Bourbon Barrel Aged Wee Heavy
Selin's Grove Brewing Company

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Selin's Grove Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
ABV:
12%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
4.42 | pDev: 7.24%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
9
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 31, 2012
Added:
Jul 18, 2010
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 4.25 by DWolf from Pennsylvania

Jul 31, 2012
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

4.77/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
The label and the cask read wee whiskey, but the bartender called it a barleywine. Ihope this is the right place for this.

a: This was a clear, dark ruby red. It was served to me with a long lasting, firm, bone white ring.

s: Smells like a peaty, earthy English barleywine. Enticing sweet elements of toffee, vanilla, and dark fruit blanketed by a mellow whiskey aroma that seemed well aged and extremely well incorporated.

t: Almost as heavenly as the aroma. This comes across as mellow, gracefully aged, Wee-heavy/b-wine hybrid. Earthy peat, aged hops, and muted whiskey flavors keep the sweet toffee and vanilla in check.

m: Rich, thick and creamy.

o: I'm so glad I got to try this, I haven't enjoyed a beer this much in a long time. I tried to order another but the cask kicked while I enjoyed the first. I'm thrilled I was lucky enough to get one.
Jul 30, 2012
Photo of orangesol
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Finally found my notes for this one lurking under the seat in my car. It really is a black hole down there...Served on cask into a goblet.

A - Pours deep brown, with light copper notes around the edges, with a creamy one finger tall beige colored head leaving spotty lacing down the glass.

S - Smells of rich toffee, overly sweet caramel malt, vanilla, warm bourbon, and a touch of dry oak. It is quite sweet smelling but the bourbon helps to cut that down a bit as it warms to room temperature.

T - Starts off with a huge blast of sugary sweetness. Hints of toffee, caramel, and butterscotch dance on the pallet throughout each sip. As the sweetness begins to die down you begin to feel the light burn of the warm bourbon barrel and it dries the pallet out, but only till the sweetness ramps back up. The finish is a mix of sugary sweetness and light bourbon heat, lingering for some time. This is a sipper for sure.

M - Medium-Heavy body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Quite sweet; but not to the point of being cloying; feel becoming a bit thin toward the end. A mix of sweetness and light bourbon heat in the finish, lingering for some time.

O - Having had the wee heavy a few times before this version I though I knew what I was getting myself into, I did not. This was a dream to drink. It was very sweet but the bourbon heat helped to keep things in check. Easily the best barrel aged beer I have had from SGBC to date.
Jul 14, 2011
Photo of CanadaBlue
Reviewed by CanadaBlue from California

4.92/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
This beer was a great surprise on my visit this week. Not only a Wee Heavy available, but a bourbon barrel aged one to boot!

Dark. Thick. malty. Rich. Bourbony - very much so. Complex deep aroma. Mind-bending goodness. Stunningly excellent.

If you like bourbon barrel aged beers, this one is for you. Oh, how I wish I could take a never-ending supply home and have a few sips of this each night. All I have now is the memory, and the anticipation of the next release!
Aug 21, 2010
Photo of akorsak
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Freshly poured from the cask at the brewpub on 29-Jul-10.

A: The wee heavy is a syrupy caramel color, an opaque brown hue. Sitting still in my glass, the ale has no head and little indication of carbonation supporting it.

S: If it's not much to look at, be soothed by the awesome aroma. A rich bourbon wafts from the glass, a combination of vanilla, maple syrup, and coconut that overpower the wee heavy immediately. The sweet caramel malts stand no chance against the barrel.

T: The body continues where the nose leaves off, with warming bourbon strength atop a lush malt foundation. Initial hints of malt quickly disappear behind the bourbon. The sweetness that I mentioned above in the aroma continues here, a bourbony blast of flavor and strength. The candied flavors, vanilla, maple syrup and coconut are rich and at ease atop the wee heavy. By the second glass, the strength of the ale catches up with you.

M: A delight if you like bourbon. The sweet flavors roll over the darker malts, creating a bold flavor that is tough to beat. This is my first barrel-aged beer froM SGBC and I like it.

D: At 12% this is a sipper at best. That's gonna drop the drinkability a bit. I did like my two glasses though and think that this could be a great direction for SGBC to head in.
Aug 02, 2010
Photo of ffejherb
Reviewed by ffejherb from Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On cask at SGB on 7/18/10.

A - Beautiful hand-pulled pour with a firm, creamy beige head atop a copper brown body with burgundy tones. Head retained fairly well and produced frothy strands of foam that clung to the sides of the glass.

S - Caramel, toffee and maple candy combine to produce a sweet and malty aroma with a pinch of earthy hops and a tinge of alcohol fume. Traces of vanilla and bourbon also emerge as the liquid warmed up a bit.

T - Very sweet up front with an obvious maple character that eventually segues into vanilla and bourbon notes with some dry woody tones. The bourbon character really develops in the backend and is accompanied by earthy hop notes to create a leafy, bitter finish with a surprisingly mellow alcohol tang for a 12% ABV Wee Heavy.

M - Super smooth and full-bodied with a sticky, slick mouthfeel and a touch of alcohol sting on the palate. Finishes with a bittersweet bite on the palate.

D - Another fine barrel-aged creation from Steve. I enjoyed this one even more than the BA Baltic Porter. This one is made for the hand pull. Delicious!
Jul 30, 2010
Photo of Hojaminbag
Reviewed by Hojaminbag from Colorado

3.8/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This Wee Heavy has a very dark body that looks like a dark brown, but when held up to the light it is quite red. Only a thin head on this one, and basically no lacing.

Smells like a whiskey barrel. A few whiffs of rich malt, but more bourbon and oak.

The flavor is huge and rich upon the first sip. A rush of big malts malts and a ton of barrel characteristics come first, along with a fruity flavor and warmth. The fruit flavor is almost tart, and although I want to say it is an apple flavor, I'm really not sure. The barrel characteristics bring a ton of bourbon, spicy oak and perhaps a hint of vanilla. The malt up front just seems rich and sweet, but after the rush of flavor the malt takes over again, showing off a dry, bitter chocolate and chewy toffee and molasses. In the middle there is a hint of hop bitterness. The finish throws in some more bourbon, along with a ton of warmth and a bit of fusel alcohol flavors.

The body is pretty full, and the alcohol is warm and bordering on burning.

Whoa, this sucker is huge. Definitely a sipper. With that said, it is fairly good, and for lovers of bourbon, this beer brings the goods.
Jul 27, 2010
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Interesting timing, review #400 care of this offering at the brewpub served in a 10oz goblet straight from the hand pump.

The label on the engine reads: "Whiskey Wee Heavy." The beer menu describes this brew as the 2009 St. Fillian Wee Heavy aged for 6 months in bourbon barrels.

The brew appears a clear dark ruby amber color with less than a finger of cream tanned head. Very nice retension that slowly dissolves to a ring around the inside perimeter of the glass. Lace clings in faint patches along the glassware.

The aroma of this brew has an upfront kick of bourbon and woodsy oak notes with suggestions of sweet dark malt. Chocolate malt mingles with some light caramel tones and some fruity yeast notes. All in all a delicious scent of malty goodness surrounds the nose.

The flavor of this brew encompasses dark caramel malt flavors, slightly toasty/burnt tasting before a solid kick of alcohol warmth filled with the flavor of bourbon. Subtle smokey notes come into play before giving way to caramel and vanilla sweetness. After a few sips some hop induced bitterness lingers on the tongue really doing a wonderful job of balancing out the malt sweetness and bold alcohol character.

This is a fine sipper that is so smooth and easy drinking. Very enjoyable medium to heavy feel with a light level of carbonation. This is hands down my favorite offering from SGB. I wish I could have enjoyed a few of these but at $7.50 for 10oz and such a high alcohol level, I sadly don't have anyone to drive me home (which would be needed if I had another.) According to the bartender, there is talk of one other keg of this brew that might make an appearance in November. Count me in for having this again.
Jul 22, 2010
Photo of Deuane
Reviewed by Deuane from Pennsylvania

4.49/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Oh yea! Thanks to two of the best blond headed ladies around...you know who you are!

A-Deep, lustrous copper kissed burgundy with a foamy light tan head that dissipated to a thin veil and eventually vanished. No lacing whatsoever.

S-Rich, yet with a boatload of subtle complexities.Up front caramel laden brown sugar with notes of apple.pear and a dose of fresh cut oak plank. Faint butterscotch and a touch of alcohol fusels in the background.

T-Oh, here is where this one shines, big time! Rich, yet mellow, massive, turbinado laden, caramel up front with an accompanying wave of sweet Fuji apple / Bartlett pear. A building dry oak spiciness in the finish. This is what a barrel aged malt bomb should be like IMO.

M-Medium to medium-heavy but not "thick" feeling or cloying. Rich and tasty with lots of lingering sweetness and dry oak spiciness.

D-Absolutely delicious, but the 12% ABV with the building richness catches up with you. Without a doubt the finest barrel aged beer to come out of SGB yet! So full of caramel goodness with the moderating dry spiciness courtesy of the oak, a wonderful combination! Kudos to Steve!
Jul 18, 2010
Bourbon Barrel Aged Wee Heavy from Selin's Grove Brewing Company
Beer rating: 4.42 out of 5 with 9 ratings