Xibalba - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Wicked Weed Brewing

Pumpkin beers are so tough. Most brewers overload you with the pumpkin. Most BBA beer are a little too strong on the bourbon. This beer is very well balanced. Would drink again!

375 ml bottle from brewery, Poured into Trillium Six States goblet.

L: Very dark brown, but you can discern color, like deep chestnut. Not much head, a little bit of a ring. No lacing.

S: Major pumpkin spice-age: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. Vanilla and cacao. In smaller quantities, oak barrel and just a hint of chili. I will be psyched if the chili is that subtle in the taste.

T: Still a good shot of pumpkin spice up front, with vanilla present as well. Cacao kind of winds its way throughout, with a bit of mellow bourbon touch and just that hint of chili on the end, which indeed is well-contained. But...the entire thing is a tad watery.

F: Light to medium body, perhaps too light for the effect. Moderate carbonation. Construction and balance pretty good.

O: Wanted to rate it higher because it tastes really good, but isn't substantial enough to back up the flavor. I think it would crush as a stout or porter.

L: Pours a dark purple brown with a small tan white head and no lacing on the glass.

S: Notes of pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices, vanilla and hints of chocolate, the bourbon is a bit noticeable, don't get a lot of the peppers, but this is an older bottle so it could be a bit old.

T: Notes of bourbon, vanilla, and chocolate, a hint of pumpkin and pumpkin spice, a light heat from the pepper in he back, this is an interesting beer.

F: Slick full body

O: This is an interesting take on the pumpkin beer.

spiciness of good but i prefer sweet pumpkin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opaque dark brown, nearly appearing black, with a loud tan head that quickly fizzles to a thin ring.

Smell is oaky, slightly charred bourbon, vanilla smothered in pie crust, a light pie spice combo, with faint notes of cocoa and pumpkin.

Taste has peppery, spicy bourbon, gooey uncooked graham pie crust and vanilla doused spice mix with a woody dry finish. The wood definitely takes this one over.

Feel is moderately light with a light, wide carbonation, but a weighty, boozy heft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The barrel-aged version of Xibalba is clearly superior to the base. My main issue with the original was a lack of balance due to the raw cacao nibs overpowering the rest of the flavors. They are still the most prominent note here, but ageing has gone a long way towards integrating them with the rest of the ingredients. The end result is a nice impression of mole spice, anchored by the ancho chile heat--still a bit limp on pumpkin or pie spices, but a better balanced beer overall.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Sarah for this brew.
A: pours a dark caramel brown, carbonation, caramel brown color +1 finger foam head
S: pumkin, chocolate, slight sweet pepper, hints of spice
M: medium body
T: sweet malt, pumpkin, cocoa nibs, earthy hops,
O: great brew, smooth taste

 

 

 

Wicked Weed Barrel Aged Xibalba
375ml bottle into a tulip


A: Pours a very dark brown almost back, small fizzy light tan head dissipated quickly and leaves essentially no lacing. 3.75

S: Aroma is pumpkin, spices, mild charred oak bourbon, fairly big semi sweet cocoa. Smells pretty spicy. There is a somewhat off note that's almost pungent, but it fades with time and otherwise it's pretty nice. 4

T: Taste follows the nose, Cocoa, charred oak barrel notes, fall spices. None of the heat I got in the aroma. At first I thought it was just ok but then it definitely gets significantly better as it warms to room temperature. Very nice bourbon notes. 4

M/D: Lighter side of medium bodied, a bit thin, carbonation moderate, ABV very well masked, drinkability is good. 3.75

O: Good beer, very nice Barrel notes, but I do wish the base beer characters were full and more prominent. 4

8/30/16 bottling date

A: Pours a dark brown with a good sized fizzy brown head. Head fades fast, leaving no sign of lacing.

S: Bourbon and chili pepper/cinnamon burn. Pumpkin and maybe nutmeg?

T: Sweet caramel bourbon up front with a nice pumpkin underlay. Sweet vegetal pepper joins in with hints of cocoa. A little heat on the back end (pepper heat) but not a ton. Lightly waxy and spicy finish with lingering bourbon and cocoa.

M: Fairly heavy but a little thin at the same time? Barrel-aging may have thinned it out a bit.

O: Great pumpkin ale made even better with some bourbon. Big sweetness, big spiciness and overall a unique and tasty brew.

 

12.7 ounce bottle - Sherlock's (Kennesaw) in Marietta, Georgia.

Date Bottled: 08.03.16

Appearance: Pours a ruddy brown body with a very, very thin, light beige head.

Smell: Big on the bourbon, big on the chocolate with some booze-soaked spices (mainly cinnamon) and a bit of the peppers.

Taste: Chocolaty nibs dunked in simple syrup with a noted sweetness upfront gives way to bourbon-basted, charred-up oak, toasted chiles (less vegetal than the standard Xibalba) and some cinnamon and vanilla sugar. Warming alcohol character. Finishes fairly sweet with lingering chocolate-bourbon and just a faint, faint, faint hint of heat.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Lightly carbonated.

Overall: It all melds together nicely. A real sweet, slow-sipper of a beer. The original was fine, a bit of a clodhopper, really, but this was a nice step up.

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin spice is dead. Long live pumpkin spice! When the common caramel sweet taste of ale layered with copious amounts of spice simply won't do anymore, rely on the Wicked team in North Carolina to show us the way. Not giving up on the pumpkin ale, they went to work reinventing the style and making beer that's more than just a one-pie-pony.

Xibalba's striking tawny dark bronze pour tells the eye that something sinister is up. A dainty sandy swirl of seafom brings to life the rich aromatics of molasses, chocolate, coffee, woodsiness, nuttiness, sherry, spice and dark fruit. One sip on the sweet elixir reveals a deep and decadent sweetness of molasses, toffee, dark chocolate, fortified wine and savory toasted flavor.

And more of the same expires on the middle palate. A full saturation of sweetness, savoriness and spiciness weave together for a taste of port, sherry and savory, toasty chocolate. Roasted almond link up with woodsy flavor for an oaken finish with the prickle of chili pepper and alcohol balancing the sweetness. Its creamy taste and texture is of roasted butternut character with blackberry, plum and fig resonating just behind.

Full-bodied, rich and simply succulent, the savory senses are piqued as the beer trends graciously tart with vinous sherry and fruit, spice and weathered leather and fresh tobacco. A long linger of molasses and red wine surpass the spice, fruit and gourde to show that the beer aligns much more with olde ale than of pumpkin ale.

I was really looking forward to this one after loving the non-BA version. Unfortunately this is the rare beer where the non-barrel aged version is definitely better than the barrel aged one. The aging certainly has muted the adjuncts and there is just a hint of heat at this point. Although it's all blended together it just doesn't work as well as I'd have expected. Sometimes non-stouts get a bit weird when BB aged and this is one of those cases. Still really enjoyable though.

 

 

A 12.7oz bottle with a bottled on date of 8.30.16

L - Brown, with lots of bubbles and some sediment

S - Huge whiskey aroma. Is it kentucky? Tennessee? Also vanilla and syrup.

T -Like the smell, the whiskey dominates - and its kentucky bourbon. Really tasty! The bourbon is strong, drowning out a lot of the spicy notes

F - Light body and carbonation, oily slick

O -Amazing how much this brew changed with some bourbon barrel aging. Very good