Clown Lounge
Karbach Brewing Co.

 

 

Thanks to mrbubbler for sharing this one at his tasting.

2014 vintage. F.U.N. Series 009.

Pours a murky dark reddish-orange with a foamy bone head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of citrus fruit, citrus zest, bourbon, and wood aromas. Taste is much the same with citrus zest, bourbon, and wood flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop and wood bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that has slightly better bourbon barrel aged qualities in the smell.

Serving type: bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tasting 9/9/14

Clown Lounge is a very cloudy, even thick, orange-red color with a bright flare in the body despite its thickness. The head, a yellow-tinted near-white, is a creamy and dense one that achieves roughly one finger's height and displays very good retention while managing some sturdy patching.
It's boozy all the way but not too heavily so, sometimes the downfall with these ambitiously spirit-aged beers and particularly DIPAs, for whatever reason. It's got a nice sweetness to it that doesn't take away from the bitterness, though it keeps it from being overhanded. The barrel shows well, bringing out the typical notes of wood (in this case some dryer, less raw and more refined oak-like notes) and vanilla. The bitterness is mainly citrus and piney with an oily resinous quality to it. It's balanced by the heat and sweetness of the barrel as well as its dryness, along with caramel and just enough fruity esters.
It flows nicely, a medium but almost full body showing off both crisp and smooth while running semi-dry.