84 Rating: Significant by BuckleDown Brewing

Significant by BuckleDown Brewing is being evaluated as a Specialty Wood Aged Beer (Category 33B) from the 2015 BJCP guidelines. 

This beer poured very dark, opaque and rather viscous. The head was thick and moussy, dark tan in color and showed excellent retention that lasted all the way through the sample.

The aroma had a big bourbon note, although it was not offensive. The roasted malt character was lower than expected with notes of licorice and light cream. Some vanilla and oaky aromas came forward from the barrel as well as light, spicy phenols. Slight citrus tangerine added an interesting dimension toward the end.  

The flavor has notes of dark roasted malt that were sweet and somewhat milky. The licorice character in the aroma was perceived here as well as vanilla. The finish was semi-dry with a moderately high amount of alcohol. Sadly, this ale seemed a bit overpowered by the bourbon character inclination.  

The medium-full body and lower carbonation added creaminess with a nearly silky mouthfeel. A moderate amount of alcohol is felt in the back of the throat, yet there are no signs of astringency in this dark roasted beer – that’s a good thing. 

In closing, this is a big beer with myriad complex aromas and flavors -- however, they never seem to fully mesh and feel somewhat segmented. There’s a young beer character about it, with a light sherry note as it further warms up. Perhaps this beer will benefit from aging/conditioning or blending it further with more of the base beer in order to mute the bourbon a bit.