Barrel Aged Coffee Cream Ale
Sawtooth Brewery

 

very neat beer here, cool to see something this low alcohol from a barrel, uncommon to say the least. it seems to me that the base beer must have been totally transformed by the barrel treatment, so light that it definitely gives up some of its identity for the bourbon and oak character, but its neat with the coffee, and while maybe this lacks a touch of refinement, its cool beer. maybe it was once pale, but its amber now, maybe from the barrel, maybe from some coffee blended in. it smells and tastes the same, roasty and coffee forward, relatively fresh all things considered, with hints of hazelnut and honey to it, some fuller malt richness for a cream ale giving way to the sweetness of the bourbon, corn and maple and vanilla from the wood, perhaps a tad bit tangy as it sits, like maybe there is a little infection setting in, maybe just some oxidation peaking out, could even be acidity from the coffee, but its minor and doesnt kill the vibe at all. maybe some lactose or something in here too, it seems a little more desserty than it need to be, but its not way over the top. nice carbonation, good barrel character, easy drinking and light bodied, but still somehow wintery. different and solid, fun and unique.

Waxed bottle split into pint glasses; pours light pale gold with a white-ish head. This is a light beer with minimal coffee characteristics honestly; there are faint notes whiskey barrel that come across as tart...could this be infected? At only 5% abv this doesn't have any body backing it up and just drinks like a standard-fare blond ale with a funky barrel treatment and no coffee. A miss for me.

Bottle at share. Clear golden pour, off-white head. Coffee first and forward, with hints of the bourbon barrel following. Creamy smooth, coffee covering any malts and accented by bourbon notes.