Bourbon Barrel Aged Thor's Hammer Barley Wine
Central City Brewers + Distillers

330 ml bottle from 2015 - by appearances a reclamation from a 2015 Advent Calendar (which I certainly never purchased). Have had this previously - both the beer and I were less aged.
Pours a murky reddish brown/mahogany colour with absolutely no head or significant visible carbonation.
Nose of brown sugar, toffee, caramel and vanilla with bourbon and plum/dried fruits - a little bit of sherry.
Sweet toffee and brown sugar on the palate, plum, fig, dark fruits - notes of bourbon soaked bread pudding with some boozy heat.
Sweet full mouthfeel without being sticky or viscous, remarkably present carbonation with a warming boozy finish.

Bottle bought at Las Buenas Pulgas, served at home in a snifter glass while doing nothing but enjoying the beer.
Mahogany colour, small head with no retention and no lacing.
Aroma of bourbon, wood, varnish, dried fruts, a bit of tobacco, boozy, malts, chocolate.
Full body, thick and creamy texture, flat carbonation, dry finish.
Taste of bourb on, tobacco, wood, dried fruits, chocolate, malts.
Rich and complex,

 

 

 

 

Central City Brewers 'Bourbon BA Thor's Hammer' @ 11.5% , served from a silver waxed 650 ml bottle & on tap at GCBF'17
A-pour is mahogany brown from the bottle to a murky brown in the glass without a head leaving no lace
S-bourbon
T-smooth compared to the 330 ml Seasons Greeting offering , hint's of bourbon barrel aged is subdued
MF-mild carbonation , full bodied
Ov-part of the Brewers Reserve gift pack , tough to cellar
prost LampertLand

 

 

330 mL bottle received a few months ago in a CANBIF exchange - I'd like to again extend my appreciation to Farees for helping me tick this longtime 'want'. Dated Sept 18 2014, listed at 11.5% and served slightly chilled.

Pours a deep, opaque brownish colour, with reddish highlights and visible chunks of sediment. A half-finger of loose, frothy, beige-tinged head lasts about 60 seconds before fading off entirely, leaving behind a modest-looking collar of foam and a few wisps on the surface. Big bourbon notes and ethanol fumes on the nose, with additional notes of plum, red grape, fig pudding, amaretto, molasses, oak and vanilla.

An intense beer - 'subtle' does not seem to be in its vocabulary. Rich malty flavours of toffee and treacle are readily apparent, intermingling with ample dark fruit flavours - plum and prune, dates, fig, with suggestions of black cherry and almonds. Mellow bourbon flavours come through on the back end, amidst plenty of woody oak and vanilla. Boozy-sweet finish with some char, some cocoa, and a pronounced ethanol note that warms the mouth and esophagus. Full-bodied, with low carbonation levels and a very smooth, slick, fulfilling texture in the mouth. A delicious sipper.

Final Grade: 4.12, an A-. I've never been much of a barleywine guy, but I've got to say that I am absolutely loving this bottle of BBA Thor's Hammer. The bourbon and oak comes through with moderate force, as do the rich malt bill and high alcohol content - yet they're all working together in perfect harmony, preventing any single element from dominating the others (or causing the flavour profile to become overbearing or cloying). Very impressive stuff - I can't thank my CANBIF sender enough for shipping this rock-solid strong ale to Ontario. Cheers!

 

Pours deep mahogany with moderate head and moderate retention. Not a lot of lacing. First sniff is malt sweetness but the hops and barrel become more pronounced as he beer warms. There's almost a slight cherry note. There's a lot to taste here. Very malty upfront, with toffee leading the way but also some dark cherry and dries fruit sweetness. Woody and piney bitterness follows and the barrel flavor is dominant by the finish. A slight tough of alcohol heat warms the throat at the end. Quite an interesting beer.

Got on trade! Served at 10deg C in a chalice.

A- Opens well and pours a tiny head that is gone in a minute. Medium brown colour and has a ton of chunks floating around in it.

S- Bourbon. Not a ton but it's definitely there. A lot of heat as well though.

T- Sweet and roasting good. Has a barley wine hit at first then bourbon then ash. Nice complexity. They should try a scotch barrel one day. Bet you it would be a huge success.

M- Syrupy sweet going in and creamy down. Dries out and that ash is there. Nice!

O- Nice brew. The bourbon just finishes this brew off well. Super complex and I sure would like to see them continue with more barley wine varients.

Food Pairing

This wonderful big bold barley wine went well with....... Peppercorn roasted pork loin. Super opening up of the succulent pork and spicy pepper corns.

Enjoy

 

01/2015 bottle date. Served at cellar Temps in a snifter.

Appearance: murky, brownish red with a fast fading head of brown bubbles. Unimpressive.

Nose: char, oaky, dried fruit cake, coconut, tons of Barrel character, cherry juice,

Taste: very thin mouthfeel, follows the nose with all of the barrel character, cherries, dried fruits, some boozy notes, very drinkable. Coconut, slight nutty flavor, tobacco, no oxidation at all. No hop character. Tons of malty sweetness from either the Bourbon Barrel or malt bill.

Overall: first of all, tons of value for money; it's $12 for a bomber of BBA English Barleywine. Who can complain about that. I'm impressed with all the barrel character. I'll hold on to another for a while to see the change.