Barrel Aged Big Willy
Rhinegeist Brewery

22oz bottle into a goblet. 2018 vintage, 5 years old.

Looks more like a stout than a Wee Heavy. Black body, small tan head persisting as a thick ring. Aroma is mellow bourbon, bordering on whiskey. On tasting, well, just like the nose. Smooth but strong bourbon whiskey. Very mildly sweet. Finish is a warming boozy long lasting wash. Nice beer to sip during college football.

 

Taking the "wee heavy" to the wee sweet side, the brewers at Rhinegeist do as the Scots do and roll their popular strong Scottish ale into Kentucky whisky barrels for a sweet and spicy session with a hint of the British bogs.

Pouring a handsome mahogany brown, a hint of rust and bronze shines through a very fine haze. Above its dainty crown, the scent of toasted caramel, toffee and sorghum draws in the nose along with hints of pecan, bread crust and stone fruit. Sweet on the tongue, the lavish taste of deeply caramelized grains reveal the same sorghum rich taste that was promised by the nose.

Rich, robust but simply sweet, the beer splashes the middle palate with an extended malt flavor greeted with a tepid hop balance of woods and pepper. Hints of plum, date, fig, grape and cherry pull from the sweetness and invite the bourbon taste of vanilla, caramel, coconut and oak char that expands the sweetness and offers a spicy counterpart to the hops.

Full, lavish and cloying, the beer's sweetness renders it to a slow and sipping affair. A long sweet and savory aftertaste extends well into the next sip with little reprieve or notion of development. A hint of scorched earth, peated whisky and faint smoke rises in the late palate for a gentle hint that makes the beer Scottish.

Cracked open a 22 of this bad boy and poured into a sifter. It pours pretty dark for a wee heavy, the color is akin to a porter. Strong and rich wee heavy notes on the nose but, in my opinion, its just a tiny bit overly carbonated. Smooth, sweet and an easy beer to drink considering its over 10%. Would definitely buy again.