Rhinoceros - Four Roses Barrel Aged
Telegraph Brewing Company

 

A: Pours a clear reddish amber with just a touch of light white foam. A ring around the edge of the glass retains enough to leave a few spots of lacing.

S: Thick and sweet malt with a dry touch of whiskey.

T: Sweet and quite light. Again, near the finish, a touch of bourbon is noticeable. A little grainy.

M: Surprisingly light body, low carbonation.

Overall, it's not bad. It's also not great. It's a bit too light to appreciate the complexity of flavors usually present in a barleywine, but the flavors that are here are good.

A - Hazy orange-brown with a finger of frothy tannish head. Fades fairly slowly.

S - Sweet caramel malts, caramelized malts, oak, vanilla Bourbon, rye, citrus and pine hops, and some booze.

T - Sweet caramel and caramelized malts, oak, vanilla, Bourbon, pine, grapefruit, orange, and citrus hops, lots of bitterness, brown sugar, some booze.

M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet, warming, and lightly bitter finish.

D - Nice barrel aged barleywine. Good overall balance.

Appearance: Pours a light amber-hued body, hazed, with a soap suds-like head.

Smell: Strong, eye-opening aromatics from the bourbon barrel aging, shooting out eager sniffs of booze-soaked oak, also fair notes of malted rye, caramel, citrus, and fruit compote.

Taste: First, it's caramel. Then, light brown sugar, followed by a pop of table sugar ushering in a jolt of residual sweetness. Varying fruitiness yielding accents of apple, peach, citrus, and sultana. Uppercut of hot alcohol leads in zestful rye and punchy hops with plenty of bitterness propped up by that sustained alcoholic sear. Woodsy bourbon character throughout. Tangy, fruity, bittersweet, warm finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-high carbonation.

Overall: Fairly good, not quite as polished as some, as there is some roughness present, but it shows promise.

Thanks to wethorseblanket for sharing this one at my tasting.

Made exclusively for Healthy Spirits in San Francisco, CA.

Batch # 111A.

Pours a clear orange with a foamy orange-tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, citrus zest, wood, and bourbon. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick and woody finish. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty but pretty boozy.