Altar Of The Orc Lord - Bourbon Barrel-Aged - Coconut, Cocoa Nibs, Vanilla
Modern Times Beer

This one pours a golden and thick looking dark brown color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This one smells like caramel, tobacco, chocolate, malt roast, oak, vanilla, caramelly bourbon, and just a light hint of coconut.

This one is absoltely not a pastry bomb, and I like it that much more for that reason. The strongest adjunct is the cocoa nibs. and they flow fairly well into the caramelly/tobacco/toffee/etc qualities of the barleywine. The barleywine base is very complex itself, and takes well to the barrel, adding a sort of boozy caramel quality, vanillin, and oak spice. THe vanilla works well, and is added with a careful eye here. The coconut is even more subtly done, and that's honestly fine for me.

This is creamy, with a medium bodied, and basically no booze to it. It's as drinkable as the style and ABV is ever going to get.

Hardcore pastryboiz might find things to complain about here, but I'm really digging this one. It's a very good barrel-aged barleywine, with light adjunct drips on top.

 

Modern Times always seems to fall short on their barrel aged offerings. Perhaps they could learn something from the four beers they make that people actually want to drink: Go heavy on the adjuncts and deliver the pastry.

 

Nice beige velvety head recedes to film around the glass. Body is pitch black with only hints of caramel color above the stem of the glass. Nose is simply masterful. So many aromas in such perfect balance. Coconut, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate and cola without any one taking center stage. Taste begins with an explosion of chocolate before coconut rolls in. Next up is just barely a sensation of salt before a heady bourbon takes over. All the while just enough heat to remind you to take it very seriously. Body is incredibly thick and hangs out on the tongue for a good while but finally leaves behind a sticky sweetness and just a little heat. Excellent beer.

 

 

 

650ml bottle, snifter glass. Darker cola brown body, half finger offwhite head, good retention, medium collar, no lacing. Smell is a nice, slightly sweet bourbon barrel aroma with oak and vanillin, a bit of toffee and caramel- which on their own balance out nicely with the bourbon barrel to give a fudgy, vanilla-forward caramel sweetness. This is accentuated by the coconut and vanilla sweetness that is more of a cake frosting variety but not in a diabetic, cloying manner. It works on the nose and on the palate without being too sweet. Slight whiskey heat on the finish. Mouthfeel is full bodied, good carbonation, substantial with a nice blended cake frosting sweetness on the backend. The base barleywine caramel and toffee is a bit covered up by the adjuncts, but that's alright- it would have been pretty tough to drink if they had an additive effect on each other.