Wheat Wine - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling

 

 

 

$ 17.67 (Including tax)/bomber ($ 0.803/oz) at Spec’s, DeZavala Road, San Antonio, TX.
Label marked 01.03.17 (bottled or best by?), stored at 42 degrees and served at 55 degrees (per bottle directions) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.5.
Body – Gold, slightly hazy, very effervescent.
Head – Large (Maximum 5.3, aggressive pour), off-white, medium density with a few rocks, average retention, diminishing to an irregular five to ten mm lacy ring heavily fed by very active effervescence. Second pour gives less head but otherwise is the same.
Lacing – Actually better than expected from a 12.1% ABV BBA brew. Intermittent thick and wide columns of tiny to small bubbles.
Pour – Light gold, clear.
Aroma – 3 – Somewhat oaky, but that’s about it.
Flavor – 4 - Begins slightly sweet with a caramel-malt flavor. Toward the middle is oak, bourbon, and definite alcohol. Ends oaky. I’m not picking up any bread, banana, or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Full, nearly syrupy, soft carbonation.
Impression and summation – 4.25 - The labels are quite informative, giving SRM, IBU, Brix, ABV, primary cask, expected flavors, suggested temperature, glassware, and food pairings, as well as an invitation to drop in. I’ve been there and it’s a nice little operation.
The aroma is one-sided, being just oaky. That’s OK – at least it isn’t repugnant. The appearance gets points for having some lacing, unusual in a BBA high alcohol brew. The palate is pleasing, being smooth and coating without being viscous. The flavor is decent, perhaps a little on the oaky side, but certainly not displeasing. I was surprised to find Four Roses produce a bourbon. I’ve only had a couple of wheat wines so I can’t be too critical of this one. If I find any more, they’ll be showing up in future NBS boxes.

 

Tasted from a bomber bottle into a wine glass.

L - Attractive beer. Deep gold color. Slightly hazy. White head is initially fluffy but fades to a thin sheet along with thick lacing.

S - Aroma is initially a low funkiness similar to a farmhouse saison. There is a lemondrop sour note and a cracked grain and black pepper note--all of which are reminiscent of a saison. In the finish of a whiff I finally get a bit of oak and vanilla from the bourbon aging.

T - Early in the palate is a lemon sourness and cracked grain. This quickly moves to a harsh, sharp, somewhat acrid note that lingers through the aftertaste. There are some typical bourbon notes of vanilla and low spice, but the harsh flavors late in the palate almost drown them out.

F - Thin to medium body, Slightly prickly, low to medium carbonation. Medium hops bitterness blends into the acrid finish and moderate to high alcohol heat.

O - This beer was a bit disappointing to me. I did not get any distinctive wheat character and the farmhouse funkiness and an possibly unrelated harshness are distracting. I love a good wheat wine and I love a good bourbon beer, but this one is not the best of both worlds.

I was drawn to Ranger Creek Texas Bourbon Barrel as I'm a fan of other BB ages beers, but this one was really something else. I decided to try a San Antonio based brewery to support the local economy. The beer is described as a limited edition wheat wine with tasting notes of bready, caramel, banana, light spice, with floral hop aroma. Hmmm. Didn't get any of that.

It pours nice, with a mild head but after that, game over. If there was a Bourbon Barrel in the vicinity, I did not feel it, see it, smell it or taste it. I'm not sure if they were going for completely sour but they missed that mark as well. If urine could be bottled, this would be it.