Rock Bottom Chicago Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Red Ale

Brewed by Rock Bottom Chicago
Style: American Strong Ale
Chicago, Illinois USA

Name: Clare’s Commando
Brewery: Rock Bottom Brewery
Date: 08/09/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Great Taste

Appearance: hazy burnt orange, creamy beige head, lots of lace,
Aroma: sweet caramel and vanilla aroma,
Flavor: sweet caramel candy flavor, lots of vanilla sweetness, light balancing bitterness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

On tap at the Great Taste of the Midwest (8/9/08) as Clare’s Commando: Pours a transparent dark copper with a thin-lacing off-white head. Aroma of fresh grapefruity hops and decent bourbon oaky balance. Body starts with good fullness, sweet caramel and fresh grapefruity bittering and flavor hops along with a touch of bourbon before a drier bittersweet finish. Nicely balanced and enjoyable.

Tap into a snifter: It poured a hazy amber/red body with a dense white head. Heavy lacing. The aroma had yellow grapefruit, citrus zest, pine, a dash of caramel, and Bourbon. Very smooth in the mouth but full of peppery heat. The caramel was nearly chewy in the flavor, but the hoppy bitterness rose to the occasion and beat out the sweetness. Flavors of Bourbon and charred wood merged smoothly with the other flavors. The finish was bitter with hops and oak and had a low alcohol burn. Just the drink one needs after a long day in the civil courts.

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On tap at GTMW. Poured almost clear medium amber with a nice creamy cap of off-white head. The aroma picked up deep toasted English toffee upfront with medium-skinned fruits and bourbon behind.. everything worked well together.. enjoyable. The flavor had warm pale malts and toffee at the core with spicy bourbon and white peppery alcohol rockin’ it.. too much barrel presence for my liking.. spicy and hot on the long finish. Thick and warm on the palate with moderate carbonation.. would’ve been great sans a little heat.

GTMW ’08. Poured a clear dark orange-copper color. The head was off white with an orange-ish tint. Fruity and malty aroma including the likes of fleshy fruits, dark toffee, malty caramel, and fruit filled danish. Medium bodied and sweet with toffee, black tea, vanilla, and big whiskey. Very boozy with a lot of emphasis on the barrel-imparted flavors. Good, though.

on tap at RB chicago. pours hazy red with white head. nose has grapefruit and citrus hop notes with some caramel and tobacco. flavors are mostly hoppy with grapefruit and citrus hop notes with a slight vegetal character to it, subtle bourbon, and caramel. the bourbon is underdone and the hops are still playing a big role. pretty easy drinking and tasty.3.7.

8/9/08, on tap at GTMW ’08. i’m thinking this spent more time in the barrel than the previous rate. extremely bourbon vanilla dominated with some spicy and fruit hop bitterness that finishes. too sweet though. 3.2.

8/19/08, another full sample from RB Chicago brewpub and boy does this not work for me. huge bourbon, vanilla, and caramel aroma. very sweet bourbon, vanilla, and citrusy finish. this is just way too much and over barrelled. the hop notes are gone and theres not much left.3.3.

GTMW 08 - Pours copper / orange with an off-white head. The aroma has vanilla, bourbon and nothing else that I can detect. Medium body. The taste is about like the aroma. Not really anything to expand on here ~ very one dimensional and over bourboned. I don’t like bourbon, therefore I don’t like this ’beer’.

Pours very murky, dull pinkish/brown, looks like BBQ sauce with a thin white head. Sweet floral hop, huge bourbon, and sweet rye. This stuff burns your throat going down, soooo boozy! A bit glassy, light caramel sweetness, nice rye flavor. The bourbon in this is insane. Medium bodied, a bit creamy with light carbonation. Fantastic if you like rye and whisky.