Frost Quake
Wellington Brewery
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Bourbon Barrel Aged Barley Wine
9.8 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml (Crown capped with a swing top lid for re-closing)
$11.95 (Canadian) At LCBO
Twitter: @WellingtonBrew
The morning was cold and crisp today. Down around -29. Perfect day for the namesake of this beer to happen. My 200th beer in fact! As you can see I spruced the place up a bit. New look, new layout, and there are a few more improvements to be coming very shortly. Stay tuned! But back to metaphor I just left dangling there for a second. Frost quake. Maybe you haven't heard of them, but they are quite real and a really weird sensation. It happens more often in areas that have a lot of rock near the surface. Water percolates down in between the cracks of the rocks and when a rapid temperature drop occurs it freezes very quickly causing a big cracking noise. More like cracking your knuckles than an earthquake, but it can still be loud and scary. We have them around Pint Jockey Headquarters at least once a year.
Tonight's beer is named for this phenomenon. A hot little barley wine wine, almost 10 % alcohol, that has spent a few months in Kentucky Bourbon barrel.
Let's get shaking...
Pours a translucent chestnut brown that is slightly hazy. Very viscous. The head is quite thin and the colour of caramel. The nose is quite smoky, earthy, woody, sweet malt brown sugar and a hint of licorice. First sip gives us oak, vanilla, bourbon whiskey, bruleed sugar, bittersweet chocolate and smoke. As the beer warms a mild nuttiness comes out as does the high alcohol content. Very warming, but not to head fogging. Aeration gives us rich oak and smoke with some light malt sugars and a hint of the caramel on the finish.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 4/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order: 5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
A bit pricey for what the beer delivered. Don't get me wrong it is a good barley wine, and if you only want to drink one beer a night this one should do you nicely. Better yet sip this with some food, or a friend, or just use the swing top closure to save some for another night. Worth a try pick one up while you still can. Or maybe two... and age one for a year.
CJT
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Beer # 180 Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout
New Holland Brewery
Holland, Michigan, USA
Independent
Barrel Aged Stout 11.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml.
$13.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO
Twitter: @NewHollandBrew
Another brewery that I have heard of but had not yet tried one of their beers. I was very happy to get this bottle and give it a try for the holidays. Founded in 1996 by Jason Spaulding and Brett Vander Kamp New Holland Brewery was founded on the love of homebrewing and a well thought out business plan. They expanded in 2005 to begin distilling spirits and began to sell them in 2008. They now also run a brew pub, a restaurant,and a 1 million litre (plus) brewhouse that distributes to many states in the Northeastern United States (and, obviously, Canada).
Time to milk the dragon...
Pours a deep dark chocolate brown with hints of orangey red. Head is light tan made up of tiny bubbles with good staying power. Nose is Bourbon, vanilla, and caramel. Very woody, hints of sugar and licorice as well. First sip is exceptionally oaky, with lots of vanillin, and bourbon qualities. It smooths out into roasted malt, chocolate, and lightly bruleed turbinado sugar. There is good heat from the 11% alcohol, but it is not overpowering. Aeration gives us a huge hit of alcohol followed by toffee and caramel and a touch of black pepper.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order: 5/6 PASS
Experience: 6/6 Exceptional
Christmas Spirit 6/6 Exceptional
Final Thoughts:
A very good brew. I enjoyed this one very much. I like a bourbon barrel aged beer as it brings out so much flavour in the beer. If you can still find this one, snap it up while you can.
Cheers And Beery Christmas
CJT
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Bolshevik Bastard and Kentucky Bastard 2014
Nickel Brook Brewing Company
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Bolshevik Bastard: Imperial Stout 9.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.
Kentucky Bastard: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 10.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
BB: $2.49 ($9.95 for a 4 pack) (Canadian) At the LCBO
KB: $12.95(Canadian) At the LCBO
Twitter: @NickelBrookBeer
My Local LCBO has had Kentucky Bastard a few times lately but when I went in last time it was paired up with Bolshevic Bastard and I could not resist. For those of you who don't know Nickel Brook's Bolshevic Bastard is their imperial stout. They took a couple of batches and let them age in Kentucky Bourbon barrels, the result was: Kentucky Bastard. I thought it would be interesting to pit them head to head in a match to the death... OK, well I mean just taste them side by side. In doing so I decided to run two days of the 2-4 beers of Christmas together and present you, dear reader this two-fer (for the 2-4).
Enough witty banter... onto the bastards...
Beer # 173 Bolshevik Bastard Imperial Stout
Pours an opaque dark brown with a tan head made up of tiny bubbles. Aroma is woodsy with toasted caramel malt, slightly bready with a hint of bruleed sugar. Wow... warming alcohol right off of the hop. deeply roasted malt and plenty of it. Slightly brandy-like... taste moves to coffee and espresso, with a slightly burnt and marginally bitter aftertaste. the hops are wedged in the middle between the bready malt and the coffee afterglow, still very green and herbal. Aeration gives us a big shot of alcohol with a hint of vanilla.
Beer # 174 Kentucky Bastard 2014
Pours a opaque dark brown again but with a slight reddish tinge to both the beer and the tan head. The aroma is off the charts! Toasty, woody, chocolate, caramel, coconut, some vanilla and dare I say it a touch of marshmallow. First sip is all about the wood, and the whiskey. Lots of oak, vanilla, and whiskey esters. From there it settles down into a long caramel malty journey, followed by a more muted coffee finish... a lot smoother than it's un-aged counterpart. Despite being an alcohol percentage point higher the alcohol is less noticeable in this beer. Aeration gives us cedar, wood smoke, more coffee, and a little more caramel near the finish. Beer leaves the lips slightly sticky.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Bolshevic Bastard Kentucky Bastard
Cost: 5/6 PASS Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order: 5/6 PASS Re-Order: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience: 5/6 PASS Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Spirit 5/6 PASS Christmas Spirit 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Final Thoughts:
Bolshevic Bastard is your average Russian imperial stout, very good, but nothing I would call spectacular. Kentucky Bastard on the other hand... takes on a whole new life after the barrel aging. Something just works in that barrel. The aroma and taste profile get turned up to 11 (it's one better than 10). I could drink it all day... well... I could drink a bottle... maybe two, and then I would need a nap. Share with a friend... and drink responsibly.
Cheers And Beery Christmas
CJT
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Deviator Doppelbock Oak Aged Series
Cameron's Brewing Company
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Oak Aged Doppelbock 8.6 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 341 ml
$2.50 (Canadian) At LCBO
Twitter: @CameronsBrewing
Ashamedly this is my first trip down to Cameron's Brewing. I am not a stranger to their beer, yet I haven't yet posted about them yet. Opened in 1997, Cameron's is certainly one of the pioneering craft breweries in the GTA and are well known in the craft beer circuit. Their Rye P.A. is spectacular (hopefully I will get to one soon). They are always big at OCBWeek, so I hope to see some there. Tonight's beer is a German style doppelbock, that has been aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels for 6 months.
Enough with the set up... onto the beer:
Very dark chestnut in colour with a caramel coloured head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is very earthy, wood, portobello mushroom, malt candy, vanilla, and licorice. taste is black licorice, vanilla, turbinado sugar. As the taste progresses coffee, oak, cream, and a twinge of bitterness come out. It is not unlike horehound candy, malty, licorice, and a touch of medicinal qualities.The oak ageing has done wonders for the complexity of the beer, giving it a whisky feel. The alcohol is evident and warming but does not detract from the beer. The finish is dark caramel almost butterscotch. Aeration shows off the high alcohol, and brings out the oak in a big way, especially the bourbon.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order: 5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
a deep dark brooding beer perfect for contemplation. Complex, earthy and Delicious. One of these is enough. The alcohol is hot and sets in quickly. Enjoy one by yourself or share one or two with a friend.
Cheers
CJT
Follow me on Twitter: @pintjockey
