Smuttynose Oak-Aged Hanami (Bourbon Barrel)

Pouring at their booth at BCTC. Pours a clear brown with a touch of haze on it. Cherry and bourbon all over the nose. Light tart cherry and dry wood flavors. Finishes dry and woody.

On tap @BCTC 2009. Didnt care for the egular Hanami but this was great. Woody, cherry sourness, sherry vinegar tartness. Oak bourbon sweetness. Real nice

Tap at the Blind Tiger. I kind of liked this, and believe me I certainly wasn’t expecting to. The sweetness and fruit flavor of the base beer ended up working quite well with the bourbon notes, creating a somewhat complex and unique entry into a otherwise claustrophobic beer world.

Tap at BT last week. Aroma of bourbon, flowers (very nectar-like), raspberries, a bit bourbon-heavy upon warming. Flavor big on the raspberries with sweet bourbon notes, peaches, coffee cake, toffee. Very dry. Pretty nice.

Tap at the Blind Tiger. Deep amber-gold colour. Nose is loaded with soft bourbon oakiness and a fairly prominent cherry character. It’s kind of funny how in both of the barrel-aged versions the fruit still comes through. Light sweetness up front but on the back there is a fairly assertive tartness. Not funky but lightly lactic. A bit peppery with some rich bourbony character. A bit heavy on the wood in this one, but it’s still better than the base beer.

On tap at Blind Tiger. Pours a dirty amber with a small white head. Aroma of bourbon and slight fruit notes. Flavor of alcohol and super sweet fruit and malt. Too sweet and bourbony. The bourbon and fruit did not match well for me. Ick. 5/4/5/2/11 (2.7/5)