Pelican The Perfect Storm

Man am I ever glad that I took the time out of my day to run down to Pelican and pick up a couple cases of this stuff. Not only is it a beautiful place, but this beer is just phenomenal. The smell is all various bourbon notes, with the vanilla and oak that you expect. Taste is more of the same with a wonderful malty backbone just behind it. The only BA beer that I’ve ever had that took this much flavor off the barrels is Bourbon County Stout, but this one is a little less sweet, and yet still seems to have more flavor.

Thanks to whomever brought this to Dr. Bill’s sour tasting. Boozy, malty and a bit hot, I liked it, but it could use a year or two of aging.

22oz bomber, 2009 vintage, poured into a snifter. Pours a deep, clear copper with a short-lived cap of big bubbles that recedes to a small collar and leaves very little lacing, though there are boozy legs down the glass after each sip. The aroma is massive and has plenty of bourbon sweetness and alcohol burn in the nose which mixes well with the sugary caramel malt and dark fruit in the nose. The underlying caramel malts are the first thing I notice with some toffee and dark fruits. There is definitely plenty of bourbon especially in the finish where there is a noticeable burn in the throat. Overall, it’s like a caramel and chocolate dessert with raisins and plums soaked in bourbon. The mouthfeel is stunning, one of the best I’ve ever felt, like velvet. It’s smooth with ample, but soft, carbonation and slightly dry and woody in the finish with a sweet bourbon presence on the palate as well. I wasn’t sure what to expect on this one. I saw everyone raving about it but just figured it wouldn’t live up to the hype. Well, it lives up to the hype. It’s a wonderful beer that drinks fairly easy for the high ABV. The bourbon is strong right now and I think this one becomes even better with time. Superb.

Bottle shared by Eric. Thanks! Pours dark amber with off white color. Aroma is oak, booze, and rubbing alcohol. Viscous mouthfeel. Flavor was dark fruit, vanilla, oak, bourbon, and finished with a rubbing alcohol aftertaste. This beer might be too green at this point. It was just hard to sip because of the rubbing alcohol aftertaste. It was tough.

650ml bottle
Bourbon barrel aged barleywines (and even imperial stouts) have not been my thing recently. Maybe it is because everyone under the sun is doing it now but it has become apparent which beers hold up well and which don’t mix at all. This one is in the middle - while I liked it I think it would be just as good without the added influence of the aging.

Aroma / Appearance - The deep ruby red body is typical of a big barleywine. A thin tan head indicates some carbonation is still present. Resin, vanilla, and malt give it more life than the first barrel aged entry in a small flight but the ethanol is still strong throughout.

Flavor / Palate - Warm sheets of resin flow down the tongue. Vanilla and other bourbon aspects are evident but do not completely overwhelm the underlying beer. Mostly balanced I think this one could do with a few more months of mellowing at least before it is in perfect harmony.

In an effort to knock out the rest of my backlog, my ratings will be fairly generic and sparse. If the beer had anything special to offer, it will be noted following this disclaimer. The number ratings above are accurate based on my tasting notes. Following the elimination of my backlog, all beers will be entered in real time and will be more useful. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks to JMFG! Take a great barleywine and make it better! Malts and toast now with oak and vanilla. Well blended. Great brew.

Bottle. Pours a deep ruby-amber color with a tan head. Rich whiskey aroma, tannins, sweet malts, pepper, all nicely melded. A bit of heat on the taste, as to be expected for 13.5%, but really the barrel integrates so nicely the beer that it ends up tasting very smooth for a strong BA barleywine. Tannic, reined in sweet maltiness, heat more on the back end, an overall fantastic barleywine and one of the best BA barleywines I’ve had.

Ruby garnet color. Fruit cellar aroma--flowers and citrus. There’s the bourbon on the nose and then hazlenut and vanilla around the flavor too. Lots of alcohol but it is still a delightful beer.