Flossmoor Station Wooden Hell

Brewed by Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Flossmoor, Illinois USA

Appearance: Served up a hazed humble shade of brown with, sadly, no real head formation. Smell: Lush, heavy aroma of all things sweet one would find in a kitchen cupboard with notes of things one would find in the liquor cabinet. Taste: Rich, sweet caramel, Grade ’B’ maple syrup, and melted brown sugar initially. Dried dark fruitiness. The coconut is far more prominent in the taste, presenting a small, meager sip of Malibu. There’s a spicy, earthy bitterness, but it’s no match for the full-on sweetness. Transient wooden tastes. More brown sugar and now some split vanilla beans. While there is a fair amount of alcohol heat, it’s well contained beneath the heavy layers of sweet flavors. Long, semi-sweet finish with more of that satisfying alcohol warmth. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Smooth, luscious mouthfeel. Drinkability: Very sweet, very dessert-like, and very enjoyable. It’s nice to just sit with this one quietly, soaking in all the goodness.

Dark ruby with thin, off white head. Smells of oak, vanilla, fine bourbon, bread, caramel, brown sugar, and hop. Mouth is thin. Oak is very mellow with vanilla and caramel. Barrel aged perfectly, and way drinkable. Shame that the limit was 2 bottles. Buttery and sweet.

@Pauls Girardin chugging courtesy of egajdzis-22oz bottle–pours a disappearing tan head and hazy amber color. Aroma is hot bourbon, syrupy, medium malt, vanilla. Taste is hot bourbon, syrupy, medium malt-molasses, vanilla, dark fruit. Big. Dry finish.

Bomber shared by egajdzis: Thanks. Pours a murky deep amber with a tan film that’s pretty consistent. Very sweet boozy aroma- tons of sweet buttery oak, vanilla, honey, and an alcohol sting. Slick and warm feel. Very oaky and sweet flavor. Lots and lots of vanilla- almost rum-like in it’s boozy sweetness and vanilla flavors. Some tannic oak earthy undertones. Too boozy and vanilla filled- lacking nuance.

Bomber shared by egajdzis. Pours a nice deep mahogany amber with a nice foamy tight head. Aroma is big sweet caramel, big toasted malts, not too sweet or sugary, molasses, slight burnt malts, and a big barrel presence but I think there is just barely enough malt backbone to make it work- definitely lots of wood, oak, and bourbon,. but it isnt thinning or alcoholic. Flavor is the same- tons of malt backbone to make sure the bourbon and oak is in check- fruity esters, molasses, maple syrup huge toasted and caramel malts, slight char from the barrel, vanilla, and sweetish bourbon- alcohol is still kinda well hidden. I liked it.

A Mes rate. Bottle at Pre ZBF thanks to Urbs.
Rich red brown with a thin tan head. Damn, Wooden Hell is the right name for this. So SO much barrel. Far too much bourbon and loads of coconut. A good barley wine underneath obviously but this for me is what is wrong with barrel aging. Take a good beer and kill it with aggressive barrel flavours. It could have also been called bourbon hell...

Bottle at Toncatchers. Thanks to whoever brought it. Brown pour with a medium beige head. The nose is strong with fruits, hops, oak and a bit o’whiskey. Flavors were dominated by the oak, with a smattering of vanilla, roasted malts, more oak and some bourbon. The mouthfeel was smooth and creamy. Overall: An outstanding BW, I would like to get more.

Toncatchers 2. Great barleywine nose. Warm, alcohol, vanilla, smooth. Thick champagne head to all-over lace and a solid ring. Laght haze in the burnt orange glow. Sweet with caramel and vanilla. Smooth. Long smooth to clear sharp.