Pelican Brewing - 2012 Mother of All Storms

From Pelican Brewing:

"There are many storms out there, all of them perfect in their own way. But there is only one Mother of all Storms and it only happens in Pacific City, Oregon. Based on Stormwatcher’s Winterfest, our English-style barleywine, Mother of all Storms spent many months aging in Kentucky bourbon barrels. Now at its peak, Mother of all Storms delivers deep flavors of toasted malt, bourbon and oak. The finish rewards with whispers of vanilla, toffee and caramel. Best enjoyed with gusts exceeding 60 mph."

I was fortunate enough to be able to split a case of this with another friend and I have yet to drink a bottle from the six I received.  Being a big fan of barrel aged barleywines this was high on my list of beers that I must get and something I have to review for you guys.

It pours a really, really nice orange, red, brown mixture of color from the bottle and when it sits in the glass it is a beautiful dark ruby color.  It poured with a 1 finger head that quickly disappeared and left a small ring on the outside of the beer where it meets the glass.  Alcohol legs stick to the glass and run down back into the glass when it is swirled.  It looks like art in a glass just begging to be drank.

Vanilla and bourbon smack you in the face initially then followed with big ripe figs and dates and other dark fruits.  The mixture of the two is a beautiful thing.  Smells like dark fruit are just soaking inside of an oak soup with a drizzle of vanilla over the top.  A nice caramel aroma shows itself as well and lends to the sweet and dessert like aroma this beer has.  A nice bready like character is in there as well.  A nice darker bread that was baked with oak staves in the oven.  Such a delicious smelling beer with a lot of flavors packed in there and all showcasing themselves in a perfect way.

Holy crap.  An intense punch of vanilla and caramel lead the way on the palate with a nice oak note pushing its way in there and into the finish.  The finish, along with the oak, has a nice alcohol taste that doesn't so much overpower but more so lends just another flavor to the beer.  After the finish the beer leaves a nice warming feeling in the chest which is to be expected for coming in at 14%abv.  There is a real nice toasted malt and toasted oak presence throughout.  Not a roast that will leave bitterness on the finish but a toasty character that pairs well with that oaky bread like aroma I was getting.  Dark fruits work there way in the as well that make this a real treat.  Definitely a sweet beer upfront but the finish on this cuts it perfectly and helps to not overwhelm the palate sweetness.  This is incredible.  

There isn't too much more I can say.  This beer is incredible in every aspect and may possibly be my favorite barrel aged barleywine I have had to date.  The flavors are all showcased well but are showcased together and each do their part to make this super drinkable despite the high alcohol content.  Pelican seems to produce a good amount of this and many people bought cases of it and now I understand why.  Next November is just around the corner so definitely keep an eye out for release information because this is a beer you need to have in your cellar AND in your fridge.  

Until next time,

Cheers ladies and gentlemen!