Bottle, purchased at the OHB Taproom in downtown Hickory. Pours deep amber, very slight haze, with a very fizzy tan head. Aroma is bourbon, caramel, alcohol, and some citrus hops. Flavor is rich--lots of sweet and sticky caramel, the bourbon comes through strong in the flavor but for once it tastes good (I don’t usually like the bourbon beers--maybe bourbon barleywines are the thing!!). Very thick and sweet/sticky finish, with a strong warming alcohol taste. Excellent beer.

Name: Bardstown
Date: 04/12/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Hickory Hops

Appearance: cloudy dark burnt orange, fine off white head, bits of drippy lace,
Aroma: huge dark caramel aroma with lots of bourbon and vanilla sweetness balanced by a touch of background oak,
Flavor: big bourbon and vanilla flavor, lots of oak adds balance, dark caramel adds extra sweetness, lots of fruityness rises out of the sweetness but is restrained by the oak, long lasting bitter finish,
Overall: should age relly well to allow the fruity character to ripen
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Name: Bardstown
Date: 05/03/2008
Mode: bottle
Words: cellar party

bottle follows the draft very closely, gets very alcoholic upon warming

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***/4

22oz bottle, sampled at the 1st Annual Shenandoah Beer Throwdown, courtesy of wilkie. Thanks, Chris! Nice brown sugary, oak, vanilla, and caramel in the nose. Flavor is more of the same with the bourbon nicely balanced with the base beer. Some alcohol is present, but it doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the beer. Overall, very well done.

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark amberish body with a small, thin ring of white bubbles. Smell: Ah, sweet-smelling bourbon at the fore. Toasty caramel, some hints of fruits, and then it’s back to bourbon! Gee, they ain’t fucking around. Taste: As you’d expect from the nose, it’s all at once bourbon in the flavor. Warming, yes, but not grotesquely hot. Toasted caramel maltiness and, again, there’s that fruit. Medium sweetness. Tastes of toasted oak and vanilla. A tannic pinch leads you to the increasingly warming finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonatin. Drinkability: A solid bourbony barleywine. Word on the street is that this is their very first bottle release. If so, congrats, as this isn’t a bad way to start things off.

Pours a transparent copper amber with a spotty-lacing light tan head. Aroma of sweet caramely malt and bourbon oak with some complex light fruity notes. Body starts with a nice viscosity and caramel malty sweetness balanced with plenty of oaky bourbon and light fruity notes before a warming finish. A pretty nice barrel-aged barleywine, but could use a little time to mellow.