319 - Bourbon Barrel Aged
Idle Hands Craft Ales
- From:
- Idle Hands Craft Ales
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Quadrupel (Quad)
- ABV:
- 10.7%
- Score:
- 92
- Avg:
- 4.25 | pDev: 8.47%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 11, 2017
- Added:
- Oct 20, 2014
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 5
SCORE
92
Outstanding
92
Outstanding
Aged in a single barrel of Eagle Rare 10 year for Redstone Liquors. 20 cases produced.
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Reviewed by Dope from Massachusetts
4.52/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.52/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
I don't see a bottling date but this was just released on 10/19/14 (yesterday).
A: Pours a dark, dark brown with a bit of red in there. Tall, very fizzy light brown head. Head initially fades very quickly and soda-like but then slows down about halfway through dissipation. No sign of lacing at all.
S: Strong (but not harsh) bourbon aroma. Carbonation is high so it does sting a little but once you let it settle down it's fine. Nice smooth caramel from the bourbon with a hint of oak. Gotta love Eagle Rare, one of my favorite bourbons. Lots of cherries and raisins with some heavy dark bread in the background.
T: Super smooth bourbon up front. One of the smoothest bourbon presences I've ever tasted. I almost didn't even realize it was there at first. You ride a nice easy wave of caramel, cocoa and oak into this one. Some cherries in the middle, fairly subtle. Heavy, dark spiced bread in the finish. More chocolate in the finish, stronger now. There is the lightest suggestion of cherries in the finish too but it has faded considerably from the base beer (6 months in bourbon barrels will do that, I suppose).
M: Highly carbonated. Heavy and super super super smooth. No sign of alcohol; no booziness from the bourbon. Startlingly smooth, I cannot overstate this especially when it comes to 10.7% barrel-aged quads.
O: Wow, I really liked the base beer but this one takes it to the next level. Incredible smoothness in the mouthfeel and in the flavors. Bourbon is somehow very present and noticeable but not harsh or sharp in any way. I'm not sure I've ever experienced this sort of mellow bourbon integration before, it's THAT noticeable. Cherries are very subtle which isn't unexpected as they were pretty subtle in the base beer. I do miss the chocolate-covered cherry aftertaste that the base beer had but the other additions make up for it. It's still there, don't get me wrong, but it's super subtle to the point that I'm not entirely sure if I'm imagining it or not. Regardless, delicious beer. Non-traditional of course (what with the cherries and the barrel-aging) but top-notch nonetheless.
Oct 20, 2014A: Pours a dark, dark brown with a bit of red in there. Tall, very fizzy light brown head. Head initially fades very quickly and soda-like but then slows down about halfway through dissipation. No sign of lacing at all.
S: Strong (but not harsh) bourbon aroma. Carbonation is high so it does sting a little but once you let it settle down it's fine. Nice smooth caramel from the bourbon with a hint of oak. Gotta love Eagle Rare, one of my favorite bourbons. Lots of cherries and raisins with some heavy dark bread in the background.
T: Super smooth bourbon up front. One of the smoothest bourbon presences I've ever tasted. I almost didn't even realize it was there at first. You ride a nice easy wave of caramel, cocoa and oak into this one. Some cherries in the middle, fairly subtle. Heavy, dark spiced bread in the finish. More chocolate in the finish, stronger now. There is the lightest suggestion of cherries in the finish too but it has faded considerably from the base beer (6 months in bourbon barrels will do that, I suppose).
M: Highly carbonated. Heavy and super super super smooth. No sign of alcohol; no booziness from the bourbon. Startlingly smooth, I cannot overstate this especially when it comes to 10.7% barrel-aged quads.
O: Wow, I really liked the base beer but this one takes it to the next level. Incredible smoothness in the mouthfeel and in the flavors. Bourbon is somehow very present and noticeable but not harsh or sharp in any way. I'm not sure I've ever experienced this sort of mellow bourbon integration before, it's THAT noticeable. Cherries are very subtle which isn't unexpected as they were pretty subtle in the base beer. I do miss the chocolate-covered cherry aftertaste that the base beer had but the other additions make up for it. It's still there, don't get me wrong, but it's super subtle to the point that I'm not entirely sure if I'm imagining it or not. Regardless, delicious beer. Non-traditional of course (what with the cherries and the barrel-aging) but top-notch nonetheless.
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