Wooded Reserve Imperial Brown Ale
New Realm Brewing Company

there may be more than one version of this, but this is the barbados rum barrel aged edition, 11.5% abv the bottle informs me, my first ever beer from these guys but i have heard good things! lighter in color than expected for a brown, to me maple colored, chestnut to amber more than brown really, and kind of thin for its strength, not much head on it either, and some cloudiness, somewhat unimpressive looking in the glass. the nose though rules, sweet and immediately rum forward to me, coconut, toffee, birch syrup, oak, very sweet too, almost not quite all the way fermented, interesting grain richness to it but not heavy when i get to drinking it, some alcohol to my senses too. sweet all the way through the flavor, sort of morning-esque, maple granola or something, brown sugar, lots of cereal grain character but very little chocolate type malt to me and no roast at all, insanely light on the grain side for something called a brown ale, hints of port wine and cognac in with the alcohol heat and the obvious rum, more coconut, raw sugar, subtle pecan. its almost flat which hurts it, and it feels slightly thin for what it is, but the flavor is pleasant, albeit a small doses thing for me. almost a cinnamon spice thing at the end too, im sure this rum was excellent. neat beer, i like the idea of a lighter strong brown with the rum, i think the execution is just okay, but there is plenty here to like. curious to try more from these guys.

Pours a dark brown with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has brown sugar, caramel and rum hints
The taste follows the nose with a pleasant brown sugar, caramel and rum flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A well balanced Imperial Brown Ale

Bought a bottle of this beer in Arlington, VA. Poured into a hotel room wine glass. Murky brown color with a decent initial beige head little lacing. Smell and taste of toffee and rum. Caramel, dates, and sweet chocolate. Warming booziness. Smooth feel. Overall a nice beer, not very pretty.

Appearance: Dark brown, fluffy khaki head with good retention.

Aroma: Vanilla, wood, caramel. No alcohol

Flavor & After taste: Vanilla, wood, bourbon, alcohol is mild.

Mouth-feel: Medium body. Moderate carbonation.

Overall: This beer grew on me as I drank it. I think that is important when evaluating certain beers, live with it for a bit. The vanilla flavor and aromas are prominent, followed by bourbon and wood flavors . It's warming. Nice body to it, not too heavy like a stout, but not thin either. This beer has been barrel aged for 11 months. Has a nice Old World rustic flavor to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picked up a 500 ml bottle at the Casual Pint in Virginia Beach. Pours a dense medium brown color. Lots of golden color when held up to the light. Medium sized brown head with average retention. Lots of lacing on the glass. Aroma and taste feature bourbon barrel flavor and oak bitterness. There is underling maltiness as well. Flavor is great. Not as strong as a stout but the flavors are quite impressive. Mouthfeel is rich with strong flavors and moderate alcohol warmth. Not as rich as a stout or strong porter, there is a bit of lightness here too. This is a great beer, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Another winner from New Realm