The Maggot
Bury Me Brewing

an exorbitantly expensive bottle of beer out the door from their taproom, but i get that this is both process and time intensive, and sometimes thats how it goes if you want to try the crazy stuff. this is a soured braggot aged extensively in bourbon barrels. im not sure i have seen a soured braggot before, but that aspect of this is really well done, its just a little acidic, which is nice to cut all the sweetness inherent in the style, as well as to add neat complexity throughout, killer with the wood, makes this seem kind of wild even though its a front end kind of thing, really neat. it pours pretty still from the bottle, no head at all and sort of murky burnt orange in color, not unattractive, but certainly unremarkable. the nose shows tons of honey, gooey melted sticky summery and different, polleny and waxy and mead-esque, but also heaps malty and barleywine-like, especially with the oak and bourbon on it, a neat (and very strong selling) concoction. certainly sweet in flavor too, but really natural on the honey, toffee elements with the malt and the whiskey, lots of vanilla here, charred oak, maple and butter even, kind of awesome with the honey in here, and the acidity, which seemed odd originally to me, but it works, just tart, piquant and also kind of fruity, faint pineapple and floral aspects, making it very floridian somehow. bourbon all through the the finish, very sweet but resolved by the acidity late. clever stuff, in need of more carbonation and a little refinement, but its awfully unique and was enjoyable in a modest dose. never heard of one of these before, nicely done guys!