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09-02-2022, 07:16
Visit The Beer Nut site (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/02/blunt-edges.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhdYnNIeQHEd1qtWXt_CKYxa7CvsexLZfick3g47Kysm 0odDZW81AFnA_j_mwLzFLVCNORgoIf80AFzQYnqdf2ObJuFDhC-yppYThPwm7gMTTb6wo5hN9tWpWc07Dg5TTb4PKu39gOBdXg1Op NP7xfoBD4M71Yp-qEF1X-fFo9F7xT_ka9blw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhdYnNIeQHEd1qtWXt_CKYxa7CvsexLZfick3g47Kysm 0odDZW81AFnA_j_mwLzFLVCNORgoIf80AFzQYnqdf2ObJuFDhC-yppYThPwm7gMTTb6wo5hN9tWpWc07Dg5TTb4PKu39gOBdXg1Op NP7xfoBD4M71Yp-qEF1X-fFo9F7xT_ka9blw=s2440)The bourbon barrel wagon trundled through Ballymahon and the Wide Street crew jumped aboard. A 14.5% ABV imperial stout, aged ten months in bourbon barrels, is out of keeping for the wild-fermentation specialists, but they've been expanding the repertoire lately, so why not?
Presenting, then, Liquid Swords, in a 75cl bottle with a €20 price sticker on top. It's a rather flat chap, not bothering to form a head and with only the faintest of carbonic vibrations in the mouth. Nor is it a sticky monster, mind, being light bodied, low in heat and, dare I say, easy to drink. Bourbon's sweet vanilla is quite absent from the picture. It tastes matured all right, but not of anything in particular that's it's been matured in. Instead I get quite a savoury umami impression, in the anchovies and shiitake vein.
Given a moment or two to warm up, the underlying stout makes a bit of an effort, bringing some dark chocolate and light-roast coffee. That's pretty much as complex as it gets, however.
Clearly this has been designed, and priced, for the special-occasion market. Anyone new to big barrel-aged stout and apprehensive about what it brings may find themselves enjoying how accessible it is. I couldn't shake the feeling that it's rather bland given the specs. I don't want a sickly bourbon bomb but I do want more substance and more character than this displays. Perhaps releasing it fresh would have been the better move.
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/02/blunt-edges.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhdYnNIeQHEd1qtWXt_CKYxa7CvsexLZfick3g47Kysm 0odDZW81AFnA_j_mwLzFLVCNORgoIf80AFzQYnqdf2ObJuFDhC-yppYThPwm7gMTTb6wo5hN9tWpWc07Dg5TTb4PKu39gOBdXg1Op NP7xfoBD4M71Yp-qEF1X-fFo9F7xT_ka9blw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhdYnNIeQHEd1qtWXt_CKYxa7CvsexLZfick3g47Kysm 0odDZW81AFnA_j_mwLzFLVCNORgoIf80AFzQYnqdf2ObJuFDhC-yppYThPwm7gMTTb6wo5hN9tWpWc07Dg5TTb4PKu39gOBdXg1Op NP7xfoBD4M71Yp-qEF1X-fFo9F7xT_ka9blw=s2440)The bourbon barrel wagon trundled through Ballymahon and the Wide Street crew jumped aboard. A 14.5% ABV imperial stout, aged ten months in bourbon barrels, is out of keeping for the wild-fermentation specialists, but they've been expanding the repertoire lately, so why not?
Presenting, then, Liquid Swords, in a 75cl bottle with a €20 price sticker on top. It's a rather flat chap, not bothering to form a head and with only the faintest of carbonic vibrations in the mouth. Nor is it a sticky monster, mind, being light bodied, low in heat and, dare I say, easy to drink. Bourbon's sweet vanilla is quite absent from the picture. It tastes matured all right, but not of anything in particular that's it's been matured in. Instead I get quite a savoury umami impression, in the anchovies and shiitake vein.
Given a moment or two to warm up, the underlying stout makes a bit of an effort, bringing some dark chocolate and light-roast coffee. That's pretty much as complex as it gets, however.
Clearly this has been designed, and priced, for the special-occasion market. Anyone new to big barrel-aged stout and apprehensive about what it brings may find themselves enjoying how accessible it is. I couldn't shake the feeling that it's rather bland given the specs. I don't want a sickly bourbon bomb but I do want more substance and more character than this displays. Perhaps releasing it fresh would have been the better move.
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/02/blunt-edges.html)