Bourbon Barrel Aged Barley Wine
Grand Rapids Brewing Co

 

Nip bottle. 2007 summer release.Aroma lifts a bit of barbeque sauce and tomatoes to the nose. Comes in a tawny golden amber, with no head. Flavor is a tomatoey fruit mess, blended with old hard candy, bits of fake vanilla and some ice cream. Tannins and tobacco creep in. Finishes a bit salty and with detectable savory notes on the slide. Thin. With heat. Not real exciting. Thanks for sharing Sean.

This beer is NOT retired! It's just really limited, and if you know the brewer (John) he might hook you up. I got a 12oz bottle 09/2007 and saved it until now. Right away the smell was a pleasing oak, mild bourbon. Had to let it warm up to really notice the true smell. I only like about 1/10th of the Bourbon brews I try, and this one struck nicely. It's not an in-your-face bourbon extreme, it is a nicely carbonated oak-aged brew that makes you remember you are drinking good beer that has been well taken care of. A bit of suspended yeast bits were nice to note.

Tommy Likey.

I got this tiny 7 oz, cheap looking, clear bottle at the brewery for $5. Kind of expensive, but hey support your local brewers, right?

Has a rusted brown look to it with a tiny bubbling head that fades right away. Small bubbles are there but looks rather uncarbonated. Aroma is bit weak and hard to describe but it's mostly oak, vanilla, and bourbon undertones. This comes through in the taste as well, though the flavors were easier to describe here. Alcohol has its precense as well. Really hard to come up with other flavors but this is a nice barleywine regardless. Finish lingers with bourbon notes and maybe some spicy hops, but that might be the alcohol too. Enjoyable beer, good work GRBC.

Pours a deep maroon with brown highlights and no head, even after some agitation.
Aroma is very alcoholic smell but the bourbon-barrel promised smell is somewhat subdued. Darker citrus fruits in the background and some resiny hop seems to be hiding there as well.
Flavor is very mellow, not in your face bourbon but more like a mild mannered sheery, not sweet but more of a fruity hit than the heavy peaty bourbon that I would expect from the name. Some spicy yast and hop hits as well as the alcoholic punch give this a very pleasant taste.
Mouthfeel is slightly on the sweet side but nice balance of malt, spice and yeast give this a nice progression.
Drinkability is pretty high, would have loved to try this on draught.