Anderson Valley Salted caramel Bourbon barrel aged Porter

Rating:

imageThere is no info on this bottle, other than what is stated above. This beer has been aged for 6 months in Wild turkey bourbon barrels.

Poured into a shaker glass, we see a dark brown/black colour the body with an amber hit in the light. 10mm light tan head slowly fades to a light lacing around the rim. No carbonation seen here. The initial aromas are interesting. No hops, maybe a light roasted hit with a liquor like nose. Almost comes off watery and subdued. First sip yields sweetness like cola, a caramel hit which is mild and tastes a tad artificial, and there is an element of woody funkiness as you swish the brew around the mouth. Is this the woody barrel aged process? It’s a combination between bittersweet malt and bourbon whiskey. Obviously the 6 months barrel ageing process has ingrained the wild turkey like ‘heat’. There is a warming effect in the mouth. Body is light to medium at best. Definite watery/soft end to the brew. It’s only 6% Alc vol but we would like a bit more body. Mild carbonation. More roasted flavours, mild hits of caramel, and long bourbon notes on the back palate. We get mild vanilla, some nuts, some smoke but basically imperceptible. We really don’t get the salted caramel flavours that are boldly labelled on the bottle. This annoys us to no end as it sold us when purchasing. The beer is smooth though. Just glides down the gullet. Overall, we unsure of this one. It’s nice enough. Just not refined enough and missing the salted caramel/praline flavour which really would have added a layer of complexity.