Kentucky Ale
Lexington, KY
A sipping beer with the distinctive nose of a bourbon. Aged for up to 6 weeks in freshly decanted bourbon barrels. Subtle flavors of vanilla and oak are imparted as it rests in the charred barrels. Smooth and robust, may also be served as an aperitif or after dinner drink.
ABV: 8.19
ABW: 6.0
COLOR: 18
BITTERNESS: 20
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1058.2
AVAILABLE: IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, OH, RI, TN, WI
If someone sat this beer down in front of me in a rocks glass, just by sniffing it, I’d swear it was a bourbon and cream soda cocktail. Kentucky Bourbon Ale pours a deep honey gold with just a skiff of a ecru head—and aromas of bourbon, brown sugar, vanilla plus, yes, cream soda. The flavors don’t veer too far from that, adding a slight alcohol warming with a light effervescence and a somewhat creamy texture in the mouth. Certainly not a typical heavy bourbon ale, with a surprising lightness on the palate. Unique and interesting.
A Bourbon beer from Bourbon country. This bright amber-golden ale certainly lives up to its roots. The aroma is instantly appealing, with creamy oak, sherry and raisins wafting around. When it comes to the taste, I’m immediately reminded of rum ‘n’ raisin ice cream, it’s so full of creamy vanilla and dried fruit, but then there are the whiskey notes that drift underneath and that light, warming tingle. It’s rum ‘n’ raisin again in the finish, which dries and becomes slightly chalky. Perhaps it’s a little thin for the strength, but if you like Bourbon, you’ll like this beer.
Lisa Morrison, aka The Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever and wherever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. More of his writing can be found at www.insidebeer.com.
Wed Jul 3rd, 2013
The Young Turks and Old Lions of Breweries
Once a year the whole world of craft brewers, and I do mean the whole world, gathers together for four days of catching up, digesting new ideas, staying up way...
Read the blog
