A brown ale with very little head, Rocky’s Revenge is a sweet, malty beer that packs a pleasant bourbon barrel twist. While my score isn’t too high, this is a really nice example of two styles that I normally dislike: small bourbon barrel-aged beer in normal styles and brown ales. My main criticism of the beer is only that it’s all a bit mild, which is definitely unexpected. The brown ale is fairly nutty and spicy. It has a sweet malty backbone. I wouldn’t want one every night, but it’s good stuff. The bourbon barrel aging has been done with a light touch.

bottle from Old Crown in Ft Wayne - Pours amber brown with a small, lasting head. The subdued aroma has a little bourbon and alcohol in it and some indeterminate malt. The flavor is much more full with an excellent blend of bourbon and caramel malt with good balancing hops. The bourbon is quite apparent but does not overwhelm the beer. It’s light to medium bodied and well done.

Bottle thanks to exiled. Pours with a brown body and a small off-white head. Aroma of brown sugar, light oak and cardboard. Taste is cereally, bitter, brown sugar. Light bubbles.

Bottle: Pours a rich caramel color with a modest beige head. Aroma is malty, earthy, nutty, and a little rye. The barrel aging has a nice, mellow effect on the ale. Still malty and earthy, but the edge is taken off the rye and a little chocolate comes in to dance with the bourbon. Faintly woody and earthy in the tail. Nice brew, I could drink a few pints over the course of an evening and be very pleased. Update, 10/15/10: The last two bottles from the same sixer as my 5/17/10 rating: Nose is musty and almost completely stale bourbon. Tastes like a sour, stale apple cider with some bourbon and ash. Wow, this went downhill quick. Absolutely nothing like I remember it... I go from enjoying this to pouring out 3/4 of two bottles. I’d drink it again fresh, but would not buy it unless positive of it’s youth. Original rate 7/4/8/3/15, 2nd rate 6/4/4/2/8. I’ll let my original rate stand though!

(Bottle, Monk’s Café Wallingatan, Stockholm) Dark reddish brown colour with brief, beige head. Malty, slightly fruity nose with vanilla, bourbon barrels, raisins, dried fruit and dark bread. Malty, fruity taste with notes of oak wood, bourbon, vanilla, dark fruit, roasted malt, chocolate and a spicy bitterness in the finish. Slightly more than medium body, fairly sweet. Interesting beer with a distinct bourbon character. And quite nice too.

Bottle. Pours an amber brown color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty caramel aroma. Sweetish malty vanilla flavor with some woody hints and hints of caramel. Has a sweetish malty fruity vanilla finish with some hints of caramel.

Bottled@Monks Café Wallingatan, Stockholm. Ruby red colour with small off-white head. Aroma is red fruits, some bourbon barrel, mild chocolate as well as some slight old coffee and nuts. Flavour is quite much the same along with plum/raisins and some slight toasted notes.

Bottled at Monk’s Café Wallingatan, Stockholm. Clear reddish brown, small head. Mild chocolatey bourbon aroma. Sweet with mdium body. Vanilla with chocolate and whipped cream. Low bitterness. A small beer with big flavours.

Sampled at the 2010 Indiana Winterfest. Poured a dark brown with an off-white head. Aroma was full of dark malts with an underlying hint of bourbon. Flavor was similar with dark malts, particularly grain and another hint of bourbon.

Bottled. A dark red beer with a tan head. The aroma has notes of malt and caramel, while the flavor is sweet with notes of malt and caramel. Thanks Papsoe for sharing.