Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Steel Toe Lunker Bourbon Barrel Barleywine


Steel Toe Brewing Lunker Barleywine Ale Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels. 14.4% ALC/VOL. Al Capone fishing off a pier, sitting on a Templeton Rye barrel. Verbiage on the side, which we'll read later. Now, to uncage, de-cork, and drink it up. I've been saving this for several months, anxious to give it a taste.

Look of it: Solid black, tight ring of negligible head.

Smell of it: Massive malt, rich as Romney, laden with bourbony aromatics. Deep and decadent. Everything's in here. Vast and awe-inspiring.

Taste of it: Super-rich. Thurston Howell the Fifth. Dark, dank, delirious. Chocolate malt, caramel, with some bitter hop presence on the palate, but minor at most. Then along comes the barrel effect, it's vanilla and toffee, sweet, liquor-y and lovely. Yum-tastic barley-wine lays just below the bourbon.

Intensely indulgent, a sold nightcap. This evening is done. Time to put the cap on this one. Mmmm. A little bit of everything. Oh. Yeah, and…mmm. Ah…

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