Iron Hill Bourbon (Tom) Barleywine

Nitro at IH Media. Woody brown with a creamy beige head. Nose is oak, honey and faint bourbon. Smooth, medium body but not as whipped as the Porter. Taste is caramel, grass, vanilla, some apple and dry bourbon. I recognize the base beer with the bourbon adding a nice touch. Not the mindblowing transformation i experienced with the oak aged (brett) version but still very good. I was surprised this was on nitro.

On tap at Iron Hill Wilmington. Poured a hazy brown/ red with small bubbly beige head. Aroma was bourbon, vanilla, and wood. Taste was vanilla, sweet bourbon, a little fruit, and a nice amount of bourbon. They did not over do this like most barrel aged beers are. It was very well balanced and a nice brew to sip on at the end of the night.

On draft at the Wilmington location. Pours a dark hazy amber with a medium light beige head. Beautiful aroma of bourbon, vanilla, caramel and candied sugar. Taste of bourbon, vanilla, caramel and candied sugar. Very nicely done and Id give this a nod over the oak aged Tom.

Draft @ Media. Nice Reddish color with a medium beige head. Aroma is sweet, but not excessively so with lots of candy, vanilla, wood, and rich sugar. Flavor is quite robust with the bourbon and wood hitting in the middle, but without being overwhelming. Sweet with candy, citrus, sugar, and a slight alcohol bite. Very well done here and definitely the best BA beer from Iron Hill I’ve had to date.

On cask at the Wilmington location. Bourbon, fruitcake and fudge nose. Bits of cherry through a heavy malt run. Not bad, but a touch hot. Pours a clear red-brown with a rim of white. Sweet and bourbon. Fresh and cask bodied, but not much developed flavor. Mostly a generic mid-colored fruit, good bourbon and alcohol. Over a mediocre fruit base. Decent.

GABF 2005. Body is murky medium amber. Aroma is heavily malty (cookie, caramel), lightly hoppy (resin), with notes of vanilla, whiskey, sherry, and wood. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Full body, velvety/syrupy texture, soft carbonation, lightly alcoholic. There were things about this that were extremely attractive, but others that kept my feet on the ground. Just too sweet to really enjoy drinking, but admittedly luxurious. Huge aroma, but bourbon and resinous hops are not my bag. So, mixed feelings here. Age this in fresh oak with different hops (and more bittering hops) and I could be overwhelmed.

Toffee, caramel, plums and raisins with plenty of vanilla and boozy bourbon character. Cloudy amber-brown coloured body is topped by a thin white head that recedes immediately to ring. Vanilla and bourbon are dominant in the flavour without ever being overwhelming. Extremely sweet and very vinous and fruity with earhty and floral, herbal hop tones and a fair finishing bitterness that keeps it from ever becoming cloying. Medium body feels quite dry with fair alcohol warming. Sampled at GABF 2005.

Sampled @ GABF- Pours a murky brown, small white head. Aroma is cherries, strong toffee nuts, musty with more dark fruit. Flavor is sweet and thick, barrel does not overpower and actually compliments this brew. More earthy notes with a sweet finish. Awesome brew.