Bad Knees Blanton Barrel Aged Old Ale
Cambridge Brewing Company

Enjoyed at the barley wine festival. Reviewed from notes. 2011 vintage in Blantons

A - Poured into a snifter a hazy dark chestnut hue, thin head that fades to leave a light thin halo.

S - Aromas of big dark fruits, raisins, leather, bourbon, nice caramel, light barrel and vanilla.

T - Taste is similar to the nose, good raisins, earthy, nice bourbon, good caramel, vanilla, very nice sweetness balanced by oak. Nice dark fruit and leather.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, creamy mouthfeel, alcohol hidden well.

O - Overall this was a well crafted to the style with great bourbon notes. Well done.

Serving Type: On Tap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On-tap at the brewpub.

A: Cloudy plum body, only a thin ring of tan head. Average.

S: Huge bourbon presence - whisky, vanilla, oak, and spice. Some almost tart dark fruit underneath. Excellent.

T: Opens with gigantic whiskey - rather raw - and closes with lots of fruit: figs, grapes, strawberries. Hugely boozy finish. Harsh, but flavorful as hell.

M: Lively , almost spiky medium-full body. A bit much.

O: As much as I enjoy big bourbon-barrel Old Ales, this one was just over the top - too fruity, too boozy, not terribly well integrated. Still enjoyable to drink due to its abundance of flavor, but not as good as many other examples of the style.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

A - Beer is a hazy ruby red-brown color with a finger of off-white head. The head fades down super sow leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is full of dark fruits, brown sugar, and oak. There is also just a touch of subtle hops and lots of rich caramel.

T - Starts out with lots of rich dark fruit flavor and rich caramel. There is also some brown sugar as well. Through the middle, stronger dark fruits and some oak and vanilla flavors come through. The finish is a mix of rich caramel and dark fruit with a bit of booze that lingers.

M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. The beer feels thick and kind of syrupy. The beer also warms the mouth as it finishes from the booze.

D - Very drinkable. Heavy, rich, and complex, but still very well balanced. The booze and barrel flavors are nicely mixed in.

On tap at CBC 6/3 (and again 6/5). This one was served in a snifter.

Bad Knees pours a deep brown color that's reminiscent of tobacco. There's about two fingers of khaki colored head that dissipates rather slowly and leaves some thick rings of lace clinging to the glass. The nose is a malt lover's paradise, it's redolent of brown sugar, vanilla, and marshmallows. The flavor takes all that and manages to up the ante. There are additions of toffee and a wonderfully delicate note of bourbon. Maybe it's the integration of the brown sugar, but the marshmallow flavors tastes slightly toasted. I'm a sucker for English Barleywines and Old Ales, and this one has easily the best flavor of any I've tried. I'd give it a 6 out of 5 if I could. The only chink in the beer's armor is the mouthfeel. The body isn't as rich and full as I'd like to see from such a big, malty beer. At the same time the carbonation is a bit too much, actually becoming a minor distraction at times from all the wonderful things this beer has going on. Despite the mouthfeel issues, Bad Knees is one of my absolute favorite beers, and one I can only hope CBC decides to bottle at some point in the future.

On tap at CBC, served in a snifter

A: Dark brown, very thick, about a half inch of off-white frothy head. No lacing.

S: Rum, dark fruits (dates, raisins, plums, etc), toffee, slight chocolate. Very boozy nose.

T: boozy rum immediately destroys the palate and as it settles down the other flavors come through. Tons of dark fruits with really nice depth (not often do they all seem separate, yet blended). Huge toasted malt base with a lot of toffee, caramel and some chocolate. There's a good bit of oak and some vanilla. Tiny floral hop character near the finish. Very sweet and boozy finish.

M: Thick and creamy, low to moderate carbonation, coats the palate nicely.

O: I really loved the depth and complexity of the flavor profile, but it was just too boozy up front. It was literally straight Rum on the front end that faded to an awesome collection of flavors. If the heat and rum-flavor were toned down a notch and it wasn't quite so sweet, It would probably be an easy A. As it is, it's just a little too much. It's almost frustrating, I know there is an awesome awesome beer in there, but you have to work through all the booze and rum to get there.