Bourbon Barrel Aged '03 Barleywine
Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company (Downtown)

on tap at the downtown Dane

appearance: presented to me in one of the dane snifters...body is a dark plum colour, no head or lacing to speak of, very murky

smell: smooth bourbon hits nicely, booze covered cherry, plum, big dark fruit aromas, a touch woody...nice

taste: i thought this beer was pretty great...the bourbon effect was gentle and not offensive while at the same time being very commanding. nice bitterness level, brown sugar, sweet dark fruit, strong malt backbone...a nice little treat

mouthfeel: super smooth, nice alcohol bite, this thing has to be at least 10%

drinkability: all i wrote in my pad was "tuff"

appearance: The beer comes in a snifter with an almost stagnant surface, but that's usually the norm with big, old beers like this. The beer is a hazy, brownish amber in color...very woody in appearance.

smell: Huge aromas of very sweet, aged, toasted grains. Hints of dark fruits and candied figs are found. Smells like a syrupy sweet bomb of woody goodness. There's a moderate, aged hop aroma.

mouthfeel: The carbonation is medium and the body on the lighter side of the heavy range.

taste: As I may have guessed from the aroma, my tongue is taken over by a slick, big sweetness of aged whole grains. These bring with them hints of fermented dark fruits, dark sugars, a slight woodiness, and the smallest hint of bourbon. There is a moderate hop flavor and a bitterness that has been tempered from aging. The ethanol presence has also been smoothed out during the long aging process.

drinkability: This is a pretty tough beer to drink, but it's also pretty tasty.