Aviary Nine - George T Stagg
Evil Twin Brewing

 

The color is a light golden color with basically no head.

The aroma is really intriguing. Tons and tons of bourbon and barrels. There's tons of oak, vanilla, alcohol, caramel sweetness, then there's the Belgian blonde with the wheaty characteristics, some fruity apple esters.

The flavor follows with lots of those blonde ale notes with the Belgian yeast breadiness, some lighter fruit notes of apple, pear, and comes the bourbon notes and vanilla. The middle of the mouth is really light and it finishes literally of watered down bourbon.

A really cool brew. It could use more malt body, but having the bourbon flavor comes through is intriguing.

 

Bottle at The Aviary.

A - This one looked quite similar to the tequila version, with very low carbonation.

S - Huge bourbon aroma here. Spicy oak, caramel, vanilla, butterscotch, a bit of hot alcohol and green apple, although that wasn't totally unanticipated considering George T. Stagg bourbon is over 70%. Perhaps a bit rough around the edges, but I think that accurately captures the experience of the whiskey if you drink it uncut.

T - The taste is similarly heavy on spicy oak, bourbon, vanilla, and perhaps a touch of alcohol. Base beer is well in the periphery, with notes of caramel and dried fruit. A tad more mellow than the aroma.

M - Smooth, medium body, that is a tad thinner than expected. The bourbon variants seem to get thinned by the barrel more than the other versions. Lower carbonation, and some definite booze warmth; almost lip-tingling in terms of alcohol.

D - This is a one of the better beers in the series; while there's definite alcohol heat it isn't overly fusel or harsh. I preferred this one to the Parker's Heritage, as boozy is a bit more drinkable than cloying in my book. I'd love to see this sort of barrel married to a big imperial stout as I think it might yield something quite special; this base beer isn't really up to the task.