Gravedigger Billy
Revolution Brewing

 

 

Very subtle peat notes. More like a BA barleywine, which is fine by me. Carries a nice hot bourbon bite up front that cleanses the syrupy caramel flavors.

Revolution Brewer (Chicago, Illinois) (Likely brewpub, Date recorded, not year ( likely 2019) Revolution Gravedigger Billy $9 9 oz snifter. Pitch black pour, creamy tan head and lacing. 4.5. Pleasant smoky bourbon and scotch aroma. 4.5. Very nice scotch taste, strong as this warms (13.2 abv). Somewhat creamy texture no carb very smooth drinking. 4.25, 4.5. Overall excellent pour 4.5. 1/3. No WBAYDN or NBS.

 

Canned 10/28/25. Poured at 53.4°. Tight white head; quick cap; island of microdots; solid minus ring; some spotty lace; deep, amber color with gray edges, and excellent clarity; medium legs on swirl. Bourbon and caramel entry; boozy retronasal. Taste follows nose; sugared raisin; fig; semi sweet caramel finish. Alcohol burn on tip of tongue; silky feel; medium minus body; moderate minus carbonation; full mouth warmth from alcohol. Overall, a fantastic bourbon barrel aged scotch ale; just the right amount of sweetness and bourbon.

 

 

Pours a deep dark ruby red. The smell aroma of bourbon and graham crackers. The taste is a massive punch of toffee followed by raisins and bourbon. Heavy mouthfeel. I like it overall, I think it's the toffee that hooked me here.

Purty darn yummy for a first, rare try. Like a slightly bitter cola, was left with a dominant caramel impression.
think i'll stash the other can i hauled in.

Gravedigger Billy (2025) from Revolution Brewing. 12 fl oz can from Revolution Deep Wood six-pack from Half Time. Ordered 20/01/26, received 13/02/26 (Not shipping until after 04/02/26). Stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 14/02/26, review 3689. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on can bottom “13.5% ABV 10/28/25.” Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 54.3 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 59.1 degrees F.
Appearance – 4. Pretty much like any scotch ale/wee heavy with decent lacing, although the ruby body is rather unique.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 30), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, ruby and clear.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.9 cm, aggressive center pour). Beige, high density. Good retention, eventually dropping to a 0.4 cm crown and a complete cap.
Lacing – Good. A tight band of near-microscopic bubbles with a couple of tiny stalactites.
Aroma – 3.5 – Little aroma – weak malt, no advertised smoke. No alcohol (13.5 % ABV, as marked on the can bottom).
Flavor – 3.75 – Begins slightly bitter rather than the expected sweetness from the high malt bill. Very weak malt and, initially, just a ghost of smokiness. No hops. No alcohol. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Neither bourbon nor barrel. The smokiness increases as it warms. Marked gastric warming/burning.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium: Edging from creamy into syrupy: Soft carbonation.
Style: Sort of follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Uncredited label art. Disappointing – I was expecting a more malt-forward brew with slight smokiness and bourbon barrel oakiness and some bourbon flavor. Instead, it turned out to be a weakly flavored alcohol delivery system.

 

Deep reddish brown pour with a moderate head. Smell and taste are biscuit malt, caramel and bourbon. This is an excellent Scotch Ale - in fact, the best I’ve ever tasted.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark orange red with a quarter finger light khaki head that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of lightly biscuit malt, smoke, bourbon and dried plums. Flavor is dry caramel malt, bourbon, dried plums, dates, a touch of woodiness and moderate smoke. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess and nice mouth feel. Hits all the flavor marks I'd hope for in a barreled Scotch ale/wee heavy, except the smoke is bit subdued and does not have much peat character. Fortunately, the rest is flavorful and well in the wee heavy side of the style. Base malt is sturdy and tasty and the barreling is well done. Quite enjoyable. I'll get this again.

 

Almost as good as Backwoods Bastard.

 

Appearance: Pours a clear mahogany with a one finger ecru head that slowly fades to a pancake; splashy lacing that leaves many speckles behind

Smell: Oak and caramel with Bourbon and vanilla tones; a hint of roast, as well

Taste: Oaky caramel with the Bourbon enveloping; a hint of roast underneath from start to finish; after the swallow, heightened booziness into the finish with the oak lingering into the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: I wouldn't have pegged this as a Wee Heavy as it lacks the peat element; it is very good but tastes more like an English Barleywine to me; the barrel treatment is well handled

Pours a dark mahogany brown that is clear and settles the same in the glass with ruby hues on the edges and a frothy tan head that lingers for minutes. Gorgeous BA Wee Heavy.

The nose features booze and some oak from the barrel, followed immediately by vanilla and caramel aromas, and a smidge of roasty malt for good measure. Wow.

The barrel asserts itself up front on the taste, then settles into the background as a warming at the back of the palate, leaving plenty of room for the rich vanilla and caramel flavors and the bit of roasty malt.

The mouthfeel is full and creamy, perfect for this BA Wee Heavy that is yet another example of Rev’s barrel program being among the best on the planet.

Canned 2025/10/28
Pours a foamy creamy 1 finger tan head with good retention, soapy lacing, dark molasses to mahogany brown color

Nose big sweet characters, toasted sweet malts, toasted biscuits, a lot of the sweet biscuit cookies, some coffee toffee and caramel, molasses, a little bourbon but fair amount of toasted oak, a touch of dark fruits, sweet candi sugar

Taste brings more sweet characters, burnt caramel, lots of toffee, molasses, caramel candy, a bit nutty, biscuity cookies, a bit of dark fruits like raisin or date covered in molasses, a bit of bourbon but like sweet condensed bourbon icing, some vanilla barrel, thick caramel creams and a little velvety note, smooth alcohol, a touch of bitterness, a little coffee and smoke notes, semi sweet sticky finish

Mouth is full bod, rich, a little creamy velvety somehow doesn't feel syrupy, med to lighter carb, light warming alcohol but nothing near the real abv feel

Overall quite nice, so many great characters, a bit on the sweet side overall but balanced well, very little booze, great malt profile, the barrel was there although not a lot, just enough to round it off I feel, they do a great job with the deep woods series for how heavy the beers are but enjoyable at the same time