Drakes Barley Wine Bourbon Barrel

Formerly brewed at Drakes Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
San Leandro, California USA

Bottle... This beer rocks!... Murky, brown ale without any head. The woodsy, earthy nose is a sweet swirl of caramel, tobacco, bourbon, Madagascar vanilla beans and a fudge-like undertone. Heavily sweet, moderately bitter, moderately acidic flavor with notes of toffee, wood, bourbon and a tart, cask-borne bug. Medium to full-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and no carbonation. Lengthy, sweet, pungent, warming finish. A big SHOUT goes out to tever for shipping me the bottle!

Pours a deep mahogany color with no head. Aroma is sweet malts, bourbon, woody vanilla and some alcohol. Flavor is bourbon, woody vanilla, caramel, with a hint of dark fruit.

Courtesy aspidites and stoutlover72. Pours a flat, dark multi brown with some dark red/brick colored edges. Nose of woodsy vanilla, rich caramel/toffee, alcohol, cocoa powder. Flavor is similar adding dried dark fruits, bourbon, and some earth. Long, rich finish and aftertaste. Full body, smooth and viscous. Great cigar beer. Solid.

Thanks to tever for this one. It ours pretty flat and with a murky brown color. The vanilla characteristics of the bourbon really stands out and this is smooth.

Bottle thanks to kmweaver. Shared with Bstill. Pours a nice deep thick rubyish brown with no head, but lots of legs on this one. Aroma is rich and thcik with a ton of sweet sticky caramel and deep toasted malts, and obviously lots of bourbon character with some nuances of vanilla, oak, and some earth, but the hops have pretty much faded from the aroma I guess. Rich luscious flavor and mouthfeel with tons of malt, some dark chocolate hints, bourbon and some maple syrup- more vanilla, and some alcohol heat. Very thick , but enjoyable.

Poured a lifeless dark brown color that when viewed from above, the edges looked clear. Oak, bourbon, butterscotch, dates, and alcohol in the aroma. Thick palate and despite the look, there’s light carbonation to assist on the palate. The taste is dry, slightly tannic, and sweet, particularly in the finish, which also provides a lingering warmth.

Foggy brown, no head. Aroma is bourban, oak, toffee, caramel, mollases. Taste is light alcohol, toffee, caramel, hazelnut... Good complexity. Body is oily.

(sampled with irishboy....thanks richard!)dark brown with light brown highlights around the glass.nice complex aroma of bourbon,alcohol,,dark fruits,brown sugar,caramel malts,and roasted nuts.flavor is a mix of the aroma,although it comes in waves over a few seconds.again this is an excellent barrel aged brew by the drakes crew.(re-rate on july 26th,2008.aging nicely at the moment.pretty much the same flavors as before,just more balanced.id say this one could go for at least a few more years.