Old Numbskull - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
AleSmith Brewing Company

2020 Vintage from 2 pack at brewery - 11.2 ounce bottle clocking in a a whopping 15.8% ABV.
Pours a muddy reddish brown with scant thin tan head.
Aroma is plummy at the jump, but then big notes of caramel, toffee, raisin, bourbon, dark fruits, molasses - a bit of vanilla and an earthy hop note.
Taste starts sweet - caramel malt, toffee, brown sugar, raisin, and dark fruits with bourbon - gentle earthy hop bitterness with a bit of a burnt caramel note.
Sweet and boozy but not cloying or hot (though my esophagus felt the 15+%) - sweet side of bittersweet finish.

750mL bottle (vintage 2013) into a tulip. Pours a clear, deep brown/mahogany with a thin khaki head, slow carbonation.

Aroma is a nice blend of brown sugar, caramel, toffee, vanilla, booze. Sweet and malty.

Taste follows nose. Sweet, bready, malty. Very light bitterness. Warm bourbon on the finish.

Mouthfeel is slick and a bit sticky—body on the heavy side of medium. Drinkable.

Overall, this is regular Old Numbskull kicked up a notch. Straightforward, solid, well crafted.

Pours a deep burgundy small tan head falls fast no real lace.

Aroma is big chewy caramel malts, toffee, good bourbon notes. Brown sugars, vanilla light alcohol notes that blend well.

Taste follows the nose, big chewy malts, caramel malts, toffee, dark cherries good bourbon notes, vanilla, oak, deep dank hops. Rich old fashioned Barley Wine.

Mouthfeel is big chewy malts, medium label carbonation.

Overall is a big nice barrel aged Barley Wine.

Somehow got my hands on a 2013 Reserve bottle, consumed on Hallows Eve 2021. Most of the qualities of an American Barleywine have faded at this point, so it’s all bourbon and barrel and wood and booze. Incredible dessert beer; it aged so well. Bravo AleSmith!

 

 

From the growler via Jungle Jim's Eastgate-2016 vintage-and
enjoyed in a snifter. This mighty fine BBB (?!?hmmmm) pours a
dark red tinged mahogany with a decent head of off white foam that
settles to thick ring and light dusty film. Nose of bourbon, cherries,
brown sugars, vanilla, faint oak, and toffee. Flavors excel by an
excellent presentation of bourbon and vanilla notes that are
mellow and balanced with brown sugars, toffee, cherry, brandy
notes, and touches of leather and tobacco with wafts of toast.
Very nice mouth feel; medium body, light near faint carbonation,
and a rich warming finish that is subtly dry and sweet.

Overall, a true WOW of a brew......ahem...$40 a growler, but
it is worth it!

Cheers

 

 

 

Pours a brown color with a tan head 1/4". Aroma transforms in the barrel, instead of hops, now its like it magically transformed to an Old Ale or English Barleywine. You get a good amount of malty otterness and bourbon in a rich way.

Taste packs a massive amount of toffee and caramel underneath a boozy undercoating you don't even have to ask your manager about. The year long aging in the barrel seems just right, the bourbon is strong, but not so strong itenvelopes everything else about the beer. Sweet tandem bike ride bruh. Starts to pull some dark fruit notes, I didn't see that coming. This beer really transforms in the barrel. Swear it seems like they made a different barleywine for this one. The hop flavor and bitterness seems to just vanish. Gonna be hard to crush the last bottle of this hiding away.

 

 

 

 

2016 vintage. 750 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Pours brown color with a thin white head.

Nose: sweet caramel up front followed by oak, bourbon, and a bit of alcohol.

Taste: bourbon and sweet caramel up front. Finish is sweet with a touch of alcohol heat.

Feel: full-bodied, rich. Medium-low carbonation.

Drank at the brewery. Pours a deep red/amber color. The smell is of caramel and dark fruits. The taste is complex with the caramel, fruits, vanilla and bourbon at the end. The bourbon lingers nicely. The feel is pretty heavy and creamy.

 

Bottle from last night’s share. Thick amber body, small ring of bubbly head, Picking up all of the barley wine essences, but little of the bourbon barrel. Sweet malt, toffee, caramel in both aroma and taste. It doesn’t even present itself as that boozy of a beer. Some dark fruit, raisins, some vanilla