Bourbon Vanilla Oak Amber
Kilowatt Brewing

September 20th, 2016 - Anything called "Bourbon Vanilla Oak Amber" is promising a lot, but as with the other beers today, Kilowatt's attempt falls short of the admittedly ambitious line it set for itself. The aroma presents some lighter fruit notes, and writhed in fig and strawberry jam, like a tea biscuit with jam. The strawberry jam flavor re-appears in the flavor, but feels blunted, and disappears quickly with the shorter aftertaste. It feels a little more dull and old than it should be, and also misses some carbonation.

Clear dark mahogany color with a brief foam in the Crooked Line tulip. This is surprisingly sharp and tangy, with an almost watery mouthfeel. It's not so strong and not so malty, making for a different sort of flavored brew that is distinct from the barrel aged varieties.

The Bourbon is a little faint, but it adds a mellow complexity. I wouldn't call this sweet; there is a burnt sugar flavor but it dries out with each sip, like a Belgian dark. Long nose of Bourbon, though, followed by the vanilla and more vanilla from the oak, apparently.

An interesting strongly flavored sipping beer. And for the Amber category, it's way above average. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at the Ocean Beach tasting room.

 

Poured from bomber purchased at the brewery. Deep amber color. Vanilla shines on the nose. Flavor is heavy vanilla, with a mild bourbon backbone. Sweet taste. I really enjoyed this. Was hesitant to buy due to reviews, but glad I did.

Poured this out of a 22 oz. bottle into a tulip glass one month after the bottling date.

The color is a dark, deep amber, almost a bit like a cola. Slightly translucent and a lighter brown around the edges. It poured with very little head, which dissipated too quickly and left no lacing.

It has an initial sweet caramel aroma that slowly gives way to a bit of malt and bread. The first taste has a heavy vanilla flavor. A bit of coffee and malt too. It's very sweet. At first I thought the "Bourbon" in the name was just referring to the Madagascar vanilla beans, but the bottle says "conditioned with bourbon oak barrels." I get none of that. No bourbon or oak, which is disappointing.

The body is appropriately smoth, with a medium to high amount of carbonation that gives it a good bite.

Overall, this beer is pretty good. I like sweet beers, and if you do you'll probably enjoy this too. The flavor is a bit one-note, it doesn't have the complexity the name implies. Kilowatt has plenty of better beers than this one.

First impression is bottled Starbucks caramel frappuccino . Caramel, toasted malt, a little wood, vanilla and hints of bourbon that is not very well integrated.