Bourbon Barrel-Aged Brown Ale
Old Capitol Brew Works and Public House

Poured a dark brown with a fizzy head that left no lacing. I wasn't expecting great head retention, but I hoped for a little more. Smell was pretty nice, you can definately smell bourbon in it with perhaps a little nuttiness from the brown ale beneath. Taste was alright, but it was almost like drinking a diluted bourbon. It wasn't bad, I just felt it would have been better with a little less bourbon influence on it. I thought the mouthfeel was a little thin, but the carbonation levels were right on. Still it seemed to be lacking in some areas that could have definately brought this beer much higher. It's still pretty drinkable and goes down pretty easy, but I was thinking it would be more of a sipping type beer as opposed to what it came out to be. I think a few slight improvements and they could really have a nice beer here, but then again, with Iowa's laws they probably won't be able to max out what they could with this one. Definitely worth trying.

I was pretty excited to go into the brewpub today and finally be able to try the bourbon barrel brown, as I've been wanting to try it for quite some time, but it always seems to be out by the time I get there. Unfortunately this is one of the weaker beers I've had from the Old Capitol in quite some time.

The appearance is good. A nice robust brown with a thin fizzled out head, though I wouldn't particularly expect a barrel aged beer to have a huge creamy head.

The aroma is definitely influenced by the barrel aging. Has a lot of sour mash bourbon aroma, along with a bit of oaky vanilla layered on top of a feint malt profile similar to the regular brown.

The taste was where I began to be a bit disappointed. The bourbon taste is huge, covering up the regular malt flavors I love from the regular Farmer Brown. A little bit of vanilla peeps it's head out every once in a while, but overall the flavors don't mesh too well. The bourbon lingers in the mouth like I just swished a large shot around in my mouth before swallowing.

The body is a bit thin and finishes a bit dry and sour. This is not one I would recommend with the food, but rather one to just sip on during a night of drinking. The fundamental problem is this, however: Iowa's beer laws don't permit the brewers to make a beer strong enough to where the bourbon barrel aging might be a benefit rather than a confusion to the palate. This beer wants to be a sipper, but it is too thin and low in alcohol to be a true sipper.