Maurice Cream Ale
Boggy Draw Brewery

 

conceptually this is genius, taking the craft cream ale to the next level. why should it be watery and light in flavor and low in alcohol? these guys have really tuned it up! they start with a fuller bodied cream ale, with just a hint of residual sugar and a little more booze than convention calls for, and they have put it into a colorado gin barrel. the fusion is excellent. notes of spruce and booze now drip from this, a piney complexion, and the wood, which is wet and fresh milled tasting. i like these gin flavors in the cream ale, you can really taste all the botanicals, and i have never had anything like this, i feel like gin barrels get used so infrequently in beer considering the prevalence of whiskey, so its a neat innovation. just a little hot on the alcohol, i am sure they will refine this one a little bit from batch to batch, but the idea is outstanding and the end product is pretty darn clever. everyone in our group really dug this one, its real easy drinking for how strong it is too. well done.

Look: Clear golden honey color...minimal lacing, poured with little head.

Smell: Light aroma of gin with some bready aromas underneath.

Taste: Nice tast of gin, some pinyness and some bready malt underneath.

Feel: Nice and crisp, moderately carbonated. Little bit of bitterness. Nice and easy drinking.

Overall: Very interesting cream ale aged in gin barrels. A good cream ale.