Kind Of A Big Deal - Bourbon Barrel-Aged - Peaches
Triple C Brewing Co.

With the craft beer sweet tooth in mind, the Triple C imperial wheat beer with honey and fruit offers a whole slew of rich but mild-tempered sweetness with complexity and depth that easily distracts the senses from any pending diabetic shock. Yea, it's kind of a big deal.

And the beer of that namesake pours hazy and... well, amber in color. Its rusty copper color is tawny gold and viscous to the sight. Decadently sweet aromas of floral nectar, orchard and tropical fruit, fresh-baking cake and light savory toast nearly causes the teeth to ache on mere scent alone. As the elixir drops on the tongue, a host of malt sweetnesses begin to attack the tastebuds.

Floral character trends to deep honey, pulled candy and teeth-grinding fructose. A melange of peach and aproicot provide a jammy coat on the palate before a taste of cake batter and candied pecans offer a savory reprieve. The succulent buttery goodness of praline and grandma's chess pie precede a finish of bourbon caramel, vanilla and soft oaken char for something of circus peanut candies to follow.

Spicy and full, the beer's finish is cloying and dense, but in a sipping, dessert-like demeanor. Rich and creamy, the beer drinks much more like dessert wine for beer lovers with a long sweet draw of taffy, sweetened bourbon and pistachio brittle.

 

 

 

Poured from the bottle into a large snifter. Not sure of this style or angle so off we go. Bottled September 3rd 2015, cracked black wax with a beige tapped seal underneath which gives a hiss when pulling off.

Very creamy two finger off tan to vannilla yellow colored head on the pour, small retention, and settling to a simple small puck, but with a nice whipped up collar and fine ring. Body color is an apricot orange, slightly opaque, with a bit of muddy orange in the centre and lemon yellow edges.

Mead and slightly braggot like aroma comes off. Good amounts of liquid honeycomb, slight sulfery heat as well, but there's a nice woody tone, slightly soft oak tannins and a real chewy sense thrown in the mix. Fruit angle is a bit overtaken from all of this unfortunately, but comes out still pretty impressive, if perhaps with a sense of mushed fruit.

Palate just sticks to the basics and gets it done. Mild mellow honey and coating real nicely, not sticky, not overly sweet and wonderfuly bringing some clove and spiced notes. Mellow alcohol in the aftertaste with a simple belly warmth. Slightly chewy feel, with a hint of light barrel wood and missing the big round character of barrel aging and flavors that can be imparted.

This comes off somewhere between a mellow mix of braggot and wheatwine which is really nice. Unfortunately the peaches come off as more of an afterthought not really bringing those flavors and quality to the palate. They still have at least contributed to a nice brew.