Founding Fathers - Bourbon Barrel Aged
Rustic Leaf Brewing Company

22 ounce bottle into snifter. 2018 vintage, Bottle #205/266. Pours hazy very dark ruby red/brown color with a small fairly dense light khaki head with solid retention, that reduces to a minimal spotty lace cap that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red apple, roasted nuts, biscuit, and brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, chocolate, cocoa, leather, tobacco, peat smoke, oak char, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malts, molasses, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red apple, roasted nuts, biscuit, and brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, chocolate, cocoa, leather, tobacco, peat smoke, oak char, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Very mild herbal, grassy, roast, charred bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Very slight English yeast tang/tartness. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, dark fruit, apricot, red apple, roasted nuts, biscuit, brown bread, molasses, licorice, chocolate, cocoa, leather, tobacco, peat smoke, oak char, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, molasses, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying cloying sweetness after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness, and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with as very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 9.5%, with zero lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an awesome barrel aged old ale. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, molasses, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish; awesome soft feel for the style/ABV. Awesome balance of super rich dark/bready English malts, molasses, fruity English yeast, and Bourbon barrel presence/integration; with solid earthy hops. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressively spot on style example. Aged really well!