almost vinous scotch ale base. I've never had a beer that tastes quite like this, but I'm really impressed. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with nice carbonation. Overall this is a really fantastic scotch ale, right up there with the Bourbon Big Sound as my favorite of the style, but in a very different way. Very happy to have gotten to try this one.
Apr 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by bsuedekum from Missouri

Mar 21, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by Pencible from Virginia

Feb 11, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Jan 30, 2012
Photo of bamadog
Reviewed by bamadog from Ohio

4.02/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I got this in one of my earliest trades a couple of years ago, and just now getting around to cracking it. I figured that much time shouldn't hurt anything this big with some time in barrels on it either. Review is from notes taken on 1/27/2012 and poured from the bottle to a snifter.

Appearance: Pour looks like murky home made apple cider; starts with a one finger creamy light tan head that fades relatively quickly to a thin and uneven skim with a creamy/foamy ring around the surface; as mentioned, body is murky and really can't be seen into, but on the sides you can quick streams of tiny bubbles; a swath and patchy lacing is left behind.

Smell: Quite nice, and there is still a bit of bourbon kick to the nose as well; plenty of caramel maltiness and a touch of smokey peat; alcohol rings through clearly and there is a sweet vanilla presence as well; nose is quite robust and doesn't disappoint.

Taste: Also very good, and there is a bit of an acidic apple-like flavor, not quite sure where it comes from; touch of oak; bourbon-like alcohol is there as well as the nose alluded to; caramel malts and the vanilla rolls in, likely from the barrel.

Mouthfeel: Body is of medium weight, and a touch slick; carbonation is present and soft, keeps the body smooth enough; a thick, oily and sticky coating is left all over the palate; belly is left especially warm.

Overall: Definitely a sipper, but one I wouldn't mind getting through a couple times of years; a nice set of flavors, and while it's not the biggest beer I've sat through, the presence of alcohol keeps me sipping in moderation.
Jan 28, 2012
Berkshire Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale from Berkshire Brewing Company
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 137 ratings