Tyranena Bourbon Barrel Spank Me Baby! Barley Wine

On tap at the Great Taste of the Midwest (8/9/08): Clear copper bronze with a thin, wispy-lacing off-white head. Aroma of sweet caramely bourbon and a touch of butterscotch. Body starts fairly full and sweet with good assertive bourbon notes and sweet caramel balance. Well aged and enjoyable.

2006 vintage sampled from a growler shared by Joebrew at Beer Geek Christmas at Heritage Liquors. Pours a slightly hazy burnt caramel with little/no head. Aroma is more vanilla and oak than bourbon, with a little bit of oxidation and some caramel malts. The flavor possesses a lot more of the bourbon that was absent on the nose, a bit of hops and hop bitterness, and some caramel. May have been drank a little on the cold side, but the mouthfeel was a little thin, but I suppose the beer is probably starting to show its age. Delicious nonetheless.

Draft @ Tyranena, 2006 vintage. Pours a murky, orange-brown color; light-tan head with fine-bubbled lacing. Very dense and generous aroma, showing chewy sweet bourbon notes, toasty vanilla, butterscotch, and maple syrup; reasonably soft edges on this, with earthy and citrus bitterness; solid, rounded nose. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: lots of chewy, toasty bourbon notes from the beginning: charred wood, dried dark fruits, with touches of butterscotch and sweet vanilla; well-hidden alcohol, with a solid perimeter of spicy, citrus hop bitterness; solid, softly-aged barrel beer; the earthiness and hops beneath remain apparent. Lengthy finish: long earthy and spicy bitterness, toasty, charred wood, with some dried orange peel present with vanilla at the far end.

2006 version on tap at the brewery - Spank Me Baby with Wood. Dark golden to amber in color. Small tight head. Aromas of light fruit, caramel, oak, and mild bourbon vanilla. Full round sweet malt flavors in the front, with oak, bourbon, light fruit, and vanilla in the background. Hints of alcohol with a light warmth on the throat. A really nice barley wine. One meant to have on the porch on a cool evening or in front of a fire on a cold winter day. Age has smoothed this one.

great taste of the midwest! Hazy brown pour with a small white head. Heavy raisin and caramel aroma. Flavor had tons of bourbon, more raisin and caramel, just a touch of vanilla. Slightly syrupy sweet finish with a noticeable booze punch.

Name: Spank Me Baby with Wood
Date: 08/07/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewery

Appearance: muddy burnt orange, wispy dirty white head, streaks of drippy lace,
Aroma: sweet caramel and vanilla aroma, touch of bourbon, touch of fruityness,
Flavor: sweet dark caramel malt flavor, lots of oaky character balances the sweetness, light bitterness rises out of the oak, touch of hot caramel, sticky sweetness comes and goes, bourbon is present but not over the top, fatuges after a while,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***+/4

Great Taste 2008. The last time I had this at the Great Taste, they were pouring a fresher version, and I recall not liking it quite as much as I enjoyed it this time around. I think a few years on the barleywine helped bring out its complexity, which also suggests to me that the underlying barleywine should age very well. Regarding the beer, the hops were more muted than I expected, and there was an underlying brown sugar sweetness with candied orange peel and vanilla alongside. Mouthfeel is fairly thick and rich, and the finish is warming (although not alcoholic) and bourbon.

on tap at GTMW ’08. pours murky amber no head. oxidized malt aroma, caramel, bourbon, rye. flavor is oxidized caramel, tobacco, bourbon, a bit sweet doughy. pretty good and a lot better than the regular version.