Olde Hickory Bardstown Brand Ale Aged in Bourbon Barrels

Brewed by Olde Hickory Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Hickory, North Carolina USA

On tap. Orange/amber pour with a creamish head. Quite a bit of vanilla and oak araomas, some sweet malt, raisin molasses. Mouthfeel is quite sticky, but not real thick. A sipper for sure. Loads of malt, caramel and vanilla barrel in the flavors. If you want a west coast barleywine, you will not like this. Luckliy I did not, so I found this to be excellent. An under-rated Enlgish barleywine. This is the first item bottled by OHB, so I bought a couple as well. Is Bruisin Ales selling this for $17?? Got it for $10 at the brewery.

Thanks to Donnie & Clint for the bottle! BOURBON!!!! Almost peanut butter like hint originally, which quickly fades into the malty bite I’d expect from an American style barley wine. Sweet bourbon barrel characteristic, sweeter than the nose would lead me to expect. Again, still getting a peanut like character.

Pours copper with thin off white head. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, and toffee. Taste of vanilla, caramel, and bourbon. Also has nice butter flavor. Thinner mouthfeel than I was hoping for. The bourbon flavor is strong but not overpowering. Good stuff.

Veery expensive bottle from bruisin ales. Caramel and buttery sweetness. Oak bourbon notes. Very good. Reminiscent of alpine great.

Poured a slightly hazed copper color with an off-white head. The aroma was of vanilla, bourbon and vegetables. Sweet malty flavor with vanilla and alcohol. Big warmth with a medium body.

Forgot to rate this. Poured a cloudy copper color with almost no head. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla and oak. Flavor was...bourbon. It totally dominated. Most of the attempts at bourbon barrel beers turn out not so great. This was borderline. Still, gotta love the aroma.

Sampled at Brewgrass 2008. I saw this one and had to try it even though I had my wrist band cut off. Pours a copper brown with a light brown head. Aroma is super thick hoppy oaky. American style barley wine with a ton of oak. super sweet. Very overpowering, i need to try this one again.

Sampled at Brewgrass 2008. I saw this at Brusin Ale’s for $20.00 a pop…A bit too much IMO. Poured copper colored on draft with a frothy head. TONS of oak and vanilla in the aroma. Once you get through that you can detect a slight buttery hint. But the aroma is really overpowering. Boozy is the first thing that comes to mind when you take a sip. It’s fairly hot. Plenty of wood that is out of balance in my opinion. A bit of fruity caramel sweetness that gives way to a dry woody and earthy finish. Full body brew that starts creamy and ends semi-dry.