Barrel Aged Brrrbon '12
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

 

 

 

With a splash of malts and a spice of hops and then a patient maturity from bourbon barrel aging makes the annual hodge-podge of a beer style something kinda magical. As the Widmer Brothers venture into their 2012 version a distinctive bourbon flavor hits home. And now with another half of a decade aged in the bottle, the taste is simply sublime.

Toffee, bourbon and citrus steer the nose toward the glass even as the ale is pouring. Medium mahogany in color, the beer's shy sepia head folds back into the near nearly as quickly as it builds. Its bold malt taste leads with caramel and toffee along with a nuttiness of peanut brittle and nuances of chocolate.

As the sweetness settles on the middle palate, the hop spice resonates with a piney bitterness and the brightness of gently muddled citrus peel. Strong bourbon flavor dominates the late palate with its own caramel, vanilla, oak, char and coconut character. Spicy and boozy, there's a syntheticness to the beer's bourbon character that seems somewhat forced.

Full bodied and sweet from head to tail, the malt centric beer has a sugary maple succulence that hits home for the winter season even while the hop's curacao liquor character rivals for balance. A long bourbony aftertaste simmers long in aftertaste with a candied taste of wurther's originals.