Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter (Mole)
Karbach Brewing Co.
- From:
- Karbach Brewing Co.
- Texas, United States
- Style:
- Imperial Porter
- ABV:
- 11.8%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.82 | pDev: 18.59%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 8
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Aug 30, 2022
- Added:
- Apr 03, 2019
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
86
Very Good
86
Very Good
Ale brewed with Chilis, Cinnamon, Cumin and Chocolate then aged in Bourbon Barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas
4/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Dark amber in color, verging on black, with a massive tan head, which dissipates only slowly. Fine-beaded lacing coats the glass walls, in an all but unbroken sheet. The head retention is superb.
Aroma: A wave of massive bourbon, pralines, and lesser vanilla bean greets the senses, with an undercurrent of dark molasses. Notes of mellow oak and bitter cocoa are also present, casting a balance to the sweetness. The alcohol notes are quite dramatic, while not overshadowing the aroma, they are, nonetheless, rather pronounced.
,
Taste: O bourbon! Thy song rings true in this ale! The chilies certainly enhance the taste, with the spicy alcohol and oak coming quickly to the forefront. The peppers and the alcohol compete to offer warmth, perhaps a little much, although not overwhelming. As the taste progresses, the bourbon and brown sugar really shine, and there is a mild flavor of vanilla, oak, and bitter cocoa, as well. Finishes with notable heat and a mild, lingering brown sugar sweetness, and spicy alcohol.
Mouth feel: Smooth and very full, syrupy, and quite pleasant.
Drinkability/Notes: Just excellent, presents more of a bourbon character than the other varieties of Hellfighter that I have sampled. A remarkable tour-de-force, it may be regretted that it is no longer brewed.
Presentation: Packaged in a custom eleven point two ounce brown glass bottle with a pry-off crown, served in a Save the World Brewing teku.
Jun 27, 2020Aroma: A wave of massive bourbon, pralines, and lesser vanilla bean greets the senses, with an undercurrent of dark molasses. Notes of mellow oak and bitter cocoa are also present, casting a balance to the sweetness. The alcohol notes are quite dramatic, while not overshadowing the aroma, they are, nonetheless, rather pronounced.
,
Taste: O bourbon! Thy song rings true in this ale! The chilies certainly enhance the taste, with the spicy alcohol and oak coming quickly to the forefront. The peppers and the alcohol compete to offer warmth, perhaps a little much, although not overwhelming. As the taste progresses, the bourbon and brown sugar really shine, and there is a mild flavor of vanilla, oak, and bitter cocoa, as well. Finishes with notable heat and a mild, lingering brown sugar sweetness, and spicy alcohol.
Mouth feel: Smooth and very full, syrupy, and quite pleasant.
Drinkability/Notes: Just excellent, presents more of a bourbon character than the other varieties of Hellfighter that I have sampled. A remarkable tour-de-force, it may be regretted that it is no longer brewed.
Presentation: Packaged in a custom eleven point two ounce brown glass bottle with a pry-off crown, served in a Save the World Brewing teku.
Reviewed by ilikebeer03 from Texas
3.51/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.51/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
pours black with a fizzy dark khaki finger of head. fades quickly, but leaves a nice ring around the glass
nose is bourbon, chocolate, coffee
taste is....interesting. soft bourbon, chocolate, heat from the chilis, subtle cumin (which isn't as terrible as it sounds) coffee. lingering chocolate / chili heat.
a bit more carbonated than i'd care for.
Oct 24, 2019nose is bourbon, chocolate, coffee
taste is....interesting. soft bourbon, chocolate, heat from the chilis, subtle cumin (which isn't as terrible as it sounds) coffee. lingering chocolate / chili heat.
a bit more carbonated than i'd care for.
Reviewed by HardTarget from Texas
4.35/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
4.35/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Black glass glows a deep ruby when seriously back lit. Barest trace of a halo of foam.
Aroma: Bourbon, barrel, a vegetal pepper, dark sugar. Volume set at 11, with the knob missing.
Taste: Cinnamon, chile peppers, bourbon, sweet brown sugar finish.
Mouthfeel: It burns. Lip numbing, both from the alcohol and the pepper oils. Oily lasting finish. Medium body thinned out with alcohol, still body, little to no carbonation.
Overall: Do you like pepper heat in beer? Do you like Bourbon? Do you like these things a lot? If yes: you should like this beer. If no: it's almost painful in intensity. It's something of it's saving grace. It's too much of everything, which makes me think it would stand up to some cellar time, but I'm a little worried about the chile holding up in flavor. Good scores from me as I like beers that walk on the wild side. This one was raised there.
Aug 18, 2019Aroma: Bourbon, barrel, a vegetal pepper, dark sugar. Volume set at 11, with the knob missing.
Taste: Cinnamon, chile peppers, bourbon, sweet brown sugar finish.
Mouthfeel: It burns. Lip numbing, both from the alcohol and the pepper oils. Oily lasting finish. Medium body thinned out with alcohol, still body, little to no carbonation.
Overall: Do you like pepper heat in beer? Do you like Bourbon? Do you like these things a lot? If yes: you should like this beer. If no: it's almost painful in intensity. It's something of it's saving grace. It's too much of everything, which makes me think it would stand up to some cellar time, but I'm a little worried about the chile holding up in flavor. Good scores from me as I like beers that walk on the wild side. This one was raised there.
Reviewed by imnodoctorbut from Texas
3.77/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.77/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
The 2019 4 pack "One Each" Hellfighter release - Part 4 - "Mole BBH"
brewed on 1/21/19
11.2 oz bottle poured from can to pint glass. ABV reads 11.8%
A: (joan) Jett black, with a dark toasted cream colored head which has very low retention and settles on down to a thin little ring.
S: slight boozy heat with spice (cumin & chilis kickin in early) backed up with a chocolatey molasses malt sweetness for a backbone down the bittersweet edge
T: follows the nose. quick hit of booze heat and spice, followed by a flowering chocolate cinnamon malt, finally kicking in with the slightly unsettling (in the best way) chili pepper spicy with juicy side. it's complex and unappologetic
F: medium body, medium/high carbonation level, and the booze/bourbon/chili factors keep it balancing between crisp and smooth.
Overall (personal opinion): it's spicy and weird but sweet enough, malty enough, refreshing enough for you to play along. keep an open mind and possibilities may open up to you. lastly, as someone who was "burned" by the complexity of mole sauce at an early age (west tx raised), this brew has singlehandedly re-opened my tastebuds to experiencing the Mexican staple once again. I can only *hope* for as satisfying of an experience.
finally, sticking with my ultimate advice: if you come across this pack, buy two if you can. stow one away for about a year, and then hold a "crash course flight" on the styles contained within the pack.
Jun 25, 2019brewed on 1/21/19
11.2 oz bottle poured from can to pint glass. ABV reads 11.8%
A: (joan) Jett black, with a dark toasted cream colored head which has very low retention and settles on down to a thin little ring.
S: slight boozy heat with spice (cumin & chilis kickin in early) backed up with a chocolatey molasses malt sweetness for a backbone down the bittersweet edge
T: follows the nose. quick hit of booze heat and spice, followed by a flowering chocolate cinnamon malt, finally kicking in with the slightly unsettling (in the best way) chili pepper spicy with juicy side. it's complex and unappologetic
F: medium body, medium/high carbonation level, and the booze/bourbon/chili factors keep it balancing between crisp and smooth.
Overall (personal opinion): it's spicy and weird but sweet enough, malty enough, refreshing enough for you to play along. keep an open mind and possibilities may open up to you. lastly, as someone who was "burned" by the complexity of mole sauce at an early age (west tx raised), this brew has singlehandedly re-opened my tastebuds to experiencing the Mexican staple once again. I can only *hope* for as satisfying of an experience.
finally, sticking with my ultimate advice: if you come across this pack, buy two if you can. stow one away for about a year, and then hold a "crash course flight" on the styles contained within the pack.
Reviewed by JohnDon from Texas
3.99/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into glass. Jet black and small layer of foam that disapaited quickly. Smell and strong and taste os of spices. Overall very good drink to sip slowly.
Apr 29, 2019
Reviewed by Longhorn08 from Texas
3.6/5 rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.6/5 rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
L- pours a thin black with 2-3 fingers of fizzy head that reminds me of a soda.
S- mole heat right off. Bit of bourbon and some milk chocolate. Cinnamon mixed in.
T- colas is my initial thought, then heat then a little bourbon. Mild chocolate makes it way through.
F- very thin. Thinner than the base beer I literally had yesterday. Thin and fizzy.
O- yep, you can taste the heat and the cinnamon but they don’t add much to the base beer. I think the OG Hellfighter and the regular BA version are superior to the mole version for sure.
Apr 22, 2019S- mole heat right off. Bit of bourbon and some milk chocolate. Cinnamon mixed in.
T- colas is my initial thought, then heat then a little bourbon. Mild chocolate makes it way through.
F- very thin. Thinner than the base beer I literally had yesterday. Thin and fizzy.
O- yep, you can taste the heat and the cinnamon but they don’t add much to the base beer. I think the OG Hellfighter and the regular BA version are superior to the mole version for sure.
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