One month of aging?

Particularly for beers with barrel aging or bigger stouty / malt forward things I notice a significant change over the first 6 months. Backwoods in particular I find to be a bit harsh fresh and I usually have 1 or 2, then leave the rest a few months.

I also managed to pick up a case of backwoods (had quite a lot in Chicago this year) that is being shared among a few friends and one of my friends is happy for his 2 4 packs to sit in my garage for 3 months before he picks it up - he isn't interested in drinking it fresh at all

 

Never had Wulver - would love to try it one day, but it seems to be epic trade bait and a bugger to get. Another one I think you should try if you can is Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale - bloody amazing stuff! I like it a bit more than backwoods.

I think Backwoods has an ideal window of a 2 months through about 10 months, but it starts to go down hill after about 6 or 8 months. It isn't bad after a year, but I think it is at its best around 4-6 months, harshness has gone, the bourbon is integrated into the base beer, but you still get the vibrant flavors. If you have a whole case I suggest an experiment and see how you like it! You might like it older - it does seem sweeter to me as it gets older, and reaches a point for me where the sweet overpowers the bourbon and base beer, but I am sure others disagree.

 

If they were bottled on different days that means they are different batches. It's not at all surprising to me that two different batches of a barrel-aged beer taste different. It's inconceivable to me that Founders would have been able to use the same barrel blend for both batches.

 

This has always been my view. It also explains what I perceive to be variations in KBS. Breweries may blend their barreled beers, but I have difficulty believing that there is consistency across batches in a given brewing year. That's not a criticism, just an observation about the variability created when beer goes into barrels.

In addition, there's the question of how this case of beer was kept before it reached your hands. Not a criticism of your sister at all (and what a swell sis you must have). But I am pointing out that handling and storage at the warehouse and retailer are always issues, even with a hearty beer such as Backwoods.

 

You have to remember that Backwoods simply is barreled Dirty Bastard, which is a fine beer in its own right. (They may do a bit of tweaking for Backwoods, but I really don't think so.) So, what you have is an excellent base beer that gets a barreling treatment.

Wulver, on the other hand, is brewed with the intention of being barreled in the first place. Its profile will be different on that count alone.

They're both excellent. My preference is for Backwoods due to its excellent drinkability and smoothness. (I really should have picked up more this past year--oh well.) But some do like that more aggressive Wulver profile. Frankly, I don't think they should be competed against one another.

 

Barrel-aged Scotch ales seem to be all the rage right now. One of our locals (Monday Night Bourbon Barrel Aged Drafty Kilt) won gold at GABF in the barrel aged category. I haven't cracked my 14 yet, but it is on tap in the coming weeks.

There should be others around you. Be sure to pick up a Victory Earth and Flame if you see one, and (assuming they distribute to Michigan) Clown Shoes Ride the Lion is worth a try.

 

Second the clown shoes ride the lion - have 1 or 2 of those left and they are great. Also really enjoyed Revolution Gravedigger Billy (but it is pricey).

Is backwoods bastard the exact same base beer? I have always assumed so too, but I was doing the math on the ABV difference (8.5% vs 10.2%) and it would imply that the barrels they age in have about 2 gallons of bourbon in them (assuming 53 gallon bourbon barrels at 62.5% ABV, which is the legal max for barreling) that makes it into the base beer.

Seems a lot of bourbon for the barrel to absorb, but honestly I wouldn't know - anyone here ever looked into how much bourbon the barrel gives up?

 

I'm thinking that both are possible.
Yes, as little as a month can make a difference in a beer - be it harsh edges mellowing out a bit, flavors melding better, and maybe even a touch of oxidation helping things out.
IN this case, I personally would put it down to batch variations.

 

Doesn't alcohol evaporate very quickly? I thought only the flavour of spirit would be left behind.