Double Barrel Old Ale
Swiftwater Brewing Company

gift from a friend, neat old ale, and actually old now, bottled in 2021, aged in bourbon and then in a barrel that had been used for gin, apple brandy, and maple syrup, and also bottle conditioned on maple syrup, pretty compelling story, and a flavorful drink. its almost too much, the sweetness is insane on this, and it kind of distracts from the complexity in a way that is challenging. lots to like too though, the maple is evident if not downright strong, the apple brandy wrinkle is cool, real compatible with the bourbon treatment, but also with the malt layers, cool other fruitiness to this too, red apple and port wine and things like that, autumnal all the way. in the nose is wood and whiskey, vanilla and maple, almost an abbey type malt thing rather than an english grain complexion, although its both i suppose, not oxidized for being older, some alcohol in play, notes of unlit cigar, high end cocoa powder, fresh leather, and light smoke to me, toffee and nut brittle. the flavor is more umami at first, an almost soy sauce note, dried mushrooms, even beef stock, its meaty like that. bready then in the middle with some complex maltiness, but the barrel rises up and hits fast, bitter botanical maybe from the gin history, some tannic oak thinning it a little, good sherry richness still though, some of the yeast comes out as it sits a little too, diabetic sweetness with dark brown sugar and maple that should maybe have been gobbled up a little more by the bottle conditioning than it has been by now, i like the taste but the mouthfeel is weighty to sort of permanent, this isnt real well carbonated, like they didnt quite get that part exactly right. i like the apple brandy aspect, and i like the vanilla richness, but this is a small doses thing, and i had a hard time with the full bottle as a solo mission, not because it isnt good, but because the sugar is downright disruptive. cool effort, we dont see a lot of old ales around, and the multiple barrel treatments and fillings all yield something quite unique. would love to visit this place next time i am back east!

This one pours a caramel brown color, with no head, or lacing, just a few stray bubbles that dissipate quickly.

This has a very, very strong maple aroma to it, with molasses, apple brandy, caramel, and oak.

This is definitely a bit less refined than the regular BA Old Ale, as the maple is incredibly forward in the aroma and taste here. It's sticky and sweet, but definitely in a good way. I don't get any of the gin history of the barrel (honestly, luckily), but the apple brandy comes through well here - the apple brandy and the maple together, along with the caramel tones, make this feel like a big messy drippy candy apple.

This is nearly still, with a somewhat syrupy mouthfeel, but no real booziness to it all. It's definitely smooth.

I'd perhaps want a bit less maple syrup here, but this is definitely tasty, and represents a cool step forward for Swiftwater.