9.4% ABV, 80 IBU
Enjoyed on 8.9.14
A particularly arduous business trip saw me returning home on Saturday evening with only a few hours of sleep. True to form, I opened the fridge and found that my wife and personal beer goddess had gotten me a surprise: Bourbon Double IPA. If that won’t chase the travelling blues away, I don’t know what will!Observations: Pouring deep amber with a white head, the overwhelming first aroma of this beer is the oak imparted by the barrels. The nose was fairly bereft of any real hop character, which was a little disappointing, but understandable given its aging time in oak barrels. The first few sips are really dominated by the oak flavors, but as your palate gets used to it, the caramel malts begin to shine through. As it warms, it becomes much smoother, adding credence to the bottle’s recommendation to drink at 50 degrees F. As you drink, some of the flavors develop a bit more, but other than providing a nice balance, the hops don’t really shine through. I also didn’t really notice a lot of bourbon flavor. There are some slight vanilla notes to it that could be attributed to the bourbon, but had it not been in the name, I would have thought it was just oaked.
Conclusion: Overall, this was still a delicious beer. I wouldn’t call it my favorite DIPA, or even my favorite barrel aged brew, but I still greatly enjoyed it, and it is certainly one that you can make an evening out of. I like what Hardywood Park is doing with their barrel aging, and look forward to trying more variations in the future.
--Jacob
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