Offshore Holdings - Spiced Rum Barrel-Aged
Taxman Brewing Co.

Pours a mildly hazy golden yellow. Not even a finger of head appears then quickly fades.

Nose is mild citrus notes, some sweetness, either the rum or the honey, and the ginger sits somewhere in the back.

Taste is a little bit oak/wood and then boom! pow!, straight into citrus and ginger. The ginger is strong and unmistakable, but fades quickly which is nice. If it lasted too long this brew would become tiresome very quickly. It seems like a bit of a cocktail to be honest. Less like a beer, more like a cocktail drink. Ginger, citrus, sweetness, malt and wood in the background.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with an almost silky presence. Mild carbonation.

Overall this was a very different brew. For those who don't like ginger or herbal notes, I would stay away. But for those who do like ginger this one is for you. I wish there was a little more rum or honey presence to sweeten and brighten it up. In that regard, it falls a little short. An interesting one.

 

Ginger and spice and everything nice! This beer has a lot going on. In a good way. But in a way where one is enough. Am I eating a ginger cookie? What’s with the vibrant lemon and lime poking through? Did someone spike it with Captain Morgan? I’m not sure what’s going on, but I like it.

Welcome to the CANtinuing saga of New Beers From @jkblr Sunday (Week 755)! My ferMentor, @therealbeerfly , once CANdmonished me to NEVER call a brewery my "favorite" - current, rotating, past or otherwise, but I gotta give big ups & major props to Taxman B.C. for everything that they do. I have an insatiable, ravening appetite for their CANs & it helps to have a trader who underCANds this desire.

From the CAN: "imperial golden ale with citrus, ginger & honey & aged in spiced rum barrels"; "Unlock the Vault, our barrel series committed to the careful, prolonged conditioning and blending of barrel-aged ales. Shift your burdens with this imperial golden ale brewed with lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit and fresh ginger root, and then cast away into Caribbean spiced rum barrels. Enjoy immediately or store under lock and key."; "The Vault Barrel Series"; "Belgian Inspired[;] American Crafted"; "IBU[:] 25".

Arrrgghh! This be soundin' like I needed to have Crack!ed open its vent & given it a wee, gentle C-Line Glug into me awaitin' glass back on 19 Septembeer! That be the annual CANebration of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, ye scalliwags! Well, of no matter. We're here today & I'm weighing anchor & shoving off as planned. Arrrggh, this foamed up nicely to form just better than a finger of dense, foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head with excellent retention. I got distracted & it took forever to fall. Well, now mateys, we're both primed & ready to go. Batten down the hatches & gun covers! Here we go. Color was a gorgeous Deep-Amber/Light-Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity & reminiscent of an old honey-honey's hair! Arrggh! She were a beauty & so were this beer! Nose was like a CANnon ball to the sinuses, lemme tell ye, boyo! The ginger went right up the hawse pipe, burning those pesky nose hairs out as it went, followed by all of the citrusiness of the potpourri sachet in me cabin (don't judge!) & finally, it reminded me that I needed to hold "Grog Call" & dole out some rum fer the boys. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was a mélange of rum, citrus fruit and a blast of ginger to keep everybody, including meself, in line! Arrgghh! This was no playin' around & if ye think so, we CAN drop you off either at the next port o' call or simply inna Great Deep Sink, aka Davy Jones' Locker. Yer choice, boyo! Up here inna South China Sea, we have plenty o' followers in our chummy wake that would LOVE to make yer acquaintance. A nice keelhaulin' may be just the thing ...

Do ye know the origin of th' term? The keel is the backbone of any ship, the first thing laid as the ribs (frames) are attached to it so that the hull (skin) CAN be built. Keelhaulin' CANsists of binding ye by the ankles, tetherin' the bitter end to the mainmast, makin' yer sorry ass walk the plank & then bein' dragged (hauled) along the keel! Sound good? The barnacles that we didn't scrapeon our last port visit will scrape ye wide open, puttin' blood in the already chummed waters, boyo! Ye'll be prayin' fer a quick drownin' as the sharks begin their feast! Glad ye asked? Oh ho, why the South China Sea, ye be askin'? That be the MOST shark-infested waters on the planet! They begin a feedin' frenzy & ye CAN walk home, across their backsides! Check out Charles Willeford's "The Shark-Infested Custard" for more.

Back to the beer. I said of an earlier one from these fellows that it might be a CANdidate for mulling, deCANted into a vessel & submersed into a crock pot fer warming. It strikes me that this would be an equally likely CANdidate. The intensity of the ginger, coupled with the citrusiness, would make for quite an eye-opening cuppa grog on a snowy evening. Arrggh! Me cutlass shivers in its scabbard just thinkin' about it! I missed the honey as CANpared to a previous beer, but onna finish, it reminded me of a honey-lemon cough drop. One taken wi' a shot o' rum to wash it down! Finish was dry, citrusy & CANother winner, IMHO. YMMV.

 

12oz canned 08/13/19 (1 month ago) poured into a snifter at fridge temp 9% ABV 25 IBU. The beer pours hefe-hazy in a dark honey shade of amber. The head is off white in color and recedes to a thin ring and a few tiny bubbles. Nearly no lacing. The aroma is honey, rum, brown sugar and light citrus. The taste is semisweet rum, honey and pale malt up front with the ginger and citrus popping out on the moderately bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Minimal boozieness and not cloying. Overall, very good. If you like big rum barrel character in a balanced and complex beer, give this one a try.

Honey-amber colored body; thick, sculpted white head, sticky sheets of foam cling to the glass. Fine spicy aroma; sweet with a peppery and anise quality to things; pine sap. Honey and licorice flavor; spiced rum notes; sweet offset with some booziness. Heavy body; velvety and warm; prominent residual sugar; a faint suggestion of wood; some alcohol dryness.

This beer brings together some fine elements of Belgian strong ales, spices, and rum barrel aging. There is a lot of depth and character to the beer, somewhat sweet yet doing a fair job of taming the alcohol, and deftly balancing things out with the barrel-aging for an added layer of complexity. Very nice.