Three Floyds Bourbon Behemoth with Cherries

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Munster, Indiana USA

Name: Behemoth, Cherry
Date: April 25, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Tasting, DLD
Appearance: cloudy dark amber, wispy tan head, streaks of lace
Aroma: sweet caramel aroma witfh a light fruity cherry tartness, touch of weed floating by from the next tent
Flavor: rich caramel and vanilla flavor, only a hint of fruity character, light oak and balancing earthy bitterness, long bitter finish, maybe a touch of cherry tartness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

(Draft) pours a cloudy reddish brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of breadiness, toffee, cherry, and citrus. Flavor of citrusy hops, toffee, bread, vanilla, nuts, light cherry, and oak.

I could see settling down for the evening with a few snifters of this one. Not pretty to look at, a headless, cloudy, near murky brown... but what aroma and flavor. It smelled warm, if possible, with scents of sweet cherries, pale malts, vanilla, and a touch of booziness. Very smooth drinking, warm with a light bitterness filling the mouth. It tasted of toffee, cherries, vanilla, soft nuts, oak, and alcohol, all skillfully blended together. This should have come in tops at the festival.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve of Barrel Aged Beers, Chicago, IL 11/03/2007<font size=-1>

FoBAB 2007: Deep ruby hued with an oily leg and minimal head. The aroma has notes of spice and bourbon, cherry pits (but not cherry juice), maple, tobacco, grassy hops, and an earthy ester.

WOW, a nice cherry driven tartness cuts straight through the malty Behemoth base beer, wonderful complexity IMO. There is a lush marzipan and nutty note as well before leading off towards an oaky and slight bourbon finish. The mouth feel is lush, warming, aggressive. A full mouth feel which complemented the flavor profile.

A work of art, congrats to the brothers Floyd. It is a shame this did not medal, what in the heck were they drinking?

Tap at DLD 2009 ... deep copper ... fruity rich toffee malts nose ... rich toffee .... dark malts malts ...rough ... deep fruits ...

On tap at FoBAB 5. Poured cloudy, garnet-tinted brown with little if any head. The aroma picked up sweet, heavy vanilla and darker fruity notes with fresher oak not far behind.. bourbon and ever-so-subtle cherries emerge with warmth and tickle the nose hairs as a final impression. The flavor was remarkably sweet, which got in the way a bit.. vanilla, fruits, and bourbon formed the basis for the brew, with warmer vanilla bean, toasted oak, and a delightful cherry tartness gracing the back-end.. this grew on me, but remained too sweet. Medium-bodied with low, but spritzy carbonation across the middle.. the tart cherry twist worked very well on the back.. the warm finish was highly satisfying.

From EBF. Pours a dark brune body with a tan head. Big etoh and over ripe cherry notes amongst a smothering of bourbon, wood, vanilla and lighter caramel. Subdued hoppiness of pine to the cherry bourbon warming. I preferred the base beer.

EBF 08. Pours cloudy/almsot murky, with a thin lasting head- dull deep copper body. Aroma is muddled and al mixed up with light black cherry skin, alcohol, and a mess of malts mixed in- some catty hops and hot sharp bourbon. Some vanilla and oak in the flavor but just a ton sof toasted and sharp crystal malts, hoppy astringent bitterness and more bourbon with almost no cherry flavor but some almond astringency and alcohol in the end. Meh-