Batch 1,000
Wicked Weed Brewing

Bottled March 2016, so roughly two and a half years old at this point. It's none the worse for wear, with no negative signs of oxidation. Pours a viscous dark brown, with light fizzing but no retention. Strong bourbon character on the nose when warmer, signifying the double-digit ABV. If I didn't have a label description in front of me, I would be hard-pressed to identify the additives and adjuncts as they are. I can get hints of the fruit, but they are not so prominent as to suggest they were specifically added in the recipe, as opposed to producing a beer with those raisin and stonefruit notes. When really slurped and swished about, some floral notes emerge. Pretty solid offering, but not amongst Wicked Weed's best beers, nor a particular standout if it were to be offered more regularly.

My 1,000th review! Strong dark ale brewed with turbinado sugar, dried cherries, golden raisins, star anise, rose hips, and plums and aged in Bourbon barrels. Poured from a bottle into a small Cincinnati Beer Week snifter. The pour is very dark brown and slightly hazy with a nice head for a barrel-aged beer. It has a very nice nose. I get lots of roasted malt, some dark fruit, and a heavy dose of barrel notes (toasted oak and vanilla).

Full body with an oily feel. The beer is sweet up front, but is well-balanced by tart cherry notes. At mid-palate, the barrel notes kick in, but these are balanced by roastiness. I get vanilla, dark fruit, light bourbon, toffee, and cocoa. Finishes warm and rich with lingering cocoa. Overall a really nice beer. It tastes like a barleywine (a really good barleywine) and at two years old is drinking very well right now.

Almost two years old.

 

 

 

Heavy floral and dark fruit presence. Brown sugar, toffee, dark chocolate and bourbon. It's an odd combination of flavours and it works alright. Medium body, sweeter dark fruit finish.

 

 

 

Overall an very tasty beer. The bourbon taste is a wee bit strong, but the ale taste comes through. It pours very dark with an extremely nice frothy dead with good lacing. It's very smooth on the tongue and palate. There is a nice fruity nose after the initial pour. I would readily drink more of these. This bottle was brewed in 3-16 and I bought in 6-16. It has been aging in my beer fridge since then and I feel that it has aged nicely.

Drank from a 12.7 fl. oz. bottle purchased at Wicked Weed Brewing, Asheville, NC
Bottled On: 03.21.16
Served in a goblet

Beautiful appearance. The dark brown body was topped by an-inch tall, super dense and creamy, mocha colored crown that slowly dropped to a thick, bubbly cap. Sheets of drippy lacing trickled down the glass.

The aroma was solid. Sweet and boozy. Dark chocolate notes dominated initially. Loads of brown sugar too. There was a strong bourbon presence as well. Touch of anise. As the beer warmed, subtle menthol notes appeared.

The flavor profile was very good initially but lacked some of the complexity of the nose. Dark chocolate and cold coffee appeared on the front end. Moderate amount of roast. Boozy, bourbon notes came through strong in the center. Warming but not at all hot. The beer finished with more roast and booze. Slightly acrid. With time, the flavor profile smoothed out significantly. Rich brown sugar notes also came forth. Some vanilla too.

The mouthfeel was soft and creamy. Fluffy on the palate. Medium bodied for the style.

Wicked Weed calls this beer a "bourbon barrel-aged imperial dark ale" but BeerAdvocate defines it as a Belgian strong dark ale. I would have to go with the former description, as this beer displayed very few characteristics typically found in a Belgian ale. This was an enjoyable beer for sure but, based on the ratings and the description on its label, I was expecting something a bit more exciting.

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Pours the color of dirty engine oil and is capped by a modest tan head; a bit leggy but neither the retention nor the lacing is anything to write home about

Smell: Dark chocolate, licorice, dried cherry and raisin, with oak, Bourbon and a hint of vanilla

Taste: The licorice and turbinado sugar flavors arrive first and are propelled along by the dark chocolate and fruit flavor; undertones of plum, cherry and raisin join through the middle; after the swallow, the Bourbon arrives, bringing oak and vanilla tones; throughout the experience, all of the flavors build and congeal, rather than arrive and transition

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

Overall: I guess this beer needs to be categorized in some way so the BSDA style was chosen; I would call this a Strong Ale but since WIcked Weed has not selected a style it clearly can claim its own category; six months in, this beer is drinking magnificently