12 Beers of Christmas: Founders Backwoods Bastard Bourbon Ale

On the 11th day of Christmas, Frank About Beer drank for me - Backwoods Bastard from the Founders brewery.

As you may recall (take a look through our last few posts), we tried a barrel-aged ale a few days ago that was really underwhelming. 

Today's beer is another barrel-aged ale that's really everything the other one wasn't. 

Backwoods Bastard pours out a dark reddish brown with good carbonation. Founders starts with roasted malt, making for an already great beer, then ages it in used bourbon barrels. The result is that you get an aroma of bourbon, which gives you a heads-up about its high, 11.6% ABV alcohol content.

But it's the taste that's going to make you fall in love with this one. Sure, you get a not-too-heavy bourbon flavor, but you also get a slightly smokey, sweet flavor from the malts. Combine that with some big vanilla (and maybe a little coconut) and subtle raisin flavors, and this easily becomes one if the top beers in this category. 

You really want this one. I mean, you REALLY want this one. Beer geeks will love it, but even casual craft beer fans will find all kinds of things to like about it. Plus, it's really smooth and drinkable.

Check back tomorrow for the next beer in our #12BeersofXmas series.

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

12 Beers of Christmas: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

On the 9th day of Christmas, Frank About Beer drank for me - well, uh, something not so great.

So today's selection has greatness written all over it - Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. I mean, it's from Kentucky, the state which is renowned for bourbon, and an ale that's aged in used, oak bourbon barrels for six weeks while it leeches every ounce of distilled goodness leftover in those barrels.

Except it's not.

This pours a light gold with okay carbonation, and smells really boozy. The taste has a very slight vanilla hint to it, but is a very light, thin beer with a dry finish. Overall, though, it simply tastes like watered-down bourbon. The one positive is it's high, 8.7% ABV alcohol content (typical of barrel-aged beers).

Look, I like bourbon with a little water, but this was too thin to keep a good flavor. I'm not sure if it's the particular distillery they're sourcing from, or a change in the recipe, but this one just isn't what it used to be. 

We definitely respect the hard work and love that goes into making craft beers, but this one, unfortunately, is a miss.

Check back tomorrow for the next beer in our #12BeersofXmas series.

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

12 Beers of Christmas: New Belgium Trippel Belgian Ale

On the 6th day of Christmas, Frank About Beer drank for me - Trippel Belgian ale from the New Belgium brewery.

If you're a fan of Belgian-style beers, you may be aware of one known as a, "Tripel". They're named for the huge amounts of extra malt that is used (sometimes triple the amount) which creates a heavier, usually sweeter beer with all the great things about Belgian beers cranked up a few notches. You also tend to get much higher alcohol content (because of the extra sugar).

In the case of New Belgium's "Trippel", you get all of the above! It pours a dark good color with good carbonation, albeit with a high alcohol of 8.5% ABV, which is actually less than the typical 9-12% you tend to find in a tripel.

The taste is wonderfully Belgian - aromas of banana and bubble gum, along with the typical cloves and smokiness you often get with them. One surprising thing is that it tastes deceptively smooth, and you'd never guess it was that high in alcohol.

Overall, this is an excellent beer that's easy to find (and affordable) that you could line up against much higher-end tripels. Definitely one for Belgian beer fans.

Check back tomorrow for the next beer in our #12BeersofXmas series.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

Tasting Tuesday: Devils Backbone Wood-Aged Kilt Flasher

We have something VERY special for this week's ‪#‎TastingTuesday‬, courtesy of the good folks at Devils Backbone Brewing Company.

A few weeks ago, we received an invite that was to-the-point. "We’d like to invite you to an exclusive private tasting with Devils Backbone Brewing Company as we release the next brew in our Peak Series: Wood Aged Kilt Flasher."

If you're in the Mid-Atlantic area, you've likely seen Devils Backbone beers around, and staples like their Vienna Lager are delicious.

Kilt Flasher, however, is a strong Scotch Ale with a wonderfully complex flavor. For this release, they've one-upped it by adding wood to the brewing process that once held some fine whiskey.

We also had a chance to sit down with Jason Oliver, Brewmaster at Devils Backbone, so we'll let him explain it a bit more.

So click the link above for our short video, and see why YOU need to find some of this amazingness.

FAB Reviews Sweetwater 420

Eric and Christian review a staple of Southern beer, 420 Ale from SweetWater Brewing. What happens when the wives leave us home? Is Eric really an Ale-hole? Why is SweetWater one of our new favorite brands? Find out all this and more.

FAB Reviews Sweetwater 420 Video