Dundee By Way of Caravan
Golden Valley Brewery and Pub

one of the beers from their 30th anniversary series, an incredibly affordable bottle at their brewery! wow, just a few bucks, well worth it even if this isnt epic. its a basic porter as a base beer, not a typical barrel aging candidate, and this seems light as those go, not super robust on the roast, lighter in body, as much chocolate malt character as anything else, but thats part of what makes this unique. a year in bourbon barrels and then with cold brew coffee and cocoa nibs added, pretty cool! the whole thing is quite sweet, thin feeling, and boozy from the bourbon even though the base beer isnt at all, flavorful and good, but a little raw around the edges i reckon, not at all unpleasant but a bomber felt like a lot to me in the moment. brownish reddish color on this, a little cloudiness maybe in the light, short and short lived off white head, a little less carbonated than it could be, which was the case with a few of their bottles that i picked up there. looks awfully light for a porter of any persuasion, let alone a barrel aged one. strong molasses and maple and raisin in the flavor, lighter malt, caramel and bready layers, some vanilla from the whiskey, light char and heat, some bitter balance from the nibs but its not quite enough, tobacco in a good way, cola. the flavor is real sweet, brown sugar and all the decadence of the bourbon, vanilla is strong from it too, plenty of wood as well, seems like good spirits here. the base beer is a bit overwhelmed, but its not insane, the lighter porter is cool in this context, it just takes some getting used to, and would be better if it were drier, but the light body is a change of pace for these. lets talk about the coffee, its well roasted, not overcooked, added cold so no acid or acrid character, and it works in well with the barrel char and the chocolate notes, a nice addition, makes it cozy even though its light, smooths it out too, its the first thing i smell and the last thing i taste. weird but fun beer, cant beat the price, coffee is good and so is the bourbon, unlike others, partly in a good way and partly less so. across a bunch of beers from these guys i am yet to be too impressed or too turned off, old school and middling, but enjoyable and affordable...