Bourbon Barrel-Aged Honees Honees
Oliphant Brewing

How is this an American Blonde Ale?

Seriously, how?

I guess it technically falls into that category but this was pretty far away from it when it came to the senses as it poured dark, foamy, and was thick on the palate.

Not to say that I didn't like this, as I certainly did, but this was a novelty and an anomaly that it was hard to keep in my pint glass for the duration of this review!

Obtained this beer on Tavour at the tail end of last year as it sounded interesting, and lived up to the hype as it poured a caramel brown with a ton of tan head that was lively, uneven, and slow to settle. A few wavy rings of soap remained near the top of my pint glass with plenty of spots the rest of the way down. Peanut butter, graham cracker, honey, and sticky bourbon and caramel were in the nose as the taste nicely, and closely, followed suit. A bit of the lactose that this was brewed with shone through with a ton of bright sweetness with a hint of summery, outdoor jam giving this plenty of liveliness that complemented the maple syrup stickiness that was underneath everything present.

So much to this mouthfeel between the taste and everlasting suds, as this felt much stronger than it was in actuality. All that was missing here was a date on the can, although this held up well for being nearly half a year old. Quite the first impression from Oliphant as this was a perfect dessert beer, or the most outlandish take on the style that I've ever had. Grab a can of this and have fun deciding for yourself!

16oz. Can served in a Nordic cooler. Pours a lovely copper/caramel hue with a fizzy, 1.5 inch, off-white head that quickly sizzles and pops as it recedes. Nose is interesting - hints of graham crackers and honey. Taste introduces some notes of bourbon and finishes with a slight medicinal/ethanol bitterness. Flavor profile reminds me of Teddy Grahams. Mouthfeel is light in body with an assertive carbonation. Overall, a novel take on the style.

 

Even though the can and Untapped lists it as a golden ale, the pour is an amber color. The head is a slight off white color, and is 1 finger. The retention is decent, however, there's almost no lacing on the glass. All there is is a ring of the foam around the edge of the glass.
The nose is a nice, and pretty powerful, peanut butter aroma. There's also hints of the bourbon barrel that this beer was aged in as well on the nose, but they are in the background.
Taste - Like the nose, there's a lot of peanut butter flavor here. There's a hint of lactose flavor here, as well. The peanut butter flavor lingers throughout. On the back side the bourbon barrel kicks in. It's not a strong flavor, but more of a background flavor that compliments the peanut butter. There's also a bread, biscuit, sweetness going on from the malts used, as well as the honey added to the beer.
Creamy feeling. Full body. Smooth as heck.
Overall, this is one hell of a beer, and damn good. Another win from Oliphant.