Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown Ale
New English Brewing Co.

 

 

Clear Brett infection.
Carbonation overflows dramatically from the bottle upon opening and extremely on the pour.
Smells like burnt tires and foul bread.
Tastes as good.
Why not just barrel age an imperial brown instead of a 7% brown ale clearly susceptible to brett infection?

With a dark mahogany color, this beer boasts a balanced, albeit slightly dry, booze backbone, along with toasted toffee, sweetened raisins and apricot, while having that delicate, straightforward feel that you expect from a British beer. Meanwhile, the raisin booze aroma is surprisingly balanced for what it is. Speaking of which, the mouthfeel is surprisingly balanced for the style with a frothy mouthfeel to compliment the rich flavors, followed by a sweet bourbon yeast cake aftertaste. I was expecting the booze to overpower this beer, but I was surprised this was a well-balanced, all-round bourbon barrel aged offering. Other good bourbon barrel aged beers to try are the Barrel Aged Numbskull and Olde Ale/Special Reserve from Alesmith Brewing Company, Rye-on-Rye from Boulevard Brewing Company, Chanukah in Kentucky from Shmaltz Brewing Company and the Vanilla Bean Stout from Avery Brewing.

really strong scent of bourbon. very noticeable oak scent. initial taste is bourbon first, then some coffee notes. this is a pretty drinkable BBA brown ale. mouth feel is just like the regular brown ale when it comes to carbonation.

 

 

This pours a rusty brown color in the tulip glass with a notable head. The body is surprisingly light, even on the watery side.

The immediate taste is barky and woody. Then there comes that sweet tang and the relentless boozy aromatics. The barrel flavor really overwhelms what seems to be a regular innocent brown ale. Apparently it actually is the Brewer's Special Brown with the barrel treatment. The bitter aftertaste finally takes over an pretty well obliterates the rest of the flavors.

This is actually quite drinkable but I'm not sure it answers the question "why." On tap at Fifty Seven Degrees at Washington St.