Sebago does Boozy

Posted by Jim on Sep 8th, 2010
2010
Sep 8

Sebago Brewing Co. Single Batch Series Barleywine Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels

A- / 4.05
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 3.5

This bottle has been in my cellar since the week it went on sale and I’ve been eying it lately. Today was the day to crack it open. Poured from the slightly above cellar temperature bottle into a tulip glass.

The beer has a beautiful red/ruby color. It’s quite clear and I can see lots of carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass and swirling about as it rises. The head was two fingers in height, colored tan, and made up of small bubbles. Swirling the glass about, the sides of my glass get coated with a film that won’t recede. The bubbles leave an even coat of foam, but it slowly drops back down into the liquid. This is a very pretty barleywine.

Most of the nose is made up of bourbon aromas. They are roasty and oaky, like there are some slightly singed wood chips in there. Behind the bourbon are some malt scents. I think I can detect toffee and raisin.

Maybe I’m just looking for it, but I can taste bourbon as soon as the beer crosses my tongue. It’s flavors last throughout each sip, but are strongest in the aftertaste. That lingering burn and alcoholic flavor I associate with bourbon is present here. There are some sweet malts as well. Like the aroma, I can identify toffee and dark colored fruits (perhaps more plum or prune than raisin though). Still, it is the bourbon that is strongest (yet not as strong as, say, a cask of Allagash Curieux).

This si a full bodied beer. It is thick and sticky. It leaves a syrupy film on my lips. The coat covers my entire mouth. My tongue tingles after I swallow–I can’t tell if its the carbonation or the alcohol. After swallowing, it is as if I can feel the alcoholic vapors collecting at the back of my mouth and evaporating there. The mouthfeel of this beer doesn’t hide it’s high ABV.

This beer is hard to drink, but it is strong and full of bourbon flavors that limit its drinkability. I would never want to drink it fast, nor would I ever want more than this one 22 oz bottle in a session. If you have a some time, and want a warming, strong beverage, this would work perfectly for you. It isn’t too sticky; I don’t feel as though I need to accompany the beer with a glass of water. Drinkers who are not fans of bourbon barrel aging or barleywines in general would not enjoy this beverage, but fans of those criteria should definitely seek this one out. I think the beer would be a bit better, and easier to drink, if it were chilled more than I have it (since I started writing this review, I place the open and mostly full bottle into the fridge to cool down a bit).