Bourbon Barrel La Muerta
Freetail Brewing Company

 

 

 

From 06/09/12 notes. Thanks to nimbleprop for sharing this one side by side with my normal La Muerta. Bottle 13 of 95.

a - Pours a very dark brown, almost black color, with one inch of off white/light tan head and moderate carbonation evident. Looks pretty similiar to the normal version.

s - Smells of sweet and sour dark fruits, bourbon, oak, vanilla, roasted malts, smoke, peat, and toasted malts. Very nice, a cool sweet and sour mix to it.

t - Tastes of sour dark fruits, oak, roasted malts, sweet dark fruits, smoke, chocolate, peat, and vanilla. Sourer than the nose; might be a little infected, but it actually tastes good.

m - Medium to full body and moderate to low carbonation. Smooth, a touch hot, but nice.

o - Overall I thought this was a pretty good beer; I actually liked it more than the base beer. Bourbon comes through a little bit in the nose and taste, which helps keep it from being too smokey. I think it was a little infected, but it still tasted good. Would have it again,

 

 

Shared at the bottle release of Freetail Woodicus and Bandito. Bottle 1 of 95. 2009 vintage and bottled in 2010.

The beer pours a dark brown to black color with a brown head. The aroma is heavy the smoke with a little bit of funk mixed in. The flavor is similar with a lot of meaty smoke as well as some tart cherries and bourbon notes. There is also some strong oak character in the flavor. This beer is definitely infected but it still drinks fairly well. The cherries and smoke mix well together and form a unique combination. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Thanks to Bobby for sharing this one at Oakquinox.

A: A nearly black pour with a finger or so worth of tan head on it.

S: Like the regular version, the nose is highly smokey. The roast and the smoke really dominate the aromas, without all that much in terms of the bourbon or barrel character.

T: The flavor is quite off. I'm not entirely sure if the beer is infected or just poor pH management in the brewing process. This one is roasty and smokey with a distinct sourness. There isn't anything in the way of chocolate or bourbon character.

M: The body is fairly decent: a solid medium. Unfortunately, this is seems a bit over-carbonated and the acidity doesn't help out the mouthfeel.

D: I really wasn't expecting the sourness here (and I don't think that assumption was out of line). I would be interested to see what this beer could be, but as it stands: not a winner.

A: Pours a nearly opaque black color. A small bubbly tan head forms, but recedes in a second. No lace. Just a dense, black liquid.
S: An awesome sweet vanilla and dry wood aroma. Roasted malt. Chocolate, light coffee. Some dark fruits. Excellent.
T: Sweet vanilla and wood again. Roasted malt and dark chocolate.
M/D: Thick and syrupy. Low on the carbonation. Seems a little thin though. Lots of booze, but still a very good beer to sip on.

I really do enjoy this, I just think the barrels did little to improve upon an already excellent beer. Still, something I would recommend, and drink again.

Arrived at our table in a snifter, Dark brown almost black in appearance. Small head, and residual lacing. Looked wonderful on the table.
Smell was chocolate, raisins, wood, and a hint of bourbon vanilla. Very toasty, good malty nose.
Taste was sublime. Being a big fan of the regular La Muerta this one was done beautifully. It stayed in the fresh barrel just long enough to capture the bourbon sweetness and the woodiness of the barrel. A sublime balance. Great toasted grain and huge bitter chocolate notes. Very well done.
Carbonation was good and it wasn't too cloying. Made it easy to drink. Too bad I could only stay for one glass. Thank goodness I got a couple bottles.
Freetail has been pushing the brewing limits here in TX. They are on their way to become a great brewery. I really appreciate everything they've done. Great job guys!!!

Update: Its not surviving.

From notes. Drank at the bar on 1/7/10. Served in a goblet.

A: Deep black with little head or lacing

S: Chocolate, smoke and oak with some tobacco.

T: Deep and roasty. Picked up so much smoke it's almost like a rauchbier. Light vanilla notes,the barrel mostly gave it smoke. Reminds of a really oaky Cabernet.

M: It's pretty thick but not chewy.

D: Easy drinking for the style

Really enjoyed this beer, looking forward to picking up a bottle when the release those.

A - Pours black with some lighter areas of deep mahogany around the edges. Head is tan, small, and quickly dissipates into a thin ring of foam. Lacing is scant.

S - Spicy notes of bourbon and oak are the most dominant, with sweet notes of vanilla and chocolate coming through as well. A touch of alcohol lingers in the background.

T - Quite a bit going on here. Starts off slightly boozy with bourbon notes that are simultaneously spicy and sweet. This is backed up by oak notes that give way to a complex orchestra of smoke, licorice, dark chocolate, and a hint of coffee in the finish. Alcohol is fairly noticeable at first, but later gives way to a more assertive bourbon profile as it warms.

M - Full-bodied, though it seems a bit thin for such a big-character beer. Finishes smooth and clean.

D - Insanely easy to drink despite conspicuous alcohol presence. I could easily down more than one of these, though I'd probably be staggering out of the pub afterward, which is why I limited myself to only one at the release. This is a very enjoyable variation of an already extremely well-done beer.