Burn The Devil Out
Rushing Duck Brewing Company

 

 

 

Purchased bottle on release day and reviewed about a month later. Poured into tulip glass. It pours an opaque brown with orange hues at the top of the glass. The head disappeared almost immediately. It has a lovely aroma of maple sugar, toffee, apple, raisin, nutmeg, and bourbon. As it warms there is also a smell akin to vanilla cake. The taste is sensational: lots of maple syrup, toffee, and spice. There is also subtle raisin. When first sipped, the bourbon was really hot! It was like sipping Makers Mark neat (which I enjoy doing). As the glass warmed and the bourbon settled, the vanilla and oak became more prevalent. This Barleywine is fairly viscous with a creamy mouth feel and virtually no carbonation. There's no getting around the 15.9% ABV and there is a strong alcohol burn even after it settles. I think that a little less heat would accentuate the flavors. Overall, this a superb Barleywine; it's not quite at the level of Sucaba because the individual flavors are somewhat masked by the alcohol. While Burn the Devil Out is quite an achievement, I have to say I prefer Bless the Corners, the Honey Bourbon variant.