Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Strawberry Ale
Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

 

 

There's plenty of carbonation to be had, making emptying two twelve ounce brown bottles into a clear glass liter mug rather difficult. No matter how gentle the pour, a large head is determined to form. It's just off-white, having only a tint of the brew's color. That color is a bright bronze amber that's more translucent than opaque. The smell is sweet, but not necessarily fruity sweet. That's probably because there is also an aspect of bourbon barrel tannins included. It tastes sweet, too sweet and syrupy. That brings up points for the mouthfeel, but at the expense of the taste. There is very little to the taste that provides a strong resemblance to strawberry. Worse, the taste is linear, there's no transitions to report at all. It begins and finishes the same, vaguely sweet. None of the expected flavors stand out, not the strawberry, nor the bourbon barrel aging. The relatively high ABV is covered to a fair degree and there's almost no glass lacing. This can only be recommended to those that like sweet drinks that hide a potent alcohol hit. For those that don't particularly care for the taste oak tannins add to the flavor of a brew, be not concerned, as it's barely noticeable here.

 

 

12 ounce bottle, no dating that I noticed on the label or bottle. Thanks once again to Brutaltruth for this one! Served in a snifter, the beer pours a somewhat hazy burnt orange color with about an inch or so light tan head. Head retention is OK, and there's a lot of lacing. The brew smells like artificial strawberry syrup, grainy malt, caramel and some earthiness. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some slight oak and vanilla flavors noticeable too. Really don't pick up much if any bourbon or booze at all. Either the strawberry overpowers everything else, or this wasn't barrel aged for long. Kinda disappointing compared to a lot of their other brews that have a noticeable bourbon presence. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating with a moderate amount of carbonation. Worth a try if you come across some, but I wouldn't buy more than a single bottle of it.

Pours a light fizzy head with lower retention, light lacing, very clear amber to almost auburn reddish color

Nose fair oak, buttery oak with some bourbon notes, light sweet malt, almost malt liquor kinda thing, with some strawberry in the background

Taste brings more malt-liquor like character, sweet malt, gristy cereal malt and stale bread, buttery oak and barrel notes, touch of bitterness, little bourbon sweetness, light strawberry in the background, butterscotch, hint of alcohol late

Mouth is med bod, med fizzy carb, light warming alcohol

Overall not bad but not great either, not a lot of strawberry, some decent barrel but not a good barrel, base malt beer was meh, but not terrible

From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter. This unique little brew pours a
red tinged medium amber with a light head of white foam that settles
to a thick ring, thin clumping layer, and shows some light lacing. Nose
of strawberry jam, subtle woodsy notes, light caramel, and subtle herbal
notes. Flavors surpass the nose with light strawberry, light wheat notes,
caramel and butterscotch, faint bourbon hints, woodsy oak touches, and a
faint herbal touch. Nice mouth feel; medium body, medium light carbonation,
and a lightly dry finish.

Overall, a solid little brew

Cheers

It’s a very solid beer, great smell and flavor. I just find the strawberry too sweet and overpowering. I like the original more but I can understand the purpose here.

 

 

 

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a clear golden amber color with hints of red and a small head of fizzy white foam. The head fades very fast, leaving just a trace of lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell -The aroma of the brew is very strong of a bready and grainy smell mixed with aromas of oak and a light herbal hop. Along with these smells comes notes of strawberries and a bit of hay and grass.
Taste – The taste begins with a rather sweet flavor, being a mix of strawberry and lots of caramel. At the same time there is a strong bready and doughy taste as well as some flavors of a light oakiness. As the taste advances the sweetness gets stronger all while the breadiness decreases a bit. The oakiness remains fairly constant, and with a little bit of an herbal and hay taste that develops at the very end, one is left with a very sweet, almost cloying, taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is on the average to slightly lower side. For the very sweet taste a lighter body and higher carbonation would have been a better pairing to make the brew a bit more approachable.
Overall – A bit too sweet for me. OK, but nothing to go out of your way for…

12 FL OZ bottle
Served in a pint glass

This beer pours copper colored with millions and millions of bubbles on the side of the glass. It is topped with an inch of beige head that disappears rather hastily leaving nary a trace. It looks kind of like a pop when decanted.

Not too sure about this. It smells like strawberry and butterscotch.

It tastes exactly like it smells. The butterscotch is off putting.

Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel

Smells a little worse than it tastes. The taste isn't terrible. It is definitely not Alltech's best offering.

 

 

 

 

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a muddy river color with a 1 inch head. Smell is full of strawberries, a bit of bourbon. Taste is bourbon, malts, strawberries are present but in the background. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.