Inception Series #01 - Toasted Barn
Nebraska Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very dark appearance...small amber bubbles. Aroma is overwhelming of a rauchbier, smoked beer. Thinks Alaskan Smoked Porter or Schlenkerla. Interestingly, that's not what this is, but the aroma leads me in this direction every time, and I've had this almost a dozen times...still have 2 bottles aging...he he!
Taste is big, strong flavors of roasted malt, smoked malt, burnt malts, bourbon and there's significant carbonation, even after a year of aging. Honestly, I've always thought of this as a big, bold, rather rough beer, and it's still there with aging, but darn, it's tasty, satisfying and a tad challenging on the taste buds.

Bottle pour courtesy of wethorseblanket at Woodshop 7 held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

Pours a clear dark brown with a foamy khaki head that fades to nothing. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of smoked malt, campfire, and some slight cocoa aromas. Taste is much the same and has a woody finish on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with some solid smoky aromas and flavors.

 

Odd duck. Matches the commercial description with the smoke. This is courtesy of a friend. Served with a long lasting, fine, tan head and lots of lace. Color is an opaque brown black. Nose is smoke, malt, leather, fruit, yeast. Flavor's like nose with some tang standing out in front. Kind of reminds me of a porter in the dry Irish style. Body is good, ditto carobonation. Finish is like flavor and has good lenght.

Poured from a bottle into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours a murky, dark mahogany color with just under a finger of tan head that fades quickly and leaves a little bit of lacing. Only a little light comes through at the edges.

Smell: Roasted malts and dark fruit show up right away along with some mild bourbon and a strong note from the wood in the barrel.

Taste: There is some roast from the malt, but the main taste here is from the barrels. A bit smokey with some peat and bourbon. The finish is a bit watery, not sure if there is enough to back up the barrel flavors.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thin side with tingly carbonation and a finish that is a bit dry.

Overall: I like the idea behind this beer, and it's quite interesting, but it didn't all come together for me. I think I'd pass on it again, but I'm really glad I got to try it.

 

 

 

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Big thanks to antlerwrestler19 for this bottle!

Nothin' like watchin' documentaries and drinkin' some barrel-aged goodness, right? Get some. This stuff pours a bleakly opaque black-brown topped by a shrinking finger of creamy tan foam. The nose comprises beech smoke, light roasted malts, toasted oak, and a touch of straight whiskey. From the smell, there's not much in the way of porter, but the smoke comes through nicely, and the whiskey makes itself known, though not loudly. The taste holds notes of roasted malts, bitter coffee, beech smoke, whiskey, charred wood, and a bit of dark chocolate powder. The roast is definitely more pronounced here, as is the whiskey, which seems as though it's yelling now. Still, it's not too much and compliments the smoke pretty well, creating a seamless blend from the latter through the former as things pass across my tongue. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fairly dry finish. Overall, a pretty good beer all-around, one that shows that barrel-aging doesn't have to be a bludgeoning tool.

This is the first beer in Nebraska Brewing Company's 'Inception Series' which is comprised of beers within their experimental barrel aging program.

Toasted Barn is a Smoked Porter created with 35% Briess Smoked Malt. Further maturation in Colorado Craft Whiskey barrels (6 months) imparts a nice vanilla nose and drops the smokiness into a mellow range that works very nicely with the tannins of the oak. 5.6% ABV.

The qualities within this beer are so complex, yet so subtle and inviting with each sip. Where many porters can be strong to the point of overbearing this one is not. Visually this beer is pitch black with a coffee brown head. Tannins from the whiskey barrel amid the smoky aura are very much prevalent entwining so perfectly with the vanilla bean suave that I can only call this beer elegant. The flavors don't overpower one another, but rather mutually complement each other. Thumbs up and High-Five to this one. I will be eagerly awaiting any additions to the series. Excellent!!