Bourbon Barrel Three Philosophers

750 c&c from Bruisin' Ales. The ABV does not seem to be on the bottle. The ale is not described as "bourbon". Duvel produced it at Boulevard! Things are getting really complicated. Pours translucent brown with a creamy/foamy/fizzy light tan head. Aroma of what seems to be bourbon and cherries. Nearly full bodied. Flavor is "plummy" quad with "bourbon", wood, hint of cherry, smooth dark, lightly treacly malt. It's drier than expected; not bitter; but the flavors do balance the malt. There might be a chocolate note. But wood and cherry seem to be the subtle things. Exquisite.

750 ml bottle into signature tulip glass, bottled on 7/28/2017. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep ruby, red light copper/brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big raisin, plum, cherry, fig, apricot, pear, red apple, red grape, peppercorn, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and toffee; with lighter notes of vanilla, bourbon, oak, nuttiness, chocolate, cocoa, banana, clove, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spice yeast, dark/bready/light roasted malt, and light-moderate bourbon barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big raisin, plum, cherry, fig, apricot, pear, red apple, red grape, peppercorn, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and toffee; with lighter notes of vanilla, bourbon, oak, nuttiness, chocolate, cocoa, banana, clove, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast, bourbon/oak spiciness; and light herbal/roast bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruits, cherry, apricot, pear, red apple, red grape, peppercorn, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, oak, nuttiness, light chocolate/cocoa, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spice yeast, dark/bready/light roasted malt, and light-moderate bourbon barrel flavors; with a great malt/spiciness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from yeast/oak spiciness. Medium-plus carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is fairly well hidden; a mildy increasing warmth of 9.7%, with minimal barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged quadrupel style. All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spice yeast, dark/bready/light roasted malt, and light-moderate bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and easy to sip on for the big ABV. Well attenuated and not overly sweet for the ABV. Not as much barrel as I hoped for, but solid presence. Nicely rich with perfectly balanced yeast and malt flavors. Pleasant backing bourbon barrel notes, without any booze. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.