King Swirly The 3rd
King Harbor Brewing Co.

2017 vintage. Poured from a blue wax topped bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark brown pour... nearly black with thin fizzy off-white head. Modest ring of lacing.

S: Vanilla, bourbon, espresso, sweet grains, and roast.

T.F: Sweet up front... roasted malts and brown sugar. French roast coffee, dark chocolate, bourbon, and booze. Some earthy hops for balance but the lactose is definitely noticeable. Medium bodied... oily on the tongue. Sweet mocha latte at the finish.

O: A well executed bourbon barrel aged sweet brown ale... definitely delivers on the booze, chocolate, and coffee.

 

 

 

 

Pours a very dark brown, nearly black, with a moderately carbonated head that dissipates quickly, leaving a light ring of bubbles around the rim of a snifter. A stronger presence from the cold-brew coffee than I expected, given the vanilla-and-chocolate concept. However, the coffee is high-quality, lending a nice earthy nuttiness that gives the impression of a nut brown with coffee added. The cacao nibs show up next, balancing out some of the bitterness from the hop character and coffee, and making me really look forward to trying the Double Chocolate variant. The vanilla emerges as part of a long finish that also features some interesting acidity, reminiscent of a cola. A nice ride.