Three Floyds Bourbon Behemoth

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

Date: 04/27/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

opaque brown with burgandy edges, short lived tan head, hot sweet Bourbon aroma with dark caramel and earthy hops, big sticky body, rich dark caramel flavor blends well with the bourbon, lots of ripe fruits, candy sweetness in the middle like drop of very caramelized sugar, rich chocolate shows after a while, tons of complexity, the alcohol is present the whole time but not to distraction

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 9/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 19/20
Rating: 4.3/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***4

A lot of folk that I talked to at FoBAB thought that this was too strong on the Bourbon side, but I just found it to be a bit of a distraction to the nose. Beneath that was the sweetness of malt, nuts, and lighter dried fruits. The Bourbon seems like a base upon which to bulid a complex flavor, blending the liquor with fruits both dried and juicy, sweet nuts, vanilla, a suggestion of tamed hops, and oak. The finish is sticky, sweet, and warming. Very nice indeed.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve of Barrel Aged Beers, Chicago, IL 11/04/2006<font size=-1>

FoBAB 2006: Muddy brown with a small head. The nose is heavy bourbon, smoke, vanilla, chocolate, grassy, plum, prune, and oak. The taste starts fruity and boozy with a smoky malt background. The finish displays some wood notes along with pepper and vanilla bean. The feel is quite warming and lush yet there is some bite and finished surprisingly dry. Not bad but I preferred the base Behemoth much more, just too much barrel in this one.

On draught at the brewery’s tap room during Dark Lord Days ’08. Pours a hazy dark copper brew with a thin creamy off-white head that has some nice retention and sticky lacing. Aroma of bourbon character, caramel malt, a touch of marshmallow, figs and dark pitted fruits. Taste is full bodied, very little carbonation with flavors of dark pitted fruit, caramel malts, flowery hops, a touch of coconut/bourbon character and some vanilla. Finish remains the bourbon flavor, plenty of alcohol warmth with a mild dark pitted fruit aftertaste.

Rating #1100. On tap at FoBAB 4. Poured a murky deep brown with just a loose ring of beige head... seemed more than a touch darker than the regular Behemoth. Nose was powerful, with the bourbon really taking over... wonderful base of caramel, pumpernickel bread, vanilla, nuttiness, and dried berries was in there, but suppressed. The flavor also had more than its fair share of bourbon (albeit a tasty blend)... the base brew was more skewed toward the rich fruits and darker bread.. with vanilla, oak chips, molasses, grapefuit and spicy hops emerging as this aired out. The finish was sticky and warm, sporting rich dark sugars. The hop component lost a step since it was put in the barrel. Solid, but picked up a bit too much bourbon character.

Draft at DLD, pours a brune body with an off white head. Bourbon, oak y vanilla notes, molasses sweet with sherry like notes. Subdued hop character of pine and citrus. Modest etoh warming. A serious offering.

[Draft at the brewpub] Poured a lightly hazy, red amber color with a medium sized, off white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of vanilla, bourbon, dark fruits, citrus, caramel, pine, and floral hops. Taste of sticky caramel, pine resin, tobacco, dried fruits, vanilla, bourbon, and alcohol in the finish.

I dont recall being a big fan of regular Behemoth, so it came as a real surprise that this stuff was so good. The vanilla from the barrel is more pronounced than the bourbon itself, thankfully. Nice sweetness from the caramel blends with subtle tangerine. Very well done without any harshness.