500mL bottle, undated but 2026 release, drunk 3/19/26.
Nice, big, vibrant berry and wow, frickin Jim Beam barrel. Don't see that every day. If I'm being honest, I would probably never barrel age a beer in Jim Beam, since Jim kind of sucks and is very sharp and yet also weak on the actual bourbon character, with caramel and grain in place. Maybe it would work best in a very sweet stout, but that's not this. Here I think you want a sweeter bourbon to stand up to the dryness and acidity of the berry. At the end of the day though, whole fruit, bourbon barrel, stout, Dirigible. Absolutely cannot complain.
Yeesh, yeah, the thinness and dryness of the Jim carries through, somewhat exacerbating the dry, acidic flavors of the fruit. The body is too light, as well, and the ashen, charred roast really comes through too strongly. BUT, it's not egregiously thin to the point of being undrinkable. As the sharp carbonation wears off, the texture improves and it's manageable, albeit underwhelming. Still, the whole fruit carries the day and even if it is a bit thin and has an underwhelming Jim Beam bourbon character, it's still mostly balanced (no huge acidity or alcohol or tannin) and flavorful. I finished the bottle very easily.