Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Tart Cherry Wheat
Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Tart Cherry Wheat Ale has a thick, off-white head, a very bubbly, clear, orange appearance, and some lacing. The aroma is of wheat bread and faint cherry. The flavor is of sugary cherry and wheat bread crust. Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Tart Cherry Wheat Ale has low bitterness and high sweetness, with a medium body and a dry finish.

RJT

 

12 oz bottle served in a Belgian snifter.

Appearance. Slightly hazy reddish orange-amber colored body with a weak head.

Whiskey and bourbon barrel dominate the aroma. Subtle cherry is added in the flavor. Sweet, bitter, and tart in about equal measure. The body seems a touch too thin despite medium+ carbonation.

Not great but one of the best offerings from this distillery-brewer.

L: A mostly transparent reddish-bronze beer. The head did not hold up. It was thin from the start and dissipated quickly to almost nothing. It has very little lacing. It looks kind of like a cider. The color was pleasant. But the overall appearance was nothing to write home about.

S: Very sweet and fruity with a hint of vanilla, bourbon and apple cider vinegar. I can't tell whether I can smell lightly toasted bread, or I'm imagining it based on the bottle's suggestion of "wheat". I am definitely picking up the cherries and red fruit though. It smells like it could be sour. Unfortunately, I don't like sours, so I've prepared myself to be disappointed; this smells like a cross between a sour and a cider.

T: It's got a lot more flavor than I expected from the underwhelming appearance. It's as sweet as a porter, but less oily. Cherry pie filling is at the forefront of the taste profile: candied, tart, red-cherries in a syrup. That sweetness is balanced out with other flavors. It's a little sour, but not nearly as sour as I expected from the smell. There are underlying notes of savory vanilla. Some of the bourbon and wheat is coming through to give it a toasted crust flavor, especially in the aftertaste. I am taken back to memories of eating cherry turnovers as a kid. I can barely taste the booze, which is impressive at 8%. I am really happy with the flavor. But it is very sweet. I'd consider this a dessert beer.

F: It's not heavy or very oily. But it's got more weight than the appearance would have you believe. It's rich and satisfying for a wheat beer. There's not a lot of carbonation. That might bother some people, but it didn't bother me. It's silky and smooth, which complements the dessert taste.

O: It went down extremely easily for an 8% beer. I could crush several of these after mowing on a summer afternoon, which is not something I'd normally say about a beer with this ABV. So caution is warranted. The flavor and feel were very satisfying, scratching an itch that I didn't know I had. I only had one and, when I finished, I was tempted to go buy another. I wouldn't call it an every-day beer. But it would go great with barbecue or other big meals, especially when you want to skip dessert and have a sweet beer instead. I'll be looking to buy more of these in the future for the right occasions.

Bottled 2025/04/27
Pours a fizzy airy 1/2 finger head with fair retention, a hint of lacing, very clear copper to amber color

Nose brings a bit of tart cherry but a little chemically like as well, cherry cough drops, faint bourbon notes in the background, sweet malt

Taste starts sweet, syrupy sweet with caramel and candy, into cherry syrup, mild tart cherry and getting into cherry cough drops again, very mild bourbon character, hint of oak and vanilla, sticky sweet finish

Mouth is thicker syrupy and almost cloying sweet, med carb

Overall this was a mess, waaaaaaay too sweet and syrupy, barely any barrel notes, no wheat, cherry was more chemical than real, just not enjoyable

 

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has an amber color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of bourbon, cherries. Taste follows the aroma, somewhat tart, hints of alcohol. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

12 oz. bottle
8.0% ABV
Date: 03/31/3025 (I'm assuming this is the bottled-on date)
$14.49 4-pk @ Publix


AROMA: Strong scents of bourbon and cherry followed by mild scents of vanilla and (strangely enough) chocolate.

APPEARANCE: Pours an clear dark-amber, with a thin, light-tan head that dissipates very quickly, with no lacing.

TASTE: I'm first hit with a fair amount of sweetness with a strong flavor of cherry. It then quickly transitions to a mild amount of tartness with mild flavors of bourbon, oak, and vanilla. The finish is slightly dry with just a hint more of that cherry tartness.

MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a slightly sticky texture. Carbonation is average.

OVERALL: Personally, I would have liked more tartness. Especially for something labeled "Tart Cherry". Having said that, I did find the flavor to be nice. It was sweet, but not overly sweet. And as the beer warmed, the bourbon and oak aromas really started to meld better with the flavors. Which made for a more enjoyable experience.

12 FL. OZ. bottle
Served in a pokal glass

This beer pours an amber hue with some burnt orange highlights. It is topped with an inch of tan head that disappears quickly leaving minimal lacing.

Tart cherry juice with caramel.

Cherry juice followed by bourbon notes of caramel and vanilla.

Light bodied with a syrupy mouthfeel

Not the greatest thing that has passed down my gullet but not the worst either.

Mostly clear amber body under a small head with sparce lacing. Bourbon is right there to greet you in the aroma. Cherry shows up but is subtle. Grains impact the flavor while the tartness of the cherries add a different twist. Medium bodied, well carbonated mouthfeel. Unable to find a 'best by' date on the bottle.

12 oz. Bottle
Bottled On: 05/01/24

Poured into a tulip a pretty nice clean/clear dark golden copper color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice one-finger plus creamy off-white head, which leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is pretty nice, malty, hoppy, cherries, bourbon, oaky, tart, vanilla. The taste is very nice, malty, hoppy, very nice cherries, bourbon, oaky, pretty nice tartness, vanilla. Medium body, ABV is hidden very nicely, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall a very tasty beer.

 

Purchased at Liquor Town, Louisville, KY. $16.99, 4pk/12oz bottles

Pours a deep golden honey color, semi-opaque. Minimal head that fades quickly.

Tart cherry and bourbon on the nose.

A brew that reminds me of a cocktail. Distinct tart cherry flavor, vanilla, caramel and nice bourbon booziness that isn't over done. Leans towards the sweeter side.

Thicker consistency with mild carbonation.

An easy drinking beer. Reminds me of a whiskey sour cocktail. Very tasty...cheers!

 

Not a bad beer to sip while enjoying a fire in my fire pit, but I am spoiled after the two New Holland Dragon's Milk brews I have had out there in the last few days. This beer is fine, but milder, less boozy and with less of an aroma. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass, this beer featured a very small bubbly white head and only a few specks of lacing. I expected the head to disappear fast, but it left a lasting cover on the top of the glass and slowly faded to a ring which stayed almost throughout. Nice mostly clear amber color with a reddish hint. Nose was practically non-existent but the tart cherry flavor was quite apparent. The flavor was tart cherry and malt, neither sweet nor bitter. As others have noted, the wheat bitterness and bourbon barrel flavoring were not discernable. For the bourbon barrel, that might not be a bad thing as so many beers overdo it. Mouthfeel was smooth and fairly rich with a little alcohol warming. Not a memorable beer, but not bad either.

Pours light red with a brief, thin head of foam. Aroma is cherry and light wheat. Taste is very tart cherry, clean and all one dimension but that is a good thing in this case. It delivers what it promises. Any bourbon character, however, is missing or at such low levels that I cannot detect them.