Prairie Rumbler
Wild Rose Brewery & Taproom

A: Color (deep reddish amber) and filtration are nice on this pour, though the head topping it all was like a fountain drink--fizzy and receding to nothing in moments.

S: A lot of alcohol on the front of the nose, followed by some oddly fruity phenols. Malts or hoppy notes are not present, nor is character that I might expect from rum barrel aging. As per the style description, many of these notes are acceptable--it is certainly not what I might have hoped for, though.

T: There's something very tart in this beer that I can't quite put a finger on. There is certainly some forward fruitiness present, though nothing in particular that can be named. Peppery alcohol appears through the finish.

M + O: The body appears far too thin, the carbonation is exceedingly sharp, and it seems that there is a great deal of imbalance in the beer. It's unfortunate given that Wild Rose has presented solid offerings otherwise.

I waited until discount day to pick this one up and, well, I’m glad I waited. The additional sugar makes it come across more like a Tripel than Barrel Aged. This beer is definitely lacking wood, but at my age, that’s to be expected...

650ml bottle - another collaboration with Ribstone Creek Brewery, where they've made an English Strong Ale, and aged it in unspecified rum barrels, hence the name.

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and somewhat bubbly tan head, which leaves some decent distant mountain range lace around the glass as it slowly sinks out of sight.

It smells of bready and doughy caramel malt, biscuity toffee, treacle, some muddled dark orchard fruitiness, and very plain earthy, musty, and gently lit-up floral green hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy caramel malt, brown sugar syrup, bruised plum, prune, and besotted raisin fruity notes, a hint of earthy mustiness, faint damp wood, and more well understated leafy, weedy, and floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is quite laid-back in its barely-there frothiness, the body an adequate middleweight, and generally smooth, with only a suggestion of the booze burbling under the surface here causing a minor tremor. It finishes off-dry, yet not as sweet as one might have been expecting.

Overall - this is a pleasant enough version of the style, with the time spent in the wood not particularly evident, beyond what I presume is some additional sugary and fruity essences, which could be arrived at in other, shall we say, less costly ways. Oh, and kudos on rendering the nice and even 10 points of alcohol essentially undetectable - always a good thing.