Three Floyds Bourbon Behemoth with Cherries

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

FoBAB. Considering its heritage (a big hoppy monster of an american style BW), I was surprised to see just how subtle this beer became. The brownish red cloudy beer has minimal head and a soft sweet aroma. The bourbon was evident, though not overpowering. While the cherries came through they blended nicely with the toffee and vanilla overtones throughout the beer. This was one of my first samples and really became the benchmark for the others to attain. A few did, but this was a nice start that would only get better with a bit of age in the bottle.

Draft at DLD ’09. This, along with VB Dark Lord were the two biggest surprises at DLD for me. Pours a dark brown with crimson notes. Nose is woody and hoppy, with tart cherry notes pushing through as well. Fantastic aromas pour out of this one. On taste, it’s behemoth, aged on oak, with a huge cherry push. Nice acidity and it couples really well with the vanilla from the barrel as well. Super clean and smooth with a ton of layers to dissect. Awesome.

This poured a dark ruby red color with basically no head at all. Aroma was dark fruits, cherries mainly, some sweet malts and a hint of booze as well. Flavor was just amazing. Nice dark cherries over some bourbon, over the already amazing 3F behemoth. Just awesome.

Draft @ DLD 09: Pour was a dark burgundy color with no head. Very sweet on the nose with some dark fruits, vanilla, fig, caramel and bourbon noted. Body is sticky, sweet...yields a sweet, hoppyy base with some notes of candied cherries, bourbon and vanilla. Great brew.

Source: Tap at DLD.
Glass: Plastic cup.
Appearance: Dark brown pour with a soapy beige head.
Aroma: Dark fruits, sweet malt, alcohol and a hint of cherries.
Flavor: Bourbon, sweet malt, cherries.
Palate: Full bodied with soft carbonation and a full mouthfeel.
Overall: About on par with the regular Bourbon Behemoth. The cherries add and interesting touch.

I was so excited to see this at the 3F brewpub that i ordered it alongside my first beer just to insure it wouldn’t run out. Yeah, i might have looked strange, but who cares. Dark, reddish amber with an offwhite head. Aroma of bourbon, thick sweet malt, hops, and tart cherries. Flavor is mix of that sticky bitter malt sweetness of behemoth, nice flavorful bourbon, and tart cherries. really stunning, amazing beer, actually. If they could bottle this, they’d probably have one of the highest rated barley wines on RB.

On tap 12/30/07 at the brewpub. On the way back to NC, decided to make a 2nd stop during a 3 day trip. Good for me. When we pulled in on the night of the 27th, this was not available. However on the 30th she magically appeared. Though it was noon and we had an 11 hour drive ahead of us, I immediately ordered this beer upon seeing it on the chalkboard/taplist. Hell, we just drove by Soldier Field and the kickoff to the Bears game happened to be on the big screen, so what the hell? On to....the beer (finally)....This poured from the tap with no head whatsoever. Needless to say, I am very excited to try this beer. Aroma is of bourbon, carmelized cherries, big alcohol and toffee notes. Taste is that of the regular Behemoth accentuated by the bourbon, tartness of the cherry and an almost Jack Daniels-kind-of-sour whiskey. The warmth of the oak/alcohol and tartness of the cherry linger pleasently. Really interesting. Not very well balanced, but still, somehow, smooth and easy-drinking (for a sipper). Who am I to criticize? Though I was priveleged to try this, believe me, it shall not inhibit my rating....Lies!!!

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?