Victory At Sea - Heaven Hill Rye Barrel Aged
Ballast Point Brewing Company

 

 

 

Poured from a bomber into a tulip. Purchased at the brewery in San Diego.

L: Nearly black pour... clear with 1.5 fingers of tannish head. Great lacing.

S: Bourbon... vanilla and coffee. Rich and boozy.

T/F: Follows the nose. Burned sugars and rich espresso... cocoa... vanilla... booze and bourbon. Hints of dark fruit. Medium bodied... warming and boozy. Doesn't hide the ABV.. rather revels in it. So much better as it warms up to room temperature.

O: An outstanding barrel-aged porter. Great flavor... great barrel character... overpriced at $30 a bomber but still fantastic. Wish I could have taken a few of these home to cellar... alas for airline regulations.

 

 

 

 

 

I love to rye barrel as an addition to the underlying porter, which admittedly is a favorite of mine. The vanilla, coffee, chocolate, and underlying oatiness, just melds so well with it, gives a lasting impression of a rich coffee drink with booze. More boozy than other variants, but in a good way. Full, rich and balanced complexity. Yum!

 

Poured on tap black with a thin tan head which fades quickly and leaves spotty lace. Aroma is gob smacked sweet cherries, aged wood and booze. Flavors are dominated by that bourbon, vanilla, sweet booze, dark fruits, slight char and less roasty than the original. Prominent bourbon is strong up front, yet also very mellow on the finish. A sipper and somewhat sherry-like.