Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company Wild Oats Series Strong Patrick (2018 – Jameson Barrel Aged) Irish Red Ale at 6.7% ABV | 24 IBU (C$6.87 at NLC Howley Estates, 600 ml, packaged on 5-Jan-2018, acquired 21-Feb-2018, reviewed 20-Feb-2018)
Appearance: clear deep amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: toffee and caramel, oak, whiskey, vanilla. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, malty mild bitter finish. (3/5)
Previous versions of this were described as whiskey barrel aged (which I’ve noted as adding a pleasant note to a style that I usually find to be fairly boring) but without specifying the exact whiskey used. I’m a total sucker for Jameson so I had to get this, even though I knew the likelihood of me being able to discern any difference was low indeed. That said, I’m more than halfway convinced I can in fact do just that. I’d have to try them side-by-side to be certain, but I want to say that this does in fact smell and taste of Jameson. Now I wish I had a wee dram of Caskmates to sip alongside this… though, sipping a little bit of Blender’s Dog definitely raised this to the next level (quite literally, with retronasal loft). (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
