Brick Kiln - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

12 oz can canned Mar 4, 2025 into a tulip glass.
L: Pours darkest brown, light steady carbo, a thin dark tan head that quickly recedes to thin edge foam, no lacing.
S: Bourbon barrel, dark chocolate, raisins, dates, prunes, toffee.
T: Taste follows aroma plus sweet malts, oak wood, vanilla, fig, dark sweet chocolate, a suggestion of smoke. Tastes do not morph with warming.
F: Smooth medium-heavy bodied mouthfeel with a medium length lightly dry finish. It's a little bit flat and is mildly thick.
O: A true sipper that masks its 14.7% ABV very well. Very relaxed tastes and feel. Nothing intense or clashing. Remarkably smooth feel. I'd like to have this beer again. It is outstanding in its style.

Purchased at Beer Bazaar.
First peek almost black, seeing it in light, very dark mahogany with some reddish highlights, no head.
Opening the can let out a huge whiff of bourbon. Taste buds get som fig, raisin, toffee. Medium bodied, coats the palate. Very good Barleywine, never see enough. I'll have another

 

 

2/9/25 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Obtained via in person trade with Dave @blogjackets on BA on July 19, 2024 in Sheboygan. Refrigerated upon returning home until pulling this morning. 12.7 oz. bottled in 2024, 12.7% ABV. Barleywine style Ale aged in Bourbon barrels brewed in partnership with Southeast Ohio History Center. Brewed and Bottled by Jackie O's Pub & Brewery, Athens, Ohio. Art by KM.

Brewed in the English Barleywine tradition and aged in Bourbon barrels for 20 months, Bourbon Barrel Brick Kiln's deep mahogany hue gives way to aromas and flavors of English toffee, caramel and raisin. Extended aging in Bourbon barrels adds deep notes of vanilla and oak to the beer, named in tribute to the SE Ohio brick industry. The kilns of Athens Brick Company (est. 1890) once operated down the street from our current production brewery.

Appearance: Poured most of the bottle into a 12 oz handheld snifter, yielding alight white tan head which lasts a hot minute before leaving no lacing and a fine bubble ring around the rim. Base dark chestnut brown near black. Fine tiny carbonation bubbles have a slow sustained rise, covering a few percentage points over the top of the base. Very nice. 4.0

Aroma: 20 minutes from opening yields a blend of raisins, plums, caramel, figs, and toffee base, with an increasing level of smooth but strong bourbon peaking from 30 minutes and beyond. Strong and enticing, can't wait to dive in. 4.25

Taste: Flavors more compact range, but intense versus the aroma. Steady consistent malt base lead, with a sweet toffee, caramel, raisin and fig base, and a steady smooth bourbon chilling and enjoying the festivities. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Drinks strong from Go!, above the listed 12.7% ABV for the 2024 release. Bourbon and base sweet overall, at times too sweet for my liking, but I become accustomed. Medium body, sweetness builds perceived depth, faint gentle carbonation felt, sweet bourbon toffee fig finish. 3.75

Overall: This is a good BA barleywine, Strong flavors mellow out as this nears room temperature. Aroma brought added depth. Overall recommend and would consider picking up if available. Thank you Dave for this selection and the entire trade. Really loved your tour of Ohio over the past half year! 4.0

 

 

Picked up a 375ml bottle from the brewery in Athens on 5-24-23 for $11.99. 2022 bottling consumed 5-11-24.

Beer poured dark brown with a nice off-white head that dissipated quickly.

Nose is dark fruit with some vanilla and a wee touch of the barrel.

Taste is a deep toasted malt base that is giving me a toffee dominated profile along with caramel. Getting a slight touch of prunes that is mostly lost in the toffee. Barrel plays a supporting role and gives a delicate touch of vanilla and some warmth.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and smooth.

Overall the toasted malt theme is pretty one dimensional, but the barrel gives it some depth. Glad i purchased this!

Almost zero hiss when I pop the cap off. This particular vintage (I don't know the year) is 12.5% ABV. Carbonation is lively enough in the glass, but there's very little head. Body is kind of a dark ruby chestnut. Smells a little boozy, though not hot. I get some vanilla; most of the nose seems to be coming from the barrel. Maybe a little black pepper in there. Doesn't exactly smell like a barleywine. There is a little raisin (a note I often get with barleywines) if I go back and huff deep. Taste is kind of blowing me away, though. Delicious! The bourbon, thankfully, doesn't take center stage. It's still there, mind, but plays well with more typical bareleywine flavors. Fruity and malty. A little sweetness on the back end kind of balances any heat. Alcohol, frankly, is hidden a little too well. This one will hurt you if you're not mindful. Mouthfeel is a touch thinner than anticipated, though it doesn't really bother me. It's exceptionally drinkable. Excellent beer!

 

2023-04-22
375ml bottle served in a big snifter. Label says it's 2022 vintage, 12.4% abv. @Ozzylizard sent it to me in NBS BIF #17. Probably a bit too cold at the moment, but it'll warm while I'm writing and drinking.

Pours surprisingly dark. Almost a porter color, slightly translucent around the edges, very little head and very little carbonation. Smell is boozy, some charred oak, some root beer barrel candy, chocolate and nuts.

Taste is boozy (but not painfully so), again a bit of that root beer barrel candy, molasses and dates, not getting any char here. Maybe a bit of a cola flavor.

Mouthfeel is medium (lighter than I expected), a little sticky, kind of still. Overall, it's a very good barleywine.

 

Slight reddish tinge on the pour, but deep brown / black in the glass. Minimal head, no lacing but some nice legs. Aroma is wonderful. Molasses, caramel, toffee etc. create a very rich aroma that burst from the glass. Some fig & vanilla notes round things out.

Taste is similar to the nose, but the barrel makes an appearance here and I didn't get it on the nose. The effect of that barrel is to create more depth than I got on the nose. I still get the molasses sweetness, but the barrel adds just enough oomph to give this a little bite. Nice alcohol warming, but I don't actually taste the alcohol on the tongue.

Overall, this is an excellent beer and a great way to start the last weekend of the year.

 

I've been wanting to try this English barleywine ever since I saw it on Jackie O's website. I almost ordered, but I didn't because I didn't want to pay the shipping charges. Well, guess what turned up at my favorite stout store in Canton, Ohio? There it was sitting on the shelf, $12. Poured out into a goblet, dark mahogany color with light colored fizz that disappeared after about 30 seconds. Nothing was left floating on the surface except a few bubbles rising up from the bottom. Now that smell, oh my god, that smell, it is a-ma-zing. Deep and rich, smooth and luscious, caramel and butterscotch and hard candy, maybe like a Werther's. A slight peppery burn from the bourbon mingles with it. And a sip, oh man, the first words out of my mouth are "now THAT's fuckin good". Taste follows the nose with that caramel and butterscotch, add in a little toffee and raisin to enhance the mix. The bourbon adds a nice finish to the swallow, just a slight amount of heat and flavor. THIS is what an english barleywine should taste like, There's not a single thing wrong with this. Nothing is overpowering, everything is balanced, sweet, pleasant on the palate. Mouthfeel reveals fairly low carbonation, and a little on the thick syrupy side. Overall I'm impressed, and I think I found my newest favorite barleywine. Jackie O's really knows how to brew beer right!

 

 

2020 bottling.

The cocoa, bitter bakers chocolate notes are unique here and do a wonderful job of keeping the sweetness in check. They aren't all that potent but they meld well with the raisin, leather, vanilla, and bourbon. There is a bit of a vinous note as well. The carbonation is quite light and the body thick and sticky. Good stuff.

Pours dark brown with a ruddy hue. Half finger of dark khaki head with decent retention given the ABV. It eventually settles into a soupy crown. Spotty lacing.

Caramel, vanilla, leather and raisin in the aroma.

The taste follows the nose fairly closely with nice leather complemented by the caramel and vanilla. The raisin is lighter here, or maybe boxed out by the addition of some light red wine character. I might be getting a little mint and even cut grass in there, too. Light hop bitterness and warming alcohol round out the finish.

Medium bodied with soft carbonation.

A nicely made barleywine that hits all the expected notes and one or two unexpected ones. Not as over the top as some contemporary examples. Particularly good for the price.