Barrel Aged Imperial Perception Of Depth
Phase Three Brewing Company
- From:
- Phase Three Brewing Company
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- American Brown Ale
Ranked #22 - ABV:
- 15.5%
- Score:
- 93
Ranked #4,679 - Avg:
- 4.41 | pDev: 6.12%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 4
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 28, 2025
- Added:
- Sep 07, 2022
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
93
Outstanding
93
Outstanding
We took the base beer of Perception of Depth, our yearly winter offering, and increased the gravity high enough that it could sit in some whiskey casks for almost a year and half.
Built from a foundation of UK grown and malted maris otter malt, flaked and malted oats, a blend of biscuit and amber malts with some pale chocolate, this beer is complex and quite frankly, the definition of malty. We let the beer age for 17 months in a mix of IJW, Buffalo Trace, and Henry McKenna casks. The resulting beer is viscous, full of oak and whiskey, with notes of biscuit and chocolate from the base beer - microoxidation through the wood also caused some notes of fruit leather and caramel to come through.
Built from a foundation of UK grown and malted maris otter malt, flaked and malted oats, a blend of biscuit and amber malts with some pale chocolate, this beer is complex and quite frankly, the definition of malty. We let the beer age for 17 months in a mix of IJW, Buffalo Trace, and Henry McKenna casks. The resulting beer is viscous, full of oak and whiskey, with notes of biscuit and chocolate from the base beer - microoxidation through the wood also caused some notes of fruit leather and caramel to come through.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois
4.45/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
500 ml bottle into a snifter. The 2024 edition, had 1/11/25.
Pours dark brown and opaque, with no real head and no lacing. Aromas of bourbon, malt, oak, chocolate, some caramel, light coffee, some char. Flavors of bourbon, malt, chocolate, some caramel, light coffee and oak. Smooth, a very good fuller body, appropriately carbonated.
Has a terrific base and great barrels. Not as much of a cornucopia of aromas and flavors as some of their other efforts, but what’s there smells and tastes great. Really enjoyable.
RFOB22 0450
Jul 28, 2025Pours dark brown and opaque, with no real head and no lacing. Aromas of bourbon, malt, oak, chocolate, some caramel, light coffee, some char. Flavors of bourbon, malt, chocolate, some caramel, light coffee and oak. Smooth, a very good fuller body, appropriately carbonated.
Has a terrific base and great barrels. Not as much of a cornucopia of aromas and flavors as some of their other efforts, but what’s there smells and tastes great. Really enjoyable.
RFOB22 0450
Rated by Dankacheese from Illinois
4.8/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
4.8/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Not sure how a BA brown ale gets better than this
Jul 02, 2024
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
3.76/5 rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.76/5 rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Very dark brown, almost black opaque body, brown head. Nose has great whiskey, tobacco, biscuit, brown sugar, rustic oak, raisin and leather. Taste is dominated by the hot whiskey, overpowering everything except the leather, oak, earth, and dark yeast. Feel is hot with booze, body gets sliced into quickly and never recovers, thin and even the oak is firmly in the backseat here. Swing and a miss for me, too bad I was really looking forward to this one
Dec 23, 2022
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina
4.47/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.47/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Arrives a somewhat cloudy dark brown color with a film; a few spots linger
Smell: Caramel, tobacco and oak with Bourbon tones pronounced
Taste: Caramel and tobacco forward with some oak and Bourbon emerging; leather and tobacco enhance the finish
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation; warmth in the gullet
Overall: Phase Three taking a departure here, showing the barrel treatment to a big brown ale; impressive
Dec 18, 2022Smell: Caramel, tobacco and oak with Bourbon tones pronounced
Taste: Caramel and tobacco forward with some oak and Bourbon emerging; leather and tobacco enhance the finish
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation; warmth in the gullet
Overall: Phase Three taking a departure here, showing the barrel treatment to a big brown ale; impressive
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.31/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.31/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Released 9/10/22; drank 9/16/22 @ the Yarchives.
Opaque dark brown appearance.
A slow pour yielded almost no tan head; no lace.
Leather, fresh tobacco, brown sugar, oak & mild booze heat notes in the nose.
Thick, sticky mouthfeel.
Caramel, brown sugar, oak & bourbon heat flavors.
Robust like an old ale, if anything; a damn fine brew.
Sep 17, 2022Opaque dark brown appearance.
A slow pour yielded almost no tan head; no lace.
Leather, fresh tobacco, brown sugar, oak & mild booze heat notes in the nose.
Thick, sticky mouthfeel.
Caramel, brown sugar, oak & bourbon heat flavors.
Robust like an old ale, if anything; a damn fine brew.
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!