AleSmith Barrel Aged Wee Heavy

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

KP’s fest. Huge thanks to Degarth for sharing this beauty. Im sorry again for that ping pong paddle to the shoulder. This beer was damn good and something I really hadnt ever expected to try. Not sure what bottle # this was. Aroma is actually filled with moslty bourbon which became the them for the beer as it dominated most of the other flavors and aromas. Lots of wood, thick caramel, vanilla oakiness, and fruity esters. Very smooth and sweet flavor with lots of thick dark caramel malts, light herbal hops, and obvioulsy lots of bourbon flavor for a sharp, yet pleasant finish which included a bit of a tannin like astringency. Very complex and a phenomenal beer, but the bourbon was a bit too much overall. Thanks again Joe!!

btl 32/234 thanks to Blake a dark brown w/ hints of ruby in it some lightly visable carbonation w/ a small tan head and decent lacing. Aroma of oak and bourbon jumps out first then some plums roasty toasty malts definate alcohol notes all over. Palate is well coated full and lightly creamy. Flavor is roasty carmel light plums bourbon more sweet dark fruits some raisens definate oaks a hot alcoholic finish some syrupy notes. mmmm very good.

2004 bottle #32 / 234. Darkish rust colored amber. Soapy light tan. Aroma is a very nice bourbon, fruit, caramelly peat, dry chocolate, candy, vanilla rum, amaretto (?), very yummy. Flavor… more peaty and dry. Some bourbon and sweet caramel. Slight sour aspect (?), reminscent of the New Glarus BA Eisbock… Really good; aroma beats flavor, but flavor definitely grows on you after a while.

2004 vintage #32/234 via marcus. Pours to a nice ruby brown body with a creamy light tan head. The aroma is oaky and lightly chocolatey, sweet and malty. Significant barrel aging. Very complex. The beer’s flavor is intense. Rich semi-sweet chocolate, sweet molasses, vanilla, sweetened condensed milk. Very well balanced. The palate is medium-full bodied, nicely warming, good texture. Creamy and lightly tart. Not overrated. Perhaps a bit underrated IMO.

Aroma is dominated by bourbon, but I can detect ample caramel malt, dark fruits, toasted toffee and mild notes of licorice. Body is dark brown, not muddy, and holds a diminishing, frothy tan head. Holds flavors of raisin, stewed prunes, licorice, oak, caramel, vanilla, bourbon and a massive and sustained malt backbone that can more than stand up to the many different flavor components. It’s a joy to drink and feels very nice on the mouth. It only has the faintest suggestion of peat smoked malt.

Certainly a dark brew with some small off white head coating the top. I get a lot of bourbon over alot of malt, somewhere inbetween cognac and beam. Good beer, most interesting, ill drink it again.

(06.20.06) One pint 9.4 oz green bottle from Liquidsolutions.biz. 9.5% ABV. Purple lettering but no freshness date. Poured clear dark brown with small off-white head. Soft carbonation. Fruity (ripe plums and caramel aromas. Full bodied Scottish style ale with moderate malt sweetness and ripe plum/burnt caramel/toasted malt/hop flavors. Finished with light malt fade and some hop bitterness. Thick, smooth, like light maple syrup. Definite alcoholic warmth. Some mouth burn. Well-balanced and complex flavor character. A delicious drinkable beer.

Bottle 89/234: Caramel, ruby color, light head and lacing. Nose has a nice sweet oak and bourbon note, some peach and plum, muscavado, raisin, fig, sweet caramel, light eucalyptis and menthol. The flavor is very fresh with full bodied malts, light hops and a nice oaky bourbon note. Excellent balance. Light smoke, light alcohol. Nice scotch notes. Almost seems like a bit of bourbon and imperial stout the flavors are so rich. Some raspberry tea in the finish. Yum!