Barrel Aged Wee Heavy
Steel Toe Brewing

 

 

Had on tap. The darkest of browns, with clear bubbles here and there. Smell stars toffee, fig, date, rye whiskey, molasses, and candi sugar. Taste is not as sweet as nose would hint, in fact boozy more than anything, barrel really takes over with lots of rye whiskey and smoke that surrounds the dark fruit and toffee well. Feel is heavy, chewy and a little syrupy, very warm, best part of the beer.

 

 

this has held up well over time, several years old now, its drinking really nicely, with just a slight bit of oxidation that i sometimes think flatters styles like scotch ales and english barleywines, like a sign of a certain maturity rather than a past its prime thing, at least for me. the whiskey here is still strong, especially in the nose, where the sweet vanilla nose seems to bring out smoke in the malt, an earthy richness, some toffee and caramel, and of course a bit of alcohol at this strength. super earthy in the flavor, bready and rustic without being as sugary as some of their other huge beers i had recently, not so over the top here anyway, and fitting the style. a toasted kilned malt sort of vibe in the middle, and the oak, which seems old and almost musty, vanilla, subtle smoke, fig jam, and booze. radically complex, smooth to drink, not too thick, and without much carbonation left. i wouldnt suggest holding on to this forever, but it appears o be pretty bullet proof in the cellar. a fine example of the style, accented by the barrel treatment, not surprisingly super well done again by steel toe!

 

 

Thanks to Jeff for this one. 750ml capped bottle into a Surly teku. Shared with schen9303.

This beer is..... muddy. Like many in its style. Nose is brown sugar, molasses, leather, oak and booze. Nice. Pretty mellow. Flavor is of brown sugar and molasses up front. A touch nutty with a syrupy sweetness but not heavy. Booze is present but just barely in the background. It comes out a little as this one warms but maintains a good balance with the rest of the attributes. More booze, brown sugar, molasses and tobacco at the end and finish. Delicious. Body is medium with low carbonation. Slick and smooth in the mouth with a mildly boozy finish and aftertaste.

Just a really balanced beer. Its barrel aged but this one feels..... old... like its been aged for several years. A great sipper.

 

Received from @Josholson666 in NBS BIF #4
Undated bottle at 42 degrees into a hand and dried JK snifter
Aroma – whiskey predominates with some hints of malt
Head small (Maximum < two cm, aggressive pour), light brown, thin and frothy, rapidly diminishing to a two mm ring and no layer
Lacing – some small drag marks
Body – dark brown, hazily translucent
Flavor – malt and whiskey, starts slightly sweet and ends with a whiskey burn. No hops, no diacetyl.
Palate – medium, almost creamy, soft carbonation

Appearance 3, Aroma 3.5, Flavor 3.5, Palate 4, Overall 3.5

Edit: As the beer warms to 57 degrees, it becomes somewhat less hazy and more of a clear dark amber.

 

 

Shared with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a clearish dark brown with a thin head that fades to leave nice lacing and wisps.

S - Aromas of light bourbon, faint caramel malts. Cracker grains, super subtle and soft.

T - Taste is similar to the nose, nice caramel, light bourbon, next to no booze. The malts are a bit odd, the finish is very grain heavy.

M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, smooth, no booze.

O - Overall this was a rather underwhelming beer. The appearance was solid, as was the mouth, but the taste and nose really were subtle and subpar.

Serving type: bottle

Thanks to rudzud

Big foamy fizzy head fades fairly quickly, dark but slightly clear auburn chestnut ruby color, long legs.

Nose sweet candy, toffee, biscuit, sweet candy, chewy nougat spicy hop, little cracker wheat gluten thing, stale cereal, little toasted dusty oak, but fairly light aroma.

Taste brings big sweet candy, toasted dusty oak, more wheat grain gluten thing, little dark choc powdered cocoa, little caramel, light bourbon, very little booze, little syrupy thing. Finish messy sticky granola oat buckwheat bitter thing, not so great.

Mouth is med to heavier bod, syrupy, decent carb, very little booze.

Overall eh, very light in general, meh characters, but a decent beer.

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Arrives with a mahogany color capped by a small beige head; a few wisps of lace

Smell: Caramel, Bourbon and dried dark fruit tones

Taste: Dark fruit flavors forward (fig and raisin) blend with the caramel to provide a sweeter backbone; the Bourbon aspect builds through the middle and lingers through the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation; some warmth in the finish

Overall: Steel Toe puts out a nice selection of beers; I always look forward to trying something new from them when I am in Minneapolis