Fourteen Forty: Batch 004
Kettlehead Brewing Company

Im sampling a 2023 vintage can poured at cellar temperature into my snifter. I picked this up at the brewery last summer and its been in my cellar since then. The beer pours a rich mahogany color that reveals a little garnet hue when held to a light source. A fizzy beige head of about 1 cm foams up and fades to one large wispy island and a thin edging soon after the pour.
The aroma on this beer is fairly complex and malt driven. I get some toffee and brown sugar with some red grapes and raisin notes too. Mixing in hints of bourbon and a bit of a dry woody scent (like a popsicle stick) completes the aroma. No hop hints and not fusol booze either.
First sip reveals a medium body with smooth texture and very fine tingly carbonation. Beer feels a little lighter than I anticipated from the nose and style.
Flavor is what the nose advertised, if only maybe a little more fruit. I get the toffee and brown sugar again, with much more raisin here and red grapes and maybe pears or maybe a cherry note, slightly tart and fruity sweetness. This gives way to a little peppery bite and booze, but not a lot, if any warmth. No noticeable hop character on the flavor profile.
The beer drinks pretty easy and I am enjoying the fruitiness of the experience.
Glad I picked this up after shopping at the Tilton outlets last summer. Nice barleywine

Enjoying my penultimate can of this while watching some NFL playoff action....

Poured into a Tributary sniftah, it's a lovely, rich, clear ruby-garnet color. Has light, scattered carbo and a wispy, thin, light-beige layer of suds up top. Lacing is very much on the light side. Has a lovely aroma of caramel, brown sugar, dark fruit and bourbon. Has a solid medium-plus body, with a mostly smooth passage over the tongue.

Flavor is also beautifully semi-sweet and malty! Has a good dose of caramelized brown sugar to lead off, followed by a nice blend of black cherry, dates, figs and raisins. Lurking just beneath the surface of this mix is a nice smidge of bourbon. The finish is a touch dry, with a hint of earthy hopping. Another superb Fourteen Forty from The 'Head....
Cheers!!

4.41/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2436

Poured at fridge temp. Pours very dark brown with a tiny and fleeting layer of off-white head. The nose is insane. Rich toffee, bourbon, vanilla, raisin, prunes, and a nice woody note.

The taste is equally as amazing. Burnt toffee, slight tobacco, vanilla, oak, bourbon-soaked raisins, maraschino cherries, booze, and a slight acidic note. Definitely a moderate bitterness on the taste that wasn't apparent on the nose. Very tasty!

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slightly alcoholic and toffee aftertaste.

Poured 9/10/23 into a tulip glass.

Look: Deep, dark brown with a beautiful ruby glow when held up to the light. 1 finger head that dissipates almost immediately.

Smell: Oh my...wonderful. Dark fruits, slightly burnt caramel, with some really nice nutty, amaretto and herbal notes on the back end. Bourbon aging shows but doesn't overwhelm, with some warm oak working through.

Taste: Brings the smell into overdrive. Leads with huge caramel and toffee. This leads into boozy bourbon soaked fruits, with a huge cherry note. The finish brings a good alcohol presence, along with a combination of baking spices. Basically, this is liquid fruitcake in the best possible way. The key here is the balance. The oak and bourbon are present, but never take over, and the clearly high quality of the base barleywine is the star, being well supported by the players around it.

Feel: Not much to say here other than it's a classic English barleywine, slightly dried out by the barrel aging. Light carbonation makes this dangerously drinkable for a 12 percenter.

Overall: Really, really well done brew. Nothing frustrates me more than when the barrel and spirit takes over in a beer and completely overwhelms the base beer. This beer is wonderfully balanced on all aspects, which takes enormous skill and discretion. For a brewery more known for their hoppy offerings, this was very impressive.

For the 004 addition they used 14 year old Widow Jane Bourbon Barrels. Pours a very attractive chestnut brown with a finger plus tan head, that a few pat he’s of lace with nice retention. 4.5

Aroma dates, plums, raisins, toffee, caramel, woody vanilla, brown sugar, and did I mention bourbon. 4.5

Taste follows dates, plum, raisin, brown sugar, oaked vanilla, and a little boozy charred bourbon. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, gentle carbonation, actually not very dry for the style, and at 11.9% a sipper, but because of the complexities leaves you eager for another sip. 4.75

Overall I will save the next run for a cool Fall evening. This one for me is special, not for everyone but a big beer fan like myself, oh hell yes. 4.5 Kettlehead Brewing is excellent things with this series. Cheers all