Bull & Bush Royal Oil

Brewed by Bull & Bush Pub & Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Denver, Colorado USA

GABF 2007: Poured a hazey deep brown color with a beige head. Fruity with milk chocolate make up the aroma. Bourbon and vanilla show up but blend so well. The flavor is full of fruit with some more notes of chocolate. Full bodied. This is smooth and warming but the alcohol takes a back seat. Yummy.

Date: 10/11/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, GABF
Vintage: 2005

opaque dark brown, wispy tan head, rich dark caramel malt aroma with earthy hops and a light fruity character, creamy body, sweet dark caramel candy flavor, bourbon sweetness, light earthy hops for balance,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***4

2005 vintage on tap @ the BP. I like hot brews, but this one was perhaps too hot w/ whiskey. Very reminiscent of Alpine Great. Good, but a little too hot. Needs a little aging and it will be really good.

Sampled at the 5th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest. Beer is nearly opaque dark brown without any head to speak of.<P> The aroma is malty with moderate notes of smokey roasted grain and chocolate, light notes of biscuit, molasses and malt syrup; Hoppy with trace notes of tangy herb; Yeasty with a trace of basement; Light-to-moderate miscellaneous notes of cherry/berry, wood and burbon, trace note of roasted coconut.<P> The flavor is moderately-to-heavily sweet, lightly bitter with an average-length, moderately sweet finish.<P> The body is full, the texture is velvety and the carbonation is soft.<P> Desserty and rich. Luxe, complex and sweet. Enjoyable.

Boulder Strong Ale Fest 2007. Head is fully diminishing. Body is dark brown. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel), with notes of bourbon, vanilla, alcohol, wood, cardboard, and maple syrup. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Medium to full body, syrupy texture, soft carbonation, moderately alcoholic. The alcohol burn provides the bulk of the balance for the sweetness, and somehow it works. The aroma is complicated and mostly attractive, but tainted a bit by the oxidation. A pretty neat beer that has potential.

flat purple pour . raisin juice aroma hit me hard. but i like pain. this was the 05 vintage, i can only imagine how hot this was at one time. surprisingly drinkable. the bourbon was definitive, i knew it had to be aged in something, and seeing wild turkey now makes sense. strong booze and plum notes with a lot of ancillary flavors. pepper, banana, bubble gum, finishes with a lingering grapeskin and vanilla bourbon. after a glass my mood was improved tremendously. just the thing to have after working a bad shift on a scheduled day off.

On tap @ 5th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest. Definately one of the better barrel aged beers of the night. Balanced, it took on the character of the barrel (oak, vanilla, bourbon, coconut) and also the maltiness of the original beer, with hints of caramel and fruit. A nice brew.

On tap @ 5th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest poured a cloudy dark brown with a minimal amber head. Aromas of bourbon, oak, carmel, chocolate and fruitiness. Palate was medium bodied. Flavors of bourbon, oak, carmel, light maple and a hint of fruitiness with a lingering sweet finish.