Bogbeast
Rhinegeist Brewery

 

 

 

 

Crawling out of the Scottish bogs, the often smoky, peppery, earthy character of scotch whisky permeates a slightly obscure style of wheatwine. Finesse in its bready softness but aggressive with alcohol, Rhinegeist's scotch whisky barrel aged wheatwine is as intimidating as it is inviting.

Bogbeast pours with a deep and rusty mahogany hue and topped with a dense, creamy, sepia stained froth. As a melded sweet scent swirls about the nose, nuances of butterscotch, toffee, toast, pepper and peat come to mind ahead of a taste that's much the same; saturating with creamy malt sweetness, caramel, toffee, sorghum and honey.

As the robust ale rolls across the middle palate, it lays sweet and earthen tracks of malt and barrel, starting with over cooked caramels then fig, date, grape and cherry esters that are slightly jammy in taste. Vanilla, oak, toast and cream suggests something of the pulled candy ilk. Nutty, toasty and peppery, the finish is a spicy sweet taste of mulled rum with faint hints of tobacco and grape resonating on the after palate.

Full, creamy and sweet, the strong ale flirts with cloying taste and texture but pulls back slightly with the earth and spice of the barrel. All the while, the mind goes to smoked circus peanut in a childlike whimsy as its intoxicating alcohol charms the tastebuds and the mind.