Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine Bourbon Barrel Edition

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

I was uncertain that I wanted to give this beer the highest marks that I have ever given any beer, and the number might be skewed a bit by my recent enthusiasm for big barleywines, but this beer rocks! Pours a wicked cloudy amber, makes me think of crimson when held to the sun, like a sunset through a forest fire. All things trappist that hook me, but in a more bold, bourbon tinged, scotch ale, reminecent kind of way. The beer in mouth seems heavy and viscous, but left to sit, bubbles and boils as if secondary fermentation is being performed right in my moutch. This effervescense brings wicked drinkability and gets better as the carbonation reduces a touch. Just had a small burp, and even that had flavour, peat, touch of vanilla perfumed smoke. Bit of a cedar note, but enough with the subtlties of the burp! Candied vegetables and dried fruits, rasisins and cranberries. Brown sugar, candi sugar, mollasses, maybe even herb butter. Sourdough for sure. Tart and exciting. Sour, sweet, savoury and bitter seem to be having a beat down in the glass, and keep at it all the way into your mouth. Sometimes this may be interpreteted as astringent or something just strange, and in a wine I would say that the bottle is suffering, but in this beer the eccentrivcity, tempered and kept in line by the underlying and strong parameters of bourbon and complex malts, make it exciting and extremely quaffable. Love it. Am currently searching to find alot more of this to age.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

barrel aging removes any rough edges that existed in the base beer, but also, in this particular beer, dulled the complexity a touch. sweetish raisiny malt and a touch of hops over slight vanilla and peppery bourbon. well done. very smooth for 12%.