Drakes 15th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Lager

Formerly brewed at Drakes Brewing Company
Style: European Strong Lager
San Leandro, California USA

Small (6oz) bottle bought at Hollinghead’s, Orange County. Dark chestnut brown with a minimal head. Vanilla oak aroma and alcohol, mixed with fruit and caramel. Sweet caramel start, fruity with raisins and prunes, lots of warming alcohol, port-like, but with dry chocolate ending. Full-bodied, smooth like velvet. It is a joy to drink (and a sorrow to have finished it).

Lot of bang in this small package. HUGE whiskey aroma and flavor. Also has vanilla, toffee, oak and spices. Extremely smooth, ABV is very well hidden. Lots of other complex flavors make this a winner.

Murky mud brown color with almost no head. Bourbon aroma with a strong hint of alcohol. Taste is of bourbon and grapes, caramel malt and alcohol. Having tasted this after the stronger barleywine, it does not hide the alcohol nearly a s well.

thanks Dave for making this 700th rating an awesome one. Courtesy of ibrew2or3. Pours brown with beige head and still bubbly beige head. Aroma is loaded with bourbon, light creamy nose with caramel. Taste is malty and caramel with a butterscotch creamy warming mouthfeel that covers the palate. This is one beer that is hard to put down, the sheer aroma is just pure goodness. Words cannot do this beer justice.

Aroma is currants, dried fruit, caramel, brown sugar, alcohol. No head forms, body is a murky brown. Taste is very refined, very complex and outstanding. Starts out with bourbon, cherries, and oak, then fades into a hazelnut and oak aftertaste. This like a awesome blossum with extra awesome put into a 6 oz bottle.

(again thanks goes to enniskillen and irishboy for this beer)semi-dark body with no head.nice bourbon aroma with some caramel as well.flavor was bourbon,alcohol,caramel,and chocolate.this is very nice but as with the non-b.a.’d 15th,the alcohol was a bit upfront.(RE-RATE ON AUG. 12TH 07)wow,the flavors have really come together nicely.the alcohol has faded quite a bit.this is drinking almost perfect right now.dont sleep on it.

Delicate is not a word normally used in the same sentence with 13.7% abv. But this beer is just that and yet so much more. A nose of soft delicate (there it is ) depth that is full and round with notes of brandy, pear, sherry, jasmine flowers and brown sugar. It is warming but at the same time the alcohol is very well hidden. Wonderful mouthfeel and great depth of well melded flavors. A beer of much sophistication that deserves the wonders delicate and Luxurious like few others.
Earlier Rating: 3/13/2005 Total Score: 4.1
Very unique and amazing brew. Good bourbon hints, Woodford reserve? Huge malt nose and creamy wonderful body. caramel and white fruit notes with some toffe and marzipan and a huge warming finish. Gorgeous. Liquid sex.

Bottle courtesy of stoutlover72!!! Pours a cloudy, dark ruddy amber color almost devoid of any head. Aroma is sweet caramel malts, oak, bourbon, alcohol. Flavor is bourbon, vanilla, oak, brown sugar, burnt caramel, perhaps some dried fruits. Palate is full bodied, very little carbonation, finishes swwet and boozy! I’ve had this one sitting for a while and I’m glad I did as I think when I first got it I would not have appreciated as much now due to my palate not being what it is today. This is truly wonderful stuff. Sweet and boozy, very complex, fantasitic sipper! Love all of Drakes stuff!