Amplification Zone
Bottle Logic Brewing

Poured at fridge temp. Pours a nice dark brown with a small amount of fizzy head that disappears in moments. The nose is figs, coconut, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, biscuits, maple, and a note of pecans.

The taste is incredible. Huge notes of bourbon, toffee, and vanilla. The coconut is there, but somewhat muted. Some chocolate, raisins, figs, plums, cookie dough, sight maple, and a touch of honey. Exceptional.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a great aftertaste of toffee, vanilla, and bourbon.

 

 

Brown mostly opaque save the edges pour, tan cap. Smell is really well balanced: vanilla and coconut meld into the sweeter bourbon barrels with its pronounced brown sugar and caramel, barley and toffee are the second weaker layer. Taste is really malty with the caramel and toffee entering the amplification zone of vanilla, bourbon and coconut in that order of intensity. Get some chocolate some sips, others I don't, whisper of raisin as it warms. Feel is warm and leans thick but not too heavy, has some warmth and coolness interplay, chew, crazy smooth but barley textured are subdued. This gives me hope for adjuncted barleywine, because this was actually really good!

Appearance: Pours coffee colored with an ecru film that quickly fades; leggy but no lacing

Smell: Caramel, vanilla and coconut, all soaked in Bourbon

Taste: The Bourbon flavors push along the caramel, with the vanilla and oak elements developing; coconut makes an appearance, after the swallow; the finish is slightly boozy with the barrel bringing more oak; slightly cloying, overall

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation

Overall: On the sweeter side for my palate; good but not great

 

 

 

This was my first barleywine experience, and as a stout lover, this brew did not disappoint! Although, I prefer it from the Bottle Logic tap versus bottled as the coconut comes through a little bolder and deeper. Still, from the bottle, I thoroughly enjoyed how all the flavors balance and play together

Poured from the bottle, the color is a dark caramel brown with just a little bit of translucency coming through the corners or edges. It's a little thick, but not quite syrupy-- smooth, like leather. Seductive and decadent, it sips more like a dessert and less like a brew. The carbonation is perfect, adding a layer of fun refreshment

When it's a bit colder, the coconut and vanilla are balanced and most prominent, with the bourbon notes coming through afterwards. Within the bourbon notes, deep, dark chocolate, with crushed black cherries and juicy dark raisin/fig sub-notes, luscious and tempting. As it warms up, the bourbon becomes more prominent and develops a lovely sweet and smokey ancho chile bite that reminds me of Bottle Logic's Leche Reserva! Marvelous!

BA ended up eating most of my review the first time I tried posting-- this experience was good enough to try posting a full review again, well worth the frustration. That's how good this stuff is :) This would make a wonderful gift for friends and family with an indulgent sweet tooth

EDIT: About 2/3 finished and it becomes more translucent. Color reminds me of Coca Cola :)

Sweet toffee and light brown sugar, prominent coconut, vanilla frosting covered raisins, and a balanced bourbon barrel nose on this one! Taste follows with a chocolate covered coconut, drizzled in caramel, dark fruity, subtle bourbon barrel finish. Yum!