BA Bourbon Raspberry Tripelbock
Mikkeller ApS

 

On tap at Mikkeller bar. Dark brown color, tan head. Aroma has raspberry, dark malt, caramel, toffee, dried dates and figs. Taste follows with lots of raspberries, bourbon, caramel, brown sugar and tart fruits. Quite dry on the finish.

the base beer here is incredible, have to not forget that as we dig into this bourbon barrel edition. in a lot of instances, i have been a little less impressed with some of the barrel aged mikkeller stuff, or rather, i think a lot of their beers are refined and complex enough as to not need the barrel. this is true of this base beer, which is among the best mikkeller beers out there, but the barrel certainly adds something unique here. the aroma of the fruit maybe loses some of its original tang, but it picks up a beautiful richness of sweet whiskey, vanilla, and charred wood, which adds an incredible degree of depth to this. it doesnt compromise the fruit much, as there are so many raspberries in here that they stand up just fine, just perhaps sweetened a bit compared to the original. mellow and smooth, lager properties on display here for sure, tons of toffee in the grain pulled forward by the whiskey, sort of in that same middle sweet range together, i somehow didnt get as much of this in the original. its not overly barrely though, which i think is to its credit, the fruit and the intensity of the original remain, they are not sacrificed to the barrel, and i very much appreciate that. big jammy fruit and oak to finish, a little sharpness there, tannins, booze as well. this finishes a bit warm, but tis the season for a beer like this, and i can think of no other that suits the season so well! brilliant stuff here suitable for indefinite ageing i would imagine...

375 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 1/21/2021. Pours nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big juicy/tart raspberries, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, toasted oak, vanilla, bourbon, brown bread, cherry, plum, red grape, red wine, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, raspberries, and moderate fruity yeast/bourbon barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of huge juicy/tart raspberries, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, toasted oak, vanilla, bourbon, brown bread, cherry, plum, red grape, red wine, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Moderate fruity/acidic tartness and light bourbon/tannic oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of juicy/tart raspberries, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, toasted oak, vanilla, bourbon, brown bread, cherry, plum, red grape, red wine, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, raspberries, and moderate fruity yeast/bourbon barrel flavors; with a great malt/tartness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light dryness from tart fruit and tannic oak flavors, lightly increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy, fairly acidic, and lightly slick/syrupy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an incredible Bourbon barrel aged fruited Eisbock! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, raspberries, and moderate fruity yeast/bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV. This is a lot more malty, creamy, and balanced than the base beer; which had a fair amount of drying/tannic fruit astringency, which is not present in this at all. Solid barrel presence, but still dominated by the strong malt/fruit flavors. A highly enjoyable offering.

 

On tap at the mikkeller barrel room. This one is much better than the base beer. Great raspberry flavor. A little tart. Nice and malty. Caramel and toffee. The bourbon is warming and the oak shows in the finish.

Medium to full bodied. Ends clean.

This one was very enjoyable. A dessert beer. The alcohol is no where to be found.