Barrel Aged Past Lords
Third Moon Brewing

From notes, as I reviewed this back to back with the unaged Past Lords. This was the later beer.

Appearance: Lighter then the unaged version, still dark, but more brown then black/brown and not quite opaque as putting it up to the light shows ample, aggressive albeit somewhat thin carbonation. Strange, since it only offered a single finger of head that disappeared almost immediately.

Smell: Well there certainly is potency in this one, but it's far more one dimensional then the unaged. Toffee and potent Vanilla bourbon, reminiscent of Makers Mark. It's strong, but the beer isn't able to stand up to it's aging.

Taste: Much like it's counterpart, the nose communicates exactly what the taste will be. The Bourbon permeates the entire beer as you get maybe some mild Toffee at the start, followed by the bourbon and then a drowned out version of the mild earth and herbs.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is mild, creamy and as before focused on displaying the bourbon note. Since that bourbon note is so present, it dulls the transitioning and make this taste a lot more one dimensional. It also stops the hops from having a cleansing effect as boozey bourbon vanilla permeate the aftertaste, and build to an unpleasant degree.

Drinkability: Another heavy sipper as expected, in this case however it seemed to cause a bit less bloating after I consumed it. That said, it's very clear that the beer can't stand up to the barrel it was aged in, and that vanilla bourbon becomes sickeningly sweet.

Final Thoughts: Usually when you see Bourbon aged beer, it's usually Stout that's doing it. The reason, I've found is because the bitterness from the well roasted malt can stand up to the barrel to temper it. This beer can't manage that, and so it tastes like it is drowning in it, and if I wanted to drown myself in Bourbon, I'd buy Bourbon. I wrote in my notes, "Did you make this to criticize barrel aging?" to teach the lesson that not every beer should be aged this way. If so, lesson accomplished as I enjoyed the unaged one far more then this one. Really, the only time I would drink this is if I wanted to drink Maker's Mark (already a rare circumstance) but wanted to nurse it all night without getting destroyed. I would only recommend if you really like vanilla tasting bourbon.

Bottle: Poured a deep dark brown color doppelbock with a medium dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of caramelized malt notes with some dry fruits notes and some vanilla and bourbon notes. Taste is also a good mix of caramelized malt notes with some dry fruits and vanilla and bourbon notes with light residual sugar notes. Body is about average for style with good carbonation and light warming alcohol notes. Interesting barrel-aged doppelbock.

very flavourful, great malting not too sweet, very smooth drinker. Much bourbon, and not only bourbon as the story. Can from the source, thanks bin for the hookap.

 

473 ml can served cold-ish into a pint glass. Durand purchase. Canned January 10, 2024.

Appearance - Dark brown with amber hues capped with a finger of yellow-tinged white head. Modest staying power and not much lacing.

Smell - Some bourbon, vanilla, caramel, hints of smoke, toffee and molasses. Big and intense nose.

Taste - Lots of bourbon and vanilla, accentuating caramel and molasses notes. Boozy as expected. Some molasses and treacle are bringing a touch of bitterness to the back half. A tiny bit woody too. Nicely executed.

Mouthfeel - Fairly full bodied, with low carbonation. A great warming sensation in the back of the throat.

Overall - Pretty much exactly what you'd want out of a barrel aged doppelbock. Sweet, but not too much so with great intensity of aromas and flavors and a great warming sensation to bring the chill out of winter. Highly recommended.