AleSmith Barrel Aged Wee Heavy

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
San Diego, California USA

sampled from a 750 at YEHA. Dark brown with ruby highlights and a small head. Aroma of heavy caramel, oak, vanilla, bourbon, light smoke and chocolate. Taste is caramel, bourbon, oak, with chocolate and touches of smoke. Very full bodied- but smooth. Another great Alesmith beer.

750ml bottle. 2005, bottle # 79/222. Poured a deep brown color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of vanilla, oak, earthy, bourbon, chocolate, some peat, and caramel. Tastes of bourbon, vanilla, woody, earthy, toffee, nutty, and chocolate. Thanks for bringing this Jason!

750, capped. Thanks, Foolish_Mortal! Awesome stuff. #144/223 of the ’07 release (’05 beer bottled 18 months later). Blackish purple. Still. Headless. Laceless. Huge sweet oaky vanilla bourbon nose. Lightish body--not a bit syrupy or sticky or heavy. Complex toffee, butterscotch, vanilla, and bourbon on the mid-palate. Long, light, sugary finish.

2005 batch, #42/222, provided by kmweaver. Opaque dirty dark brown with a tiny, fading, tan head. The nose is fairly sweet with lots of toffee, bourbon, alcohol and dark fruits. The flavor is moderately sweet with lots of caramelized sugars, prunes, raisins and bourbon. Full sticky body with light carbonation and a hot finish. This was a boozy, sugary bourbon bomb. Not Alesmith’s best work.

2005 750 ml bottle #81/222 shared with highibus - Pours a hazy brown color with no head or lacing. Aroma is oak/bourbon and dark esters. Flavor is much of the same. Has a lingering oak/bourbon aftertaste. Medium to full body. Alcohol is noticeable. To be honest, I think I like the regular version better. I think the barrel aging masks the malt character found in the regular version. Still, a fine beer.
Re-rate: Well an additional 16 months has done this beer wonders. The oak/bourbon presences is no longer overbearing. Also the vanilla is more noticeable. If you have a 2005 bottle, it’s ready

2004 bottling, #201/234, Rating #2100 for me!

Poured a deep, smokey garnet-brown with just a little off-white headage. The aroma picked up sweet bourbon, vanilla, and smoky peat on top of chocolate and aged caramel.. quite sweet overall, with a little sourness from the oak.. I enjoyed the barrel influence, but it was just a tad too pronounced.

The flavor also had a significant barrel influence.. very tasty bourbon, vanilla, and lightly-toasted oak hit first with light sourness on the tip of the tongue.. sweeter chocolates, smoked caramel, and more vanilla ride smoothly across the middle.. brown sugar and molasses sweeten up the back-end, and everything comes together nicely for a sweet, warm finish! Warm, malty, and medium-plus bodied with low carbonation.. just a touch too influenced by the barrel, but great overall!

Bottle #90/222 of the 2005 Vintage shared by mreusch. Pours a deep, dark chocolate brown with a thin, light tan ring clinging to the edge of the glass. Nice legs. Velvety smooth bourbon on the nose with lesser notes of chocolaty malt, nuts and peat. Medium-bodied and oily with a mellow, lightly boozy finish. The flavor is of bourbon, vanilla, oak and lightly peaty malt with a hint of chocolate in the background. Amazingly tasting. A very nice beer and one I feel priveleged to have sampled. Thanks a million, Matt!

2005 bottle, #90/222, with much appreciation to jarspag, THANKS Jared! Pours a dark, dark brown with the slightest of large bubbly head that quickly disappears, no lacing. Aroma grabs your attention from across the room, dominated by bourbon and charred oak, with background traces of milk chocolate, smoked peat, vanilla and some dark fruits. Flavor is bourbon forward, but everything else comes along nicely, so it works very well; great warming on the finish. If you like bourbon this will be very impressive, if you don’t, plan to not enjoy this one a whole bunch...