Woodford Reserve Barrel Aged Black Lagoon
Rip Current Brewing

 

Thanks to my mule/wife for bringing this back from her San Diego trip. Rip Current was my favorite Carlsbad area brewery, hands-down, so delighted to get to try this one. Gold-waxed 22 oz. bottle split with my mule.

The pour is dark red with brown mixed in; little head. The nose has plenty of port-like fortification to it - & I love port, so I’m taking that as a good sign. Toffee, wood, vanilla. Yeah, that’s good.

Black Lagoon – Bourbon Barrel Aged is just what I recall from sitting at the Rip Current bar – pure deliciousness. Douro Valley would be proud, or suing for trademark infringement; the barrel brings port-like tastiness to the mouth as well. Huge, rich toffee swirl backed by vanilla, burnt wood, & bits of dates. Bourbon arrives late, brings a booziness that promises constricted blood vessels come morning. Super rich, super smooth. A sipping beer. Sip sip sip. Mmmm.

I’d dive into this water every chance I had. Excellent, excellent beer.

Pours a dark, amber-ish brown..not quite black. Little to no head. Deep and rich caramel flavor. The natural maltiness of a scotch ale pairs so well with bourbon; awesome blend. The beer has just the right amount of sweetness and little to no bitterness. This is, by far, my favorite rendition of Black Lagoon.