Barrel Aged Monk's Indiscretion
Sound Brewery

 

Light golden bauble that is not entirely crispclear, but more suspension of small particles than truly murkyhazy. Decent white head to start before settling in to a steady table of wet off white and a healthy ring around the cuff.

Nose is white wine sweet and spicy, but not all the way, and not so tart. More muscat grapes lightly fermented. Some subdued elements of gin botanical, but not nearly so bitter. Maybe a touch woody.

An interesting melange of flavours here, with many of the same characteristics. Sweet white grapes balanced with some grassy hops and gin botanicals. The bitter comes through more strongly here, building to a finish that has strong gin connotations, including the booze. I do quite enjoy gin, indeed 'tis my liquor of choice.

Finish is gin hot and bitter. Body is dry and lightly carbonated.
This is a really interesting beer, and fairly unique in my experience. I come down on the side of quite enjoying it. I've not had the basic MI yet, so I can't speak to differences, but my interest is piqued. The bottle states, "Try it fresh... or set one down for a while... and see where it goes." I may well grab another bottle and just go ahead and do that.

 

22oz bottle, their Monk's Indiscretion aged in barrels that formerly held something called 'Bourbon Barreled Big Gin', from Captive Spirits Distilling.

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, broadly foamy, and bubbly off-white head, which leaves some boring local lumpy hill lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of herbal and boozy gin, somehow separate juniper branches, bready, crackery pale malt, mild pome fruit, a suggestion of ginger heat, raw pine needles, a bit of pleasantly phenolic yeast, and mild earthy, leafy hop notes. The taste is bready, doughy pale and caramel malt, herbal botanicals, estery yeast, juniper berries, ethereal woody and vanillan barrel hints, soft light brown sugar, respectful free-range alcohol, and more plain earthy, leafy, and weedy hops.

The bubbles are pretty much AWOL for the greater stretch of the low-key frothiness of this affair, the body a decently heavy middleweight, and generally smooth, with a wee airy creaminess poking its nose out at times. It finishes sweet, ginny (but not rummy!), and slyly hoppy.

An interesting and commendable effort, using Bourbon-aged gin to then further age an already strong Belgian-style pale ale. How very meta, with lots to parse in that description, as there is in the flavour profile here. Glad to have had a go at trying this, but only the once, as the per-unit (even a bomber) cost of entry is a wee bit too dear for repeat engagements.