Old Mad Joy - Barrel-Aged - Smoked And Oaked
Great Raft Brewing

Bomber from Tavour. Almost black pour, beige head reduces to collar. Aroma greets you upon opening. Malty, sweet, brown sugar, bourbon. Sweetness arrives first in the taste, sugary boozy flavors, roast malts. Smooth and strong, with a lingering buzz. Blown away by this.

 

$ 17.28 (Including shipping)/22 oz bottle ($ 0.785/oz) from Tavour, Seattle, WA. Reviewed 5/11/19.
“BOTTLED ON 9/27/18 stamped on edge of label. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 52 degrees (per bottle instructions) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Dark brown, clear.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque. When held to the light, still opaque.
Head – Large (Maximum 4.8 cm, aggressive center pour), tan, high density, average retention, diminishing to a five to seven mm crown and a cap of varying thickness.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.25 – Roasted malt, “dark fruit”, smoke.
Flavor – 4.5 – Definite Wild Turkey barrels, smoke, faint alcohol followed by a slight gastric warming. Ends with a touch of tannic acid bitterness from the oak barrels. No dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, almost creamy, lively carbonation.
Impression and interpretation – 4.25 – Overall, a very good take on a Baltic porter with the Wild Turkey barrels kicking it up a notch or two. A bit pricey but worth the extra cost.

 

Very dark brown body, nearly black; relatively thin yet dense and creamy head. Sweet caramel aroma; very faint suggestion of smoked malt; even lesser idea of its Wild Turkey barrel aging. Very flavorful notes, highlighting sweet toffee and cocoa; quiet presence of alcohol; mildly bitter. Heavy body; soft and smooth on the palate; mild warmth; a twinge of alcohol heat.

This 2018 version incorporates (per the brewery's web site) some smoked malt and was aged in Wild Turkey barrels. In many ways, I prefer the base beer. It seems (on my recollection) a bit more robust all around. Still, for a barrel aged Baltic porter, this beer certainly brings some nice, balanced flavors to the palate without bludgeoning one with overdone barrel-aging or excessive ABV presence. Very pleasant and satisfying overall.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass with a one finger dark khaki head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, oaky vanilla and mild dark dried fruit. Flavor is semi-sweet dark toasted malt, oak, bourbon, vanilla, smoke, light figs and dates and faint dark stone fruit. Finishes with smoky, oaky bourbon and a little cocoa. Medium bodied with light to medium creaminess, nice mouth feel. Initial impression is subdued, but flavorful. The base is more straightforward porter, but the dark fruit notes of a Baltic porter may be overwhelmed by the barrel bourbon (which is not overpowering, but may mask those notes). The whiskey, oak and smoke are all deftly handled; a light touch is appropriate here because the malt is not that intense either. Not as deep as expected for this size a porter, but really won me over with overall excellent balance of complex flavors and a fine, lightly smokey finish. I really liked this. I will definitely try other iterations of this if I'm lucky enough to find them.