New Beer Sunday (Week 773)

Ivory Bill Brewing's ( Siloam Springs, AR, just up the road a peace, 45 minutes trough some windy ass roads ) 2019 Vintage Ale; it is an English Barleywine, the brewer said was inspired him tasting Bass Number#1 Barleywine. I know when tried the Bass, that & Fullers were really the only two brewers over there still doing Barleywines ( circa 1990, was over there 5 years, so I can't be sure )

11.0% ABV, 4.1 Overall

Pours a murky, but effervescent hazel with a thin beige head. No head retention or lacing

S: Figs, jammyness, Bourbon Barrel

T: Figs, cherry, leafy hops, Bourbon on the edges, along with barrel dryness up front. As this warms a touch of toffee surfaces and mixes with the Bourbon & figs. plus oaky dryness & little sourwood honey & leafy hops. Finishes dry with leafy hops, dark cherry& fading figs. & a touch of warming Bourbon

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, body could be thicker. warming enough

Tracks with the style, a nice effort, I will certainly look forward to the 2020 vintage

 

Not according to my wife, that's how we ended up down here, after a 8 year detour in NE Oklahoma. We were up that way around Veteran's Day & say the aftermath when we went up to Cripple Creek

 

What I finally figured out ( was an HVAC tech so this shouldn't been a surpise ) there is a 10 degree difference between the top & bottom of my beer fridge ( heat rises ), finally have my beers arranged accordingly

 

My beer 'fridge is pretty small, but I'm just a geeky-enough engineer that I'll have to check this out anyway! (Now, to find two calibrated thermometers.... )

 

If not just use one & keep a log, you'll get a trend that factors most of the variances over time.

 

Hey all. I haven’t posted here in a bit. Too busy, I guess. But between this and Founders KBS Espresso, I had the two “hottest” new beers today.

This one is quite a goddamn interesting beer, and I’m wondering how some age will affect the overall rating on it.

Appearance: typical dark stout but had some tannish and almost orange edging. Minimal head and lacing.

Smell: somebody put beer in my coffee. I’d say there was something more, but honestly, there’s so much coffee I can’t even tell a barrel was involved in the making of this beer. Or beer was involved in the making of this beer, for that matter.

Taste: I’d recommend drinking this one cold if you’re drinking it fresh. That brings out a little more tangy orange flavor. Otherwise, this is a fucking cup of coffee, with alcohol somewhat involved.

Feel: first thought is oily. Second thought is boozy. Third thought is thick and syrupy. Well, actually the first thought again is coffee, but I was trying to be magnanimous. It’s heavy and bold and a big ass body, but I have absolutely no problem drinking it pretty damn quickly, which surprised the shit out of me.

Overall: I think I understand why it’s trending so well. It’s not because it’s an outstanding beer, it’s because it’s so damn complex. I think this may be a classic example (at least to me) of a BCBS Variant. They don’t skimp on flavor, and it’s a beer you don’t drink. You EXPERIENCE it. The orange presence is the biggest positive to it, but only because the biggest negative is radioactive waste itself couldn’t overcome the coffee presence.

I like it, but I’d like to see what happens to it after some aging. So now I have to find another bottle, as I only got one.

Should I shelve my Mon Cheri for now? Based on this one, I think that might be safe to drink around 2024.

I love to post new songs with my new beers on this thread, so here’s one.