Bourbon Pecan Pie
StormBreaker Brewing

 

16-ounce can purchased at ABV Public House in Hillsboro, OR. Poured into a half-pint tumbler.

Bourbon Pecan Pie Dessert Beer is the first entry in StormBreaker's new rotating Dessert Beer series. I don't usually reach for dessert beers, but I _love_ me some pecan pie. Especially _bourbon_ pecan pie. Hot damn, let's crack this thing open...

Appearance:
This beer is a very attractive caramel pecan brown color, and is crystal clear. Up top, there's a short-lived cap of eggnog-colored foam. Good looking beer. A good start.

Smell:
Mildly nutty. Kinda malty. Not sweet, or at least not as sweet as one would expect from a "Dessert Beer." More pecan aroma emerges as the beer warms.

Taste:
In a nutshell (pun intended): Tastes like a nut brown ale with an unexpectedly bitter finish. I mean, it's nice enough on those terms, but it's not in the same area code as pecan pie or any kind of dessert beer I'm familiar with. Where's the sweetness? Where's the richness? Starts with nutty brown malt and alcohol. Finishes with good pecan flavor (easily the best characteristic of the beer), hints of vanilla and spices, and a jarring bitterness. More pecan flavor and mild sweetness come through as the beer warms. Bitter aftertaste lingers.

Feel:
Thin body, with rather abrasive carbonation.

Overall:
A comment I use pretty often around here regarding various beers is "it's a little too sweet for me." Tonight, however, I find myself saying, "This beer isn't sweet _enough_."

StormBreaker Bourbon Pecan Pie is decent enough as a pecan-flavored brown ale, but it is neither rich nor sweet, and is not my idea of a dessert beer. The label promises "Bourbon," "Pecan," "Pie," and "Dessert," and only delivers on "Pecan."