Brains Craft Brewery Boilermaker
Brains
- From:
- Brains
- Wales, United Kingdom
- Style:
- English IPA
Ranked #141 - ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- 81
Ranked #35,372 - Avg:
- 3.41 | pDev: 15.54%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 7
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 12, 2022
- Added:
- Jan 25, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
81
Good
81
Good
Boilermaker is a copper-coloured IPA brewed with Ben and Tom from Thinking Drinkers. Brewed with Chinook, Simcoe, Cascade and Willamette hops and matured with Penderyn whisky infused oak chips in casks from the distillery, the arts of distillation and brewing combine to create an epic Welsh IPA adorned with a fragrant citrus aroma, a touch of spice with hints of vanilla and a warm whisky finish.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway
3.17/5 rDev -7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.17/5 rDev -7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
330 ml bottle, from a cornershop in Cardiff, drank it too warm in my hotelroom. Copper colour, moderate head, slightly off-white. Strong sweetish aroma, malts, caramel, whisky, oak, some hints of fruity hops too. The flavour is sweet and malty, with notes of caramel, whisky and oak - but the 4 American hops are hardly noticeable, just a slight fruitiness, and minimal bitterness. Not an IPA this one.
Oct 12, 2022
Reviewed by BeerDrinkersWorldTour from Northern Ireland
3.84/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.84/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Appearance- Dark amber colour with light CO2 activity in the glass. A generous two finger creamy off white head of tight foam that lasts very well eventually subsiding to generous cover with sticky lacing down the glass.
Smell - Sweet roasted malted grain as expected from the colouration of the brew. Notes of caramel and biscuit or sweet bread with good vanilla whisky aroma some mild piney notes of American style hops.
Taste - Caramel sweet malts with light vanilla sweetness balanced by good whisky back bone from the wood chips. Some light piney bitterness at the edge of the swallow as would be expected from the use of the hops mentioned on the bottle, but it is very mild and easily passed over after having had a few.
Mouthfeel - Smooth and dry maybe even slightly towards the thin side of the spectrum with very, very light carbonation and some mild boozy warmth.
Overall - Generally well balanced. Pretty sweet with nice whisky balance and some mild hop this beer is a pretty good example of the style although I would be inclined to give it more if the hop character were less subdued.
Nov 05, 2014Smell - Sweet roasted malted grain as expected from the colouration of the brew. Notes of caramel and biscuit or sweet bread with good vanilla whisky aroma some mild piney notes of American style hops.
Taste - Caramel sweet malts with light vanilla sweetness balanced by good whisky back bone from the wood chips. Some light piney bitterness at the edge of the swallow as would be expected from the use of the hops mentioned on the bottle, but it is very mild and easily passed over after having had a few.
Mouthfeel - Smooth and dry maybe even slightly towards the thin side of the spectrum with very, very light carbonation and some mild boozy warmth.
Overall - Generally well balanced. Pretty sweet with nice whisky balance and some mild hop this beer is a pretty good example of the style although I would be inclined to give it more if the hop character were less subdued.
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England
3.46/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.46/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A 330ml bottle with a BB of Aug 2014. Acquired a little while back from a supermarket. Described on the label as a Welsh whisky IPA - hopped with Chinook, Simcoe, Cascade and Willamette followed by aging on oak chips infused with Penderyn whisky.
Poured into a straight pint glass. A deep orange-amber hue with faint haze and medium carbonation. Produces a huge head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a few minutes before settling as a thick surface layer. Slight lacing. Aroma of grainy caramel malt with hints of mild biscuit, oak, subtle whisky, a twinge of pine, earthy yeast and a whiff of booze. Warming and nicely rounded but not particularly hoppy.
Tastes of caramel malt with a subdued hop character and a lingering finish. Notes of caramel/toffee, faint roasted grain, oak/wood, mild pine, a hint of whisky, a whisper of vanilla, earthy yeast and stewed hops. Slightly sweet, followed by a restrained piny bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with soft carbonation and good body. Quite astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of bitter pine, warming whisky notes and caramel.
I wouldn't call it a wildly successful IPA, but it is a decent brew. Certainly possesses more character than most Brains output. Looks good, with a nice head. The aroma and flavour are malt-heavy and suffused with woody whisky notes that add depth. A hint of pine makes itself known. Pleasant body. The mild booziness makes it all the more drinkable - goes down easily enough. Worth a punt if you stumble across it.
Apr 15, 2014Poured into a straight pint glass. A deep orange-amber hue with faint haze and medium carbonation. Produces a huge head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a few minutes before settling as a thick surface layer. Slight lacing. Aroma of grainy caramel malt with hints of mild biscuit, oak, subtle whisky, a twinge of pine, earthy yeast and a whiff of booze. Warming and nicely rounded but not particularly hoppy.
Tastes of caramel malt with a subdued hop character and a lingering finish. Notes of caramel/toffee, faint roasted grain, oak/wood, mild pine, a hint of whisky, a whisper of vanilla, earthy yeast and stewed hops. Slightly sweet, followed by a restrained piny bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with soft carbonation and good body. Quite astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of bitter pine, warming whisky notes and caramel.
I wouldn't call it a wildly successful IPA, but it is a decent brew. Certainly possesses more character than most Brains output. Looks good, with a nice head. The aroma and flavour are malt-heavy and suffused with woody whisky notes that add depth. A hint of pine makes itself known. Pleasant body. The mild booziness makes it all the more drinkable - goes down easily enough. Worth a punt if you stumble across it.
Reviewed by wl0307 from England
3.58/5 rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.58/5 rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Coming in a 330ml slim brown bottle, BB 08/2014, served mildly chilled in a straight imperial pint glass. Notes: the label states that it is a collaboration brew with “Thinking Drinkers” (who are they?), brewed with “Chinook, Simcoe, Cascade and Willamette hops and matured with Penderyn whisky infused oak chips in casks from the distillery”, hence the dubbed term “Welsh Whisky” IPA.
A: pours a dark reddish amber colour, coming with very light carbonation and a thin off-white foamy head.
S: overripe pear-ish esters, prunes, sultanas, flowery hints reminiscent of both Cascade and Styrian Golding (in this case, “Willamette” then, as SG and W. share certain similarities to Fuggles), and a rather astringent feed of burned caramelised oranges mixed with black tea, honey and sour-sweet malts… On the balance the aroma is not very well executed, and estery elements seem to have imparted too much influence. Whisky oak chips? Can’t smell any associated goodies; rather, a lightly funk-like sourness of oxidised fruits does make its way into the beer.
T: better on the palate, the softly-carbonated foretaste has bitter-sweet caramel maltiness, jammy prunes and old citrus, edged by a mildly dry-ish touch as from oak-ageing and light acidity. The finish comes slightly dry, chewy, bitter-sweet root herbal, without those complicating oxidised fruit factors identified on the nose. In general, neither is the hop performance (aroma, flavour, and bitterness) enough to warrant itself an IPA (esp. given very pronounced varieties applied), nor is the oak-chip-ageing assertive to render “hints of vanilla and a warm whisky finish” promised on the back label. But the flavour simply… works.
M&O: softly carbonated but at times flat-ish as it goes, this medium+ bodied beer to me tastes more like a robust and fruity Premium Bitter than a more Americanised, big and hoppy interpretation of an IPA. Quite drinkable for a 6.5%abv., regardless of the beer style that it purports to be, but this is not something I’m likely to revisit in the near future.
Dec 29, 2013A: pours a dark reddish amber colour, coming with very light carbonation and a thin off-white foamy head.
S: overripe pear-ish esters, prunes, sultanas, flowery hints reminiscent of both Cascade and Styrian Golding (in this case, “Willamette” then, as SG and W. share certain similarities to Fuggles), and a rather astringent feed of burned caramelised oranges mixed with black tea, honey and sour-sweet malts… On the balance the aroma is not very well executed, and estery elements seem to have imparted too much influence. Whisky oak chips? Can’t smell any associated goodies; rather, a lightly funk-like sourness of oxidised fruits does make its way into the beer.
T: better on the palate, the softly-carbonated foretaste has bitter-sweet caramel maltiness, jammy prunes and old citrus, edged by a mildly dry-ish touch as from oak-ageing and light acidity. The finish comes slightly dry, chewy, bitter-sweet root herbal, without those complicating oxidised fruit factors identified on the nose. In general, neither is the hop performance (aroma, flavour, and bitterness) enough to warrant itself an IPA (esp. given very pronounced varieties applied), nor is the oak-chip-ageing assertive to render “hints of vanilla and a warm whisky finish” promised on the back label. But the flavour simply… works.
M&O: softly carbonated but at times flat-ish as it goes, this medium+ bodied beer to me tastes more like a robust and fruity Premium Bitter than a more Americanised, big and hoppy interpretation of an IPA. Quite drinkable for a 6.5%abv., regardless of the beer style that it purports to be, but this is not something I’m likely to revisit in the near future.
Reviewed by EmperorBevis from England
3.17/5 rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.17/5 rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Bottled
So it pours a copperish coloured body with minimal white head
the whisky is all on the aroma and when it comes to the flavour just adds a sugar edge to a dull pale ale
Nov 01, 2013So it pours a copperish coloured body with minimal white head
the whisky is all on the aroma and when it comes to the flavour just adds a sugar edge to a dull pale ale
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England
3.6/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.6/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
330ml Bottle BBD end of May 2014, poured into tumbler at home 4th Oct 2013.
Looked good, nice copper hue to the reddy brown body, medium depthoff-white/white head that hung around for a while.
Wasn't too sure what a 'Welsh Whiskey IPA' would or should taste like: I was pleasantly surprised. The hops were well hidden in both the smell and taste, with a malty front dominating the proceedings throughout: hints of whisky did appear within the aroma and flavourings, but not enough to put me off the beer (like Innes and Gunn's tend too). I am not a fan of citrus flavoured hops and although the rear label claims it has 'a fragrant citrus aroma' I'm pleased to say my nose didn't notice it .
All in all an interesting and different brew that I enjoyed during a random tasting evening with myself!
Oct 07, 2013Looked good, nice copper hue to the reddy brown body, medium depthoff-white/white head that hung around for a while.
Wasn't too sure what a 'Welsh Whiskey IPA' would or should taste like: I was pleasantly surprised. The hops were well hidden in both the smell and taste, with a malty front dominating the proceedings throughout: hints of whisky did appear within the aroma and flavourings, but not enough to put me off the beer (like Innes and Gunn's tend too). I am not a fan of citrus flavoured hops and although the rear label claims it has 'a fragrant citrus aroma' I'm pleased to say my nose didn't notice it .
All in all an interesting and different brew that I enjoyed during a random tasting evening with myself!
Reviewed by CwrwAmByth from England
3.22/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.22/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
"Boilermaker is a copper-coloured IPA brewed with Ben and Tom from Thinking Drinkers. Brewed with Chinook, Simcoe, Cascade and Willamette hops and matured with Penderyn whisky infused oak chips in casks from the distillery, the arts of distillation and brewing combine to create an epic Welsh IPA adorned with a fragrant citrus aroma, a touch of spice with hints of vanilla and a warm whisky finish."
Pours an amber colour with a decent white head.
Smells of sweet caramel/toffee-like malts, maybe some vanilla too?
Tastes very malt forward, where are those hops?! Vanilla, toffee, lingering artificial vanilla taste. Warming though.
Overall not very impressive. Not sure whether that's down to the quality of the brewing or the whiskey.
Jan 25, 2013Pours an amber colour with a decent white head.
Smells of sweet caramel/toffee-like malts, maybe some vanilla too?
Tastes very malt forward, where are those hops?! Vanilla, toffee, lingering artificial vanilla taste. Warming though.
Overall not very impressive. Not sure whether that's down to the quality of the brewing or the whiskey.
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