Finally, a beer that isn't Belgian...

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

This beer is one of the most unique beers that I have ever tasted (but in a good way!). I can honestly say that I have never tried another brew that even remotely comes close to what you experience when sipping this one. It is classified as an "American Strong Ale" but really should be in a category of it's own.

I am a huge fan of the "Boilermaker." And I must admit that during college I downed my fair share of "Bud heavy" with a shot of Evan Williams black label. I have since fallen out of love with this particular drink, but when I took a sip of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel I fell right back in. The beer pours a nice, light caramel color with a white head. With your nose in the glass, you are struck by strong aromas of vanilla, oak, caramel, and bourbon. The beer had a nice mouthfeel, and I would classify it as light to medium-bodied and moderately carbonated. The flavor is "in-your-face" vanilla, oak, and bourbon, but the beer has a nice, dry finish, which offers a nice counterbalance to its sweetness. When sipping on this one, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't back in Greenville, SC, sipping on a "Boilermaker."

This beer is so unique, that I thought I would post a little blurb about the brewing process. This is taken straight from the brewer's website (http://www.kentuckyale.com/beer/Pages/KentuckyBourbonBarrelAle.aspx):

"...a unique sipping beer with the distinctive nose of well-crafted bourbon. Our

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel ale is aged for up to six weeks in freshly decanted bourbon

barrels from some of Kentucky's finest bourbon distilleries..."

Because this beer is so different, I had a hard time rating it with the same scale that I used in my other beer reviews, but here goes:

Aroma: 8/10

Appearance: 3/5

Palate: 3/5

Taste: 9/10

Overall: 17/20

I would definitely recommend this beer to a friend, but I can easily see how some people would find its sweetness offensive, and the vanilla-notes overpowering. For me personally, it was a nice blast from the past, and one of the more creative and delicious beers that I have tasted in some time. Since it is not available here in Mobile, AL, I might just have to settle for dropping some Evan Williams into an ice cold Budweiser tonite...