Tawny Vice
Blue Stallion Brewing Co.

Among one of the most complex, varying and flavor beers of the natural beer world, the weizenbock carries a plethora of charm, contemplation and power. Aging it in a bourbon barrel only furthers these challenges. And those are challenges that the Blue Stallion brewers embrace.

When in Kentucky, do what Kentuckians do and infuse everything with bourbon. And pouring a cloudy but bleached burnt orange, the ale's dark gold, amber and light copper colors are like a metallic kaleidoscope. Its light and frothy cap leads to a spicy nose of booze, pepper, macerated fruit, citrus and toasted oak. Intoxicating to the mere scent, the apprehension in taste leads to a sip of rich malts that apply a sweet, fruity, rich and toasty melange of sugars and breadiness on the front of the tongue.

The taste blossoms on the middle palate once the sweetness confidently butters agains the impending spice. A rich and sultry bouquet of plum, apricot, cherry, apple, date, fig, sultan, grape and peach all take turns charming the tastebuds with a sweet, fruity and slightly tarish earth tease before a balance of peppercorn, toast, vinous spice, brandy heat and fusel acetones strike the late palate with force.

Peppery, herbal and trending slightly of asynthe, the beer's numbing effects are strong and leads the full bodied, creamy and weighted ale to finish with fruitcake laced with fennel, whisky and mint. A long and malty aftertaste returns to a young sherry flavor to bring that "tawny" character into view.