Triple-Aged Bourbon Ale
River City Brewing Company

 

 

Poured on-tap at River City Brewing Company, the beer was served in a goblet. The beer was a copper-gold coloring with a thin film of head. The aromas were very strong sour malt and sweet vanilla on the nose. Very well balanced smell, and very enticing. The beer had flavors of vanilla, bourbon, sweet tea, and a very light balance of hops. The brew was smooth and clean despite the round and robust flavors, with an overall creamy body. The finish was clean and crisp, with a nice, slow, steady vanilla aftertaste. Despite the increased ABV, this was an easy drinker. Very tasty.

on tap at brewery

A clear attractive golden=amber with a limited but long-lasting off-white head.

Malt, spices and the high ABV are evident in the aroma.

The taste partly follows the aroma, but has an unfortunate medicinal quality that didn't seem to stem merely from the high ABV. On the plus side, this beer has some nice complexity that comes through in a dynamic flavor spectrum.

M - crisp and clean

Served on tap at the brewery bar.
-Dark amber with red highlights. Clear. Head is thin but persistent.
-Aroma is of malt and nuts and wood from the barrel aging. Maybe a little sweet bubble gum.
-Interesting flavors. I get grainy malts, sweet nutty mid-palate (almonds?) with some wet wood flavors like a just-popped wine cork. Here is where I get just a hint of hop flavor and bitterness. The finish is a sweet yet crisp fruity alcohol flavor that reminds me of sweet German dessert wine.
-Body is very light--too watery in my opinion. Light carbonation. Alcohol is detectable in the aftertaste, but I'd never guess it was 14 percent.
-A very unique beer. The overall impression is much more like a sweet dessert wine or liqueur than a beer. I am reminded of the wet barrel smell in the cellars at Cantillon Brewery in Brussels. I would prefer some more malt and body to anchor it back down as a barley wine.