Try?
Re-buy?
Well friends, here we are today with another bourbon barrel aged beer from Alltech of Lexington, Kentucky: Kentucky Honey Barrel Brown Ale. This is the fourth beer I’ve had from these folks, and generally I like them, though I do find them to be overpriced. That was the case here, too, as we shall soon see. I do love brown ales with their soft maltiness, and I’m a big ginger fan, too. This seemed right up my alley.
What does Alltech say about the beer?
As every drop of the ale is aged in fresh bourbon barrels, the caramel and vanilla flavors of the barrel are imparted upon the beer and balance with the spiciness of the ginger. At 10 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), this malty, limited release seasonal makes for a flavorful sipping beer to enjoy during the holiday season.
You see where they’re going here, right? Holiday season? Brown ale maltiness, ginger, vanilla, holiday season? Gingerbread cookies my friends.
Ingredients, from the website:
Hops Fuggles
Malts 2-Row Pale, Honey Malt, Special B, Chocolate Malt, Caramel 80
Special Ingredients: Honey, Ground Ginger
Kentucky Honey Barrel Brown Ale has an alcohol content of 10% by volume with 28 IBUs. Sip gently! Here comes the sticker shock: $14.99 for a 4-pack. Ouch. I will call this a strong ale rather than a brown ale, since it’s just too high in alcohol to be a brown ale.
Kentucky Honey Barrel Brown Ale pours to a, well, brown color with a thick creamy tan head and a sweet brown sugar and boozy nose. Taking a sip, the beer has brown sugar and raisin notes, very subtle boozy notes I might add and a warming alcohol finish. In all honesty I love the cookie malt notes and molasses and brown sugar, but there is not enough bourbon here to justify the price for me. The beer is a little woody and a faint hint of the ginger pops through. That suggests the gingerbread cookies I alluded to earlier, although I didn’t really get the vanilla.
Complex and delicious, but I would not buy it again at $14.99 a 4-pack. For that price, I should get at least 6 bottles, and that’s pushing it. $9.99 a 4-pack seems more reasonable. Four stars on its own merits for me, less a full star for the outrageous price.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
