Pours out with a golden/copperish/orange color that is pretty clear. Had a nice two and a half finger head on it that dissipated to a finger worth of soapy, bright white bubbles and is leaving some pretty awesome lacing down the side of the glass. Really nice looking beer even though it is kind of a standard for what an IPA should like whether it is barrel aged or not.
While the beers looks pretty it smells even better. As I was pouring it and as I type this I can smell the aroma streaming out of the glass and it is a good 2 or 3 feet away from me right now. I get a nice fruitiness with a big sweetness that I am guessing is coming from the bourbon barrel that it was aged in. Vanilla and coconut seem to be pretty big from the distance. As I get it closer to the nice the hops jump right out of the glass. Big citrus and fruity notes but more so than that it smells like those yogurt covered dried fruits. This is an interesting smelling beer but also, for me, a glorious smelling beer as well. Fruity citrus, a big note of vanilla mixed with coconut, and also a nice aroma of the bourbon itself with some golden fruits hiding in there as well. This always seems to be a downfall with my reviewing. I get so sucked in to a magical aroma that I am often times let down by the taste. Hopefully this won't let me down.
K. Kind of watery on the palate which isn't helping the initial tasting notes but I am getting a nice little sweetness mixed with bitterness at the front of the mouth that bring out a little bit of that citrus I was getting in the aroma. As it slides to the middle of the palate the slight bitterness and the citrusy hop character washes away and a nice subtle sweetness from the barrel shows itself. Nice vanilla and even a small amount of coconut is there with a dry oaky note to bring it all together...kind of. It finished dry with no lingering aspect of oak which is really nice. The finish has a slight bitterness to it mixed with a moderate booziness that I personally don't think meshes well together. Certainly could have benefited from a thicker mouthfeel I think. The flavors are definitely all there and would be really nice together if it just felt a little more sticky.
In the end, I think this was a solid offering from Founders. Not their best effort but certainly not there worst. This is the only barrel aged D/IPA I have ever had so I don't have much to draw on but I think I can do without it.
To any of you guys who regularly read my blog then I am thankful that you are still reading this and I will try to find the time and patience to do more reviews. Thanks for reading!
Cheers ladies and gentlemen!
