Bourbon Evil Urges
Short's Brewing Company in Elk Rapids, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Quadrupel / Dark Strong Rotating|
Score
7.13
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Bourbon Evil Urges is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale aged in bourbon barrels with a deep dark brown color and thick viscous allure. A sharp aroma of chocolate and molasses hits the senses reminiscent of a rich liqueur. Aided by additions of Belgian amber candi sugar the initial flavors are sweet and malty with some unique dark fruit qualities. Defined roast malt character with a slight black coffee bitterness lead into an intense warming finish, rounding out this full bodied experience.
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Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Pour is a dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is all bourbon and booze. The flavor is likewise. Loads of bourbon and candi sugar with a little dark fruit and the alcohol is here in spades. It was a little hard to get down at first with so much booze but after a sip the subtle nuances of the beer took over and you got some dark fruit and yeast ester. It's still hella boozy though.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 10/2015. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and flufy khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, molasses, raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, pear, apple, bourbon, toasted oak, nuttiness, and dark bread; with light notes of coconut, licorice, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, banana, clove, peppercorn, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, candi sugar, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, molasses, raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, pear, apple, bourbon, toasted oak, nuttiness, and dark bread; with light notes of coconut, licorice, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, banana, clove, peppercorn, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Minimal herbal, grassy, roasted bitterness; and yeast/bourbon/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, molasses, dark fruit, pear, apple, bourbon, toasted oak, nuttiness, dark bread, coconut, licorice, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, candi sugar, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel flavors; with a solid roasted bitter/sweet and yeast/bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying sweetness after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety, and slightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is amazing. Minimal warming alcohol for 9%, with zero barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged Belgian strong dark ale! All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, candi sugar, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mildy bitter/spicy/drying finish; amazingly soft/silky feel. Perfectly balanced rich malts, fruity yeast, and barrel presence/integration. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly amazing offering, and world class style example. Time has been amazing with this one. This was a lot less spicy/banana on the yeast than my base beer review. This was the smoothest BSDA I've ever had on mouthfeel.