Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

What comes to mind when you think Kentucky? For Two Guys, it's basketball, bourbon and bees. We wish there were some other animal that Kentucky was internationally known for but bees are all we have. Our extraordinarily smart 4 readers know that none of those three things are related to a journey of beer exploration. Well in this case that would not be correct, a brewery in Kentucky has decided to age ale in barrels that were used to hide Coach Calipari's recruiting violations and boy does that beer taste bitter. Just kidding, they used barrels that were previously used to age Kentucky bourbon. We will not detail to our very alert readers what ale is since we have done so in previous blog posts. We will just go straight to the beer.

Joe: The beer we tried for this sample is a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale brewed by the Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company located in the, no way shaped like a basketball, commonwealth of Kentucky. As previously mentioned the ale was aged in barrels that were used to age bourbon. The beer has a hefty 8.19 ABV. It a dark beer with high carbonation. As you can imagine the ale had a strong taste of bourbon with a hint of malty vanilla and caramel. It is advertised as a sipping beer and with the bourbon taste that is best how it is drank. You need to savor this beer. While I am not a bourbon guy—this is not a bourbon blog, after all---I did enjoy this beer. I give it 3 stars.

Joe, Justin, Jim Beam & beer

Justin: I wasn't sure what to expect with this beer and with good reason. It is a very unique sipping beer with strong bourbon flavor and subtle hints of vanilla and oak. The ale is aged for 6 weeks in spent bourbon casks from some of Kentucky’s finest distilleries. The flavor is strong right out of the gate and it doesn't let up. You definitely want to take the advice and 'sip' this one. I enjoyed the beer and I think that it would grow on me. I expect this would be the ideal after dinner beer for bourbon connoisseurs. Three stars!

New Belgium's Red Hoptober

Our next beer to review fits the style of Amber Ale. What’s that you say? Two Guys have already explained what ale is. Our readers are very astute so I’ll jump right into the distinguishing factors. Amber ales are basically pale ales that also use crystal malt. Crystal malts are responsible for the strongly sweet toffee-like flavors and the amber color. They are high-nitrogen malts that are wetted and roasted in a rotating drum before kilning.

Brian survived Two Guys initiation
 of setting the guest blogger on fire.

We are also pleased to introduce our second guest beer blogger. Brian has been a friend of ours for many years now. While he seems to have an endless supply of Busch Light available in his pole barn at all times, I've often noticed that he is no stranger to branching out and enjoying many seasonal and craft beer varieties. Now onto the beer!

Brian: I was lucky enough to be invited to a beer tasting with a couple of good friends. As usual I was ready! Then I saw the beer that we would be tasting and reviewing. The beer was New Belgium’s Red Hoptober. New Belgium’s flag ship beer is not my favorite, but after tasting this brew I was quickly surprised how much I liked it. The beer has a heavy start, but ends with a good flavor. I could see myself enjoying this beer with some thick burgers or around the campfire. If you enjoy a hoppy beer then grab a few of these New Belgium seasonals before the season is over.

Joe: Fall is a wonderful time of year. The heat and humidity and withering brownness of a brutal Indiana summer changes into crisp cool nights and the beauty of the forests as they prepare themselves for their winter hibernation. But what makes Fall truly grand it that it brings seasonal Fall beer. For our first Fall sampling we tried a Red Hoptober Ale brewed by the New Belgium Brewery which is very confusingly located in the extraordinarily rectangular but yet tall state of Colorado. The Hoptober had a dark red color with a 6.0 ABV. The flavor is a malt citrus caramel taste on the front end with a hopps bitter taste on the back end to nicely complement the malt flavor. The hoppy bitter taste made me think that it was an IPA but I cannot find any description that it is one. The beer was perfect to drink on a beautiful fall night. I give it 4 stars.

Justin: The hunt is over! This new seasonal offering from New Belgium Brewery hits on all cylinders. Red Hoptober's flavor is a mixture of light toffee sweetness and crisp citrusy pine. It ends with a bitter hoppiness that is reminiscent of an IPA. It was the perfect complement to sitting around a campfire. I would (and did) buy this beer again. Four and a half stars!